Daily Search Forum Recap: September 8, 2025

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.

Google initially said that AI Mode will become the default search experience soon, but then told us not to look too much into that statement. Google said the open web is in rapid decline after saying the web is thriving. Google was fined $3.5 billion in the EU over its ad-tech practices and told to divest. Google AI Overviews are using individual Business Profiles reviews. Google AI Mode may use your Search and Map activity to personalize the results. Google said to go with a traditional TLD even if it has a hyphen in the domain name. Google is testing alternatives to the people also search for.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google AI Mode To Become Default For Google Search Soon (Not)
  Logan Kilpatrick, lead product manager for Google DeepMind, Gemini, and all AI products at Google, said Google AI Mode will be the default for Google Search "soon." He said this after Google made google.com/ai go directly to AI Mode's interface on Friday afternoon. But then on Sunday, Google retracted this statement.
• EU Fines Google $3.5 Billion; Must Divest Part Of Ad-Tech Business
  The European Union has fined Google $3.5 billion, 2.95 billion euro, for breaking its competition rules by favoring its own digital advertising services. Part of this ruling also says Google is required to divest part of its ad-tech business.
• New Google Court Doc: Open Web Is In Rapid Decline
  Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, said in May that web publishing is not dying. Nick Fox, VP of Search at Google, said in May that the web is thriving. But in a court document filed by Google on late Friday, Google's lawyers wrote, "The fact is that today, the open web is already in rapid decline."
• Google: Go With Traditional TLD Even If You Need A Hyphen In Domain Name
  Google's John Mueller said in a Reddit thread that he would personally go with a traditional TLD (i.e., .com) even if it means having to put a hyphen in the domain name. This is instead of picking a TLD that may be considered lower quality or cheap.
• Google AI Mode Disclaimer: Google Use Your Search & Maps Activity To Personalize Results
  Google AI Mode within Search Labs personalizes your results for dining-related topics. Well, now Google is showing a disclaimer when it does that. The disclaimer reads, "Personalized for you: Now when you ask for restaurant recommendations in Al Mode you'll get more relevant responses that use your Search and Maps activity."
• Google AI Overviews Citing Individual Reviews
  Google seems to be using the reviews on your Google Business Profile listings to give responses in its AI Overviews. If you search for your favorite doctor reviews, you may see Google cite reviews listed in the reviews section of your Google Business Profile.
• Google Search Tests Alternatives To People Also Search For
  Google is testing alternatives to the title "People also search for" at the bottom of the Google Search results. I am seeing "Related your search," "Search for next," and "Also search for."
• Breathwork At Google
  This was the first time I heard of the term Breathwork but it is a term and Google had a Breathwork workshop at its office. Breathwork is a term for various breathing practices in which the conscious control of breathing is said to influence a person's mental, emotional, or physical state, with a therapeutic effect.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Good to see Sergey having a seat at the table again. Google is back in Founder mode., Beff e/acc on X
• Next Myth: Creators should wait 24-48 hours before making a video public Nope! The theory here is that it takes YouTube a day or two to understand your video, so waiting will result in better recommendations. Actually, the recom, YouTube Liaison on X
• @OfficialLoganK @HiSohan Thanks we’ll fix, Robby Stein on X
• @rustybrick thanks for your many years of keeping us SEO's informed with the latest Search news. For our gratitude I made the rap song for you!, Robert O'Haver on X
• Looks like that Wirecutter robots.txt change for https://t.co/p0pnzjA0bV isn't helping. They are still dropping. Here's my post about their two big drops over the past several months in case you aren't familiar with what's going on., Glenn Gabe on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google AI Mode may become the default Google Search experience “soon.”
• The latest jobs in search marketing
• EU fines Google $3.5 billion over anti-competitive ad-tech business
• SEO in the age of AI: Becoming the trusted answer
• How generative engines define and rank trustworthy content

Other Great Search Stories:

Industry & Business

• Google confirms plans for West Memphis data center, Local Memphis
• Google’s Trial Loss Shows Distaste of Complicated Privacy Terms, Bloomberg
• How Google Works in 2025 - DOJ Antitrust Trial Disclosures, Hobo
• Tech CEOs Praise Donald Trump at White House Dinner, Wired
• Trump threatens trade probe after 'discriminatory' EU fines against Google, Apple, CNBC
• Why Google's Monopoly Is Outlasting Rockefeller's, Bloomberg

Links & Content Marketing

• 5 Content Marketing Ideas for October 2025, Practical Ecommerce
• AI vs. Human Creativity: Striking the Perfect Balance in Legal Content Creation, JDSupra
• How to Grow Your Google Visibility in an AI World Via Digital PR, Affiverse

Local & Maps

• 9 Google Business Profile Verification Tips That Will Save Your Sanity, Sterling Sky
• I Tested the Newest Google Maps Alternative, and Here's Why You'll Never Use It, AutoEvolution
• This might be some users' biggest issue with Google Maps, PhoneArena

Mobile & Voice

• What Apple Is Planning to Introduce at Sept. 9 ‘Awe Dropping’ iPhone 17 Event, Bloomberg
• Authors sue Apple over claims it trained AI with pirated books, AppleInsider

SEO

• 'SEO fraud-as-a-service' scheme hijacks Windows servers to promote gambling websites, The Record
• GEO vs. SEO Guide: Navigating Rankings in the AI Search Era, Influencer Marketing Hub

PPC

• “Failing” in PPC? Good. That Means You’re Playing the Game., SearchLab Digital
• Google Publishes Checklist for Display Dynamic Remarketing Tag Appointments, PPC News Feed
• Announcing v5 release and changes for supporting European Union Political Ads Regulation in Campaign Manager 360 API, Google Ads Developer Blog
• Google Merchant API Update Hidden AI Text Suggestions Feature in Product Studio, FeedArmy
• Google Merchant Center Pricing Policy Update September 2025, FeedArmy
• Google PMax Unveils Optimization Tools, Practical Ecommerce

Search Features

• Google․com/ai now opens Google Search AI Mode , 9to5Google
• Will AI Overviews always be at the top of the SERP?, STAT Search Analytics

Other Search

• GPT-5 Thinking in ChatGPT (aka Research Goblin) is shockingly good at search, Simon Willison
• OpenAI reorganizes research team behind ChatGPT's personality, TechCrunch
• Why language models hallucinate, OpenAI
• Google finally details Gemini usage limits, The Verge

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