Daily Search Forum Recap: September 8, 2026

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 has rolled out its Digital Markets Act changes in Europe and called it the "largest reduction in quality" in the life of Google Search. Google is testing a thinner design for the citations/link panel on the right side of the AI Overview. Google is testing a new form of responses in AI Mode that offers paginated follow-up questions and responses, with a skip button to skip them. Google Business Profiles insights report is missing data for all of September. Some advertisers are starting to see the new AI dashboards within Google Ads. Google is showing the number of sold items for a specific product in the Google Shopping Ads format. The Google Search Console link report has not been updated for a month. Google is sending out Google Business Profiles notifications to business owners asking if the user-suggested edit or update is correct or not.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google: EU DMA Changes Resulted In Largest Reduction In Search Quality
  Google has rolled out its Digital Markets Act changes in Europe and called it the "largest reduction in quality" in the life of Google Search. "The changes mark the largest reduction in quality of service 'at the world's most popular internet search engine in its 29-year search history," Google official told Reuters.
• September Data In Google Business Profiles Insights Missing
  Google Business Profiles insights analytics report is missing data for the whole month of September 2026. Normally these reports can be a few days delayed but now we 8 days into the month and I still do not see any data.
• Google Ads AI Dashboards Live For Some Advertisers
  Some advertisers are starting to see the new AI dashboards within Google Ads. As a reminder, Google showed off these Gemini-powered Google Ads dashboards last May and then in August said they would roll out soon and I guess now some advertisers are seeing it.
• Google AI Mode Tests Paginated Follow Up Responses With Skip Button
  Google is testing a new form of responses in AI Mode that offers paginated follow-up questions and responses, with a skip button to skip them.
• Google Search Console Links Report Not Updated In A Month
  The Google Search Console link report has now not been updated for a month. The last time the report was updated with fresh link data was around August 8, 2026 - a month ago.
• Google Tests Thinner AI Overview Citations Panel
  Google is testing a thinner design for the citations/link panel on the right side of the AI Overview. The citations panel is noticeably thinner and may be less noticeable to searchers, maybe leading to fewer clicks?
• Google Business Profiles Email: Does This Look Right To You
  Google is sending out Google Business Profiles notifications to business owners asking if the user-suggested edit or update is correct or not. The email says, "Does this look right to you?" and then it shows the suggested update to your business, which you can mark as correct or incorrect.
• Google Shopping Ads With Number Sold Last Week
  Google is showing the number of sold items for a specific product in the Google Shopping Ads format. The ad has an extension added on it that says "200+ sold last," or whatever number it might be.
• Google Seattle Office Adds Security Film To Windows
  Google added safety and security window film to some of the windows in the Google Kirkland, Seattle office. Here is a photo from a video of the film being applied to the windows.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Gen AI website traffic share update - August 2026 12 months ago: ChatGPT: 73.3% Gemini: 12.9% DeepSeek: 4.0% Grok: 2.6% Copilot: 2.0% Perplexity: 2.0% Claude: 1.9% 6 months ago: ChatGPT: 56.7% Gemini: 25.4% Claude: 6.0% Grok: 3.7% DeepSeek: 3.4% Copilot: https://t.co/7pywSjOgqP", Similarweb on X
• SerpApi quietly built its own search index. Public in alpha since February, now in preview. 3.2B pages, small, no Google or proxies at query time. Went finally public because its Reddit counterclaim says the Reddit–Google deal blocks it from competing in search, Natzir on X
• In August, ChatGPT ran at least 20 A/B experiments on shopping. I found them in its SSE stream., Tomek Rudzki on LinkedIn
• In mid-August, I shared that ChatGPT was hiding "view sources" behind the overflow menu. Well, now I'm seeing a different treatment in the free version of ChatGPT. It's much better and sources are visible by default and named just "Sources". But in my paid account, I still see, Glenn Gabe on X
• @inspiredtaste I don't disagree. I know they've turned it off and have a strict AI for my kids at their schools. I'm not sure what the set up might be at your kid's school., Satyajeet Salgar on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Why growing restaurant chains win at local search and AI visibility
• AI Overviews may be affecting Shopping ad CTR and impressions
• Google tests traditional Search campaigns in AI Mode

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• Google, Cathay Use AI to Curb Aviation’s Overlooked Climate Headache, Bloomberg
• Google tests proper Projects for the Gemini desktop app, Testing Catalog
• Import AI 472: DeepMind's cheating math agents; populist AI policies; and Forethought theorizes a nightwatchman, Import AI
• OpenAI and the Wiki Incident, Zvi Mowshowitz
• He’s Letting AI Agents Invest His Money. They Even Have Names., Wall Street Journal

Analytics

• GA4 tips to help SEOs, KRM Digital Marketing
• I Connected Claude to My Tag Manager and Found 3 Containers Nobody Knew Existed, MeasureU

Industry & Business

• Google-backed Indian space startup raises $100 million in latest funding round, Reuters
• Google layoffs 52 people in Kirkland, Redmond, and Seattle, KIRO 7 News Seattle
• Apple to Make First Big Change to iPhones in Years, New York Times

Links & Content Marketing

• Show off your knowledge and expertise, Ilana Davis
• SaaS Link Building Strategy That Works in AI Search, Advanced Web Ranking

Local & Maps

• Hiker found after being lost overnight in NC gorge, SAR says, Charlotte Observer

Other Search

• ChatGPT built its own search index, Peec AI
• Key App Developers Have Yet to Embrace Apple’s New Siri A.I., New York Times

PPC

• Meridian GeoX: Google’s new open source causality solution is globally available, Google

Search Features

• Some Google Home devices are refusing to answer basic queries, Android Authority

SEO

• AI chatbots talked 57.5% of AI users out of buying, Semrush
• Search Central Live is coming to Bogota and Ciudad de México, Google Search Central Blog
• The financial impact of technical SEO on your ROI, Oncrawl
• 245+ SEO Terms You Should Know: A Comprehensive Organic Search Glossary, JumpFly

Feedback:

Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News, add as a preferred source on Google and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or just contact us the old fashion way.