Daily Search Forum Recap: September 15, 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 Search Console reporting seems off since last week. Plus, third party Google tracking tools reporting is mostly broken since the Google 100 search results parameter going away. Google did not add AI Overview tracking in Search Console, that was fake news. Structured data does not help with AI visibility, not yet at least. FTC is investigating Google over ad pricing and terms. Bing Places is releasing an update.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Search Console Reporting Change Since 100 Results Broke
  On Friday we reported that Google Search was removing the ability to show 100 search results per page. And now, we are seeing a lot of people notice that their Google Search Console performance reports are showing big changes with the data.
• PSA: Most Third Party Google Search Tracking Tools Are Broken
  Most of the third-party Google Search tracking tools are broken and not tracking properly. This seemed to start when Google turned off the ability to show 100 search results per page. So just keep in mind, when you are looking at your reporting with these tools, the data may be off since around September 11th or so.
• Structured Data Does Not Help With Visibility In AI Search
  There are a lot of folks in the community saying that implementing structured data / schema on your pages will help you with AI Search visibility. But few have really tested it until now. And those few tests show that adding structured data / schema does not help with your visibility in AI search, at least not yet.
• No, Google Search Console Did Not Add An AI Overviews Filter
  No, Google Search Console did not add an AI Overviews filter to the Search Performance report. There was a ton of buzz this morning that Google added the ability to filter out AI Overview data in Search Console, but it was a fake and not a real screenshot.
• Bing Places Update Coming Soon: Navigation, Experience & More
  Microsoft sent out an email on Friday informing businesses that changes are coming to Bing Places, the portal businesses can go to in order to update their business details on Bing Maps.
• FTC Investigating Google Over Ad Pricing & Terms On Websites
  Bloomberg reports that the Federal Trade Commission is investigating Google (and Amazon) on whether the companies misled advertisers by not properly disclosing the terms and pricing for ads on their websites.
• Googler Packing Up His Things From His Desk
  I found this video of a Googler, Google employee, who showed himself packing up his things at his desk in the Google office in San Francisco. No, he was not fired and no he did not quit. He is just moving locations, he wrote.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Earlier, feature icons like "Date Range", "Search" and "Segment" were all black. Now, Google seems to have switched these specific icons to blue., Saquib Syed on LinkedIn
• Indeed. As I said on the dumpster fire that is Linkedin… “Can’t wait to blow some of the stupid AI search myths around chunking, information gain and various other ignorant misinterpretations out of the water. All the nonsense is making for some bri, Dawn Anderson on Bluesky
• Made it to no.1 in the App Store. Congrats to the @GeminiApp team for all their hard work, and this is just the start, so much more to come!, Demis Hassabis on X
• Heads-up: if you've checked your Google Search Console data today and you're noticing some unusual trends, you're not alone. In particular, I'm seeing a noticeable decline in desktop impressions, resulting in a sharp increase in av, Brodie Clark on X
• Warning To All Advertisers, If You Get One Of These Google Ads "Competitor" INCREASE YOUR BUDGETS Emails Please Make Sure That You Actually Go And Look At Your Auctions Insights Before Increasing Your Budgets!!!!, Anthony Higman on LinkedIn
• A bit out of my lane but *extremely interesting* overview of YouTube copyright claims & appeals, both volume and percentages. (EU, 2024), Mike Ryan on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• The latest jobs in search marketing
• FTC probes Google and Amazon over ad pricing disclosures
• Google publishes new guide on Shopping ads pricing
• Thriving in the AI era of search: Realign, measure, collaborate
• Top Performance Max optimization tips for 2026
• AI search drives less than 1% of referrals, organic still dominates: Data
• 87% read AI search summaries, 84% shop with AI: Survey

Other Great Search Stories:

Industry & Business

• Google is a 'bad actor' says People CEO, accusing the company of stealing content, TechCrunch
• Google renews lease for smaller East Coast office hub as part of real estate cuts, Costar
• Rolling Stone, Billboard owner Penske sues Google over AI overviews, Reuters

Links & Content Marketing

• Is Link Building Dead? (15 Data Studies Behind the Clickbait), BuzzStream
• Why Email Delivers the Highest ROI Across Generations, Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• Small Businesses Face a New Threat: Pay Up or Be Flooded With Bad Reviews, New York Times
• Google Maps has secret Easter eggs hiding in plain sight | Tom's Guide, Tom's Guide

Mobile & Voice

• visionOS 26 review: a necessary evolution limited by hardware, AppleInsider
• Apple Glass without AR still expected in late 2026, early 2027, AppleInsider
• Google Gemini is the top free iPhone app, 9to5Google

SEO

• 2x Your Top 10 Chances: A Content Update Study Based on 300,000+ Pages, Surfer SEO
• AI Search Visits Surging in 2025—But Organic Search Remains the Cornerstone of Digital Growth, BrightEdge
• Broaden what "SEO" means, Product Led SEO
• What are search ranking factors?, Walsh & Partners
• You Can't Track AI Like Traditional Search. Here's What to Do Instead., Ahrefs
• Automate IndexNow SEO submissions on static sites with Github Actions, John Mueller's randoms
• AI Video Ads, Obviously AI, Obviously Delivering ROI, eMarketing Association
• AI-Scraping Free-for-All by OpenAI, Google, and Meta Is Over, NY Mag
• What is QBST (Query-Based Salient Terms) in Google Search: Google V DOJ Trial Testimony, Hobo
• Google's Sept. 2025 SERP Update: Why seoClarity is Built for This Moment, seoClarity
• When AI gets your brand wrong: Real examples and how to fix it, Yoast

PPC

• How to Create Your First Google Ads Campaign - Step by Step, Taikun Digital
• Google Expands Nonprofit Eligibility Worldwide, PPC News Feed
• How To Run Cross-Platform Ad Campaigns Without Losing Visibility or Control, Optmyzr

Search Features

• Why you can’t trust Google to pick the best films to watch, The Times
• Google "Circle to Search" can extract text out of images now, Gagan Ghotra
• Trust Still Lives in Blue Links, Growth Memo

Other Search

• OpenAI readies Orders in ChatGPT for native checkout, Testing Catalog
• AI bots now represent one in 50 website visits, Press Gazette
• Anthropic Economic Index report: Uneven geographic and enterprise AI adoption, Anthropic
• OpenAI study reveals who uses ChatGPT and what they use it for, Washington Post

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.