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.
I am seeing signs of a big update lurking with Google Search, nothing confirmed yet. We have data on the Google Ads August 17th bidding update. That update started on August 17 and finished on August 27. Google is testing a text-based link format for ads within AI Mode. Google Ads added a new option within your Performance Max campaigns to select "Where should people go after clicking your ads?". There are delays with Google Business Profiles API applications. The new Ecosystem carousel is live in Google in Europe.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up This Morning - September 15th
Google Search seems to be heating up this morning, I am seeing a huge spike in chatter in the past few hours and the tools may be starting to heat up as well. We will know more tomorrow but I am suspecting we are seeing the start of a Google update... -
Google Business Profile API Application Delays
Google announced a delay in processing applications for access to the Google Business Profile API. This was posted by Victoria Kroll in multiple languages in the Google Business Profiles support forum. -
Google AI Mode Tests Text Link Ads
Google is testing a text-based link format for ads within AI Mode. So the ads look like normal AI Mode responses, with normal looking text links with anchor text, but they are labeled as "Sponsored" above the AI-generated response. -
Google Ads PMax: Where Should People Go After Clicking Your Ads?
Google Ads added a new option within your Performance Max campaigns to select "Where should people go after clicking your ads?" The two available options for that question are (1) Your website and (2) Google Business Profile (optimized for ads). -
Early Data On Google Ads August 17 Bidding Update
The Google Ads August 17th bidding update happened about a month ago, and Google's various ad representatives spent a lot of time telling us that a lot won't change. It still caused a big stir in the community, but now we have some data to share. -
Google Ads August 17 Target-Based Bidding Update Finished August 27
Google has posted the date of when the Google Ads bidding update, the target-based bid strategies rolled out, completed globally. It started on yes, August 17, 2026 and completed on August 27, 2026. -
Google European Ecosystem Carousel Live For Weather, Translations & More
As you know, Google has new features in many European regions to promote vertical search services (VSS) by way of the Digital Markets Act. Many of those changes have been live for a while, but now the Ecosystem carousel seems to be live. -
Google DIY Charms Bracelets
Google had some sort of Google Education workshop where they had these Google bracelet-making and Google charms.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Very interesting for publishers, but also for journalists and authors in general on Google Discover. In addition to having video cards from publisher sites identified on Google Discover, Google detects the author of the article or video and allows you to filter content from a, Damien Andell on X
- Google Ads shuffled "Goals" menu. Summary and Leads moved out of the Conversions dropdown, now sit above it as their own items. Inside Conversions there's a new "All conversions" view, and Settings got renamed to "Conversion settings." Small layout change, Govind Singh Panwar on X
- Heh, smart move Apple - "My Business" queries shows an ad from Apple Maps Ads in Google Search, Barry Schwartz on X
- New widget in the Google app, "Did You Know," links to an AI Mode chat with the prompt "Tell me about $30M: Practical Magic 2 leads US box office." AI Mode URL: https://t.co/NaMjOMcH9B The widget is activated in the settings and is described as: "daily numbers that tell a, Damien Andell on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Facebook ad costs fall as traffic and lead performance improves: Report
- Microsoft Advertising sets rules for AI-generated ads
- Why ChatGPT Ads deserve a place in your 2027 media plan
- Two GEO experiments challenge conventional AI visibility advice
- Google Business Profiles rolls out Collected Info
- The future of content isn’t writing. It’s thinking
- Google tests paying publishers for using its content in AI Mode, AI Overviews and Gemini
- Keyword seed selection for international SEO
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- Anthropic prepares Claude Money for personal finance, Testing Catalog
- Code references show Siri AI can be swapped out for ChatGPT or Claude, Apple Insider
- Microsoft says ‘people matter more than AI’ following safety concerns, The Verge
- A simple plan to save the world from rogue A.I., Slow Boring
- Anthropic targets financial advisers with new Claude tool, Reuters
- I worked at Google DeepMind. You should listen to the warnings about AI, The Guardian
- Introducing Command Center, Profound
- AI Labs Want Someone to Stop Them, Bloomberg
Analytics
Industry & Business
- Inside ‘Project Lily’: The Humans Reading Your ChatGPT Chats, 404 Media
- Trump says no need for more AI regulation, slams Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, CNBC
- We’re exploring a potential data center in Lea County, New Mexico., Google Blog
- Search Central Live India 2026: Bengaluru, We're Coming (For Real This Time), Google Search Central Blog
- Google Finally Lets All Engineers Use Anthropic's Claude, Business Insider
- House Speaker Johnson Pushes AI Legislation, Contrasts With Trump’s Stance, Bloomberg
- Maryland Appeals Google, Apple, Peacock’s Take Down of Ad Tax, Bloomberg
- OpenAI Buys Startup Developing Smartphone Camera, Wall Street Journal
- Trump privately met with OpenAI’s Sam Altman at GOP convention, MS Now
- For Google, design is the ultimate moat, Fast Company
- Nvidia’s Jensen Huang Gets Onstage Call From Trump, Who Dismissed A.I. Safety Concerns, New York Times
Local & Maps
- Google Maps rolling out always-on speed limits on Android Auto, 9To5Google
- Not Google Maps, Not Waze: Here Are 5 Navigation App Alternatives For Android Auto, BGR
Other Search
- Google Chrome Could Soon Make Translating PDFs Easier, Android Headlines
- iOS 27 is available to download to your iPhone right now, Apple Insider
PPC
- Microsoft Advertising Publishes AI Content Transparency Rules, PPC News Feed
- 5 Google Ads Reports Every Business Owner Should Review, Hop Skip Media
- Stop Making Ads That Look Like Ads: The Native Creative Playbook for 2026, JumpFly
- ChatGPT Ads: An emerging opportunity, but not yet a performance replacement, DAC
Search Features
- With iOS 27, I'm actually using Siri again, TechCrunch
- Google AI Overview Data by Search Intent (2025 vs 2026), HasData
SEO
- The Importance of E-E-A-T in Finance SEO, Assertive Media
- Three Predictions for 2027, and Why You Won’t Be Able to Check Them, Duane Forrester Decodes
- Why Property Companies Need SEO to Stay Competitive, Assertive Media
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.
