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 said Search Console position reporting may change as Search, AI Mode, AI Overviews, etc. evolve over time. Gemini 3.8 Live is now powering Google Search Live. Google Chrome User Experience report added Ad Count, Ad Density, Ad Weight (Network) and Ad Weight (CPU). Google Merchant Center's AI performance insights generally available, it has simplified Universal Commerce Protocol integration and more. Google Image Search lets you save images to collections and folders using AI. Google is now testing linking the product and shopping results within Google Search directly to the merchant or retailer website. Google posted another new help document on multi-source conversions (beta). Bing is testing adding product/shopping related filters on the left sidebar of the search results. Google Ads is rolling out an update to the Spend benchmarks report that now shows you how your spend is comparable to businesses like yours.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google: Google Search Console AI Position Reporting Will Evolve Over Time
Google's John Mueller said that he expects the position and impression tracking for AI Mode, AI Overviews and Google Search to "evolve over time" as Google Search, AI Mode and AI Overviews "evolve too," he wrote. -
Google Search Live Now Powered By Gemini 3.8 Live
Google Search Live is now powered by Google's latest AI model, Gemini 3.8 Live. Search Live has been around for a couple years now, both in audio only format and then video format. Search Live was released globally in March, and before that, it removed the opt-in requirements. -
Google Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) With Ad Metrics
Google announced new ad metrics that are being tested within the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX). These metrics include Ad Count, Ad Density, Ad Weight (Network) and Ad Weight (CPU). -
Google Merchant Center AI Reports Live, Easier UCP & UCP Analytics
Google has announced a number of updates to Google Merchant Center including the AI performance insights generally available, it has simplified Universal Commerce Protocol integration, and Google highlighted how using conversational and video attributes can help. -
Google Image Search Collections Save To Suggested By Al
Google Image Search lets you save images to collections and folders. Well, now Google will suggest new folders or collections using AI - it says "suggested by AI" with a Gemini icon over a folder. -
Google Search Product Listings Tests Linking Directly To Merchant Site
Google is now testing linking the product and shopping results within Google Search directly to the merchant or retailer website. This is instead of Google opening the side panel with more details about the product. -
New Information On Google Ads Multi-Source Conversions Beta
Google posted another new help document on multi-source conversions (beta). Last month, Google reportedly renamed conversions with multiple data sources to multi-source conversions, but now there is this new help document as well. -
Bing Tests Shopping Filters On Left Sidebar
Microsoft Bing is testing adding product/shopping related filters on the left sidebar of the search results. This makes the Bing all search tab look more like Google's all tab, when you search for product or shopping related queries. -
Google Ads Spend Benchmarks Report Compares Your Competitors
Google Ads is rolling out an update to the Spend benchmarks report that now shows you how your spend is comparable to businesses like yours. In short, it shows you if you are spending more, less or the same as your competitors on Google Ads. -
Google Health Yoga Mats
The other day we saw a close-up of these Google Health tote bags and yoga mats, but it seemed like Google had some sort of yoga practice at the event. Here are dozens of these Google yoga mats spread out at the Google London office.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Is topical authority still enough to rank in Google Search 2026?, BlackHatWorld
- Michael Lewis, 1999, on the Internet bubble: “With companies called Google going for $75 million… everyone else was already selling air.” Google was “selling air.” Worth remembering amid the AI boom. Predictions are hard., Mikhail Parakhin on X
- Microsoft and Bing have been leading on publisher choice and transparency in the era of generative AI. We were the first search engine to provide site owners controls over their content for AI training and grounding, and kept building on our transparency commitment with..., Jordi Ribas on X
- You never know when someone will be searching for "shoes" but "not for running", "not in green" - and ... in the category of "not suitable as rocket fuel", John Mueller on Bluesky
- If you’re using WordPress, you can now see a report of important actions like cart checkouts or form submissions directly in your WordPress dashboard, thanks to Site Kit's new Site Goals feature., Google Search Central on LinkedIn
- Are you an ecommerce seeing important YOY drops in organic search traffic from your top performing non-branded queries/topics even if you haven't actually decreased in real positions? It's not you, it's Google! Just compare the SERPs from September 2025 vs the ones of 202…, Aleyda Solis on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Matt Van Wagner shares what’s changed, what disappeared and what PPC still gets wrong
- Gemini 3.8 Live powers Google Search Live
- Google Ads AI needs guardrails, not blind trust ft Mike Ryan
- Google Chrome launches new metrics to measure ad-heavy websites
- The follow-up query: Rethinking SEO for conversational search
- What happens before search strongly shapes the decision
- Claude for SEO: 5 ways to automate repetitive work
- AI Overviews and paid search: When to fight, influence, or generate demand
- 3 ways to make AI safer in a live ad account
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- UK sources of news: One in five use AI but BBC still dominates, Press Gazette
- Google’s AI & Economy ATLAS: New insights, Google Blog
- Build zero-trust AI agents that judge intent, not just syntax, Google Developers Blog
- Gates Foundation Pledges $1 Billion to Combat A.I. Inequality, New York Times
- Gemini 3.8 Live & Gemini 3.8 Live Extended Thinking, Google Blog
- How Google is building AI for societal impact, Google Blog
- Bypassing inference bottlenecks: Accelerating complex AI search with Retrieve-for-Train, Google Blog
- Google: AI for everyone in every language, Google Blog
- A.I. Is Unpopular With Voters, a New York Times/Siena Poll Finds, New York Times
- 4 tips for tackling household chores with Gemini, Google Blog
Industry & Business
- Google DeepMind Staffer Says AI May ‘Kill Us All’ in Exit Post, Bloomberg
- AEO startup Profound hits unicorn valuation, raises $180M Series D 7 months after last round, TechCrunch
- Google AI Overviews can defame, Courthouse News Service
- NY Judges Wary of Holding Meta, Google Liable for Mass Shooting, Bloomberg Law News
- OpenAI Says It’s Working With Anthropic, Google on AI Safety, Bloomberg Law News
- OpenAI weighs funding round at $1.2tn valuation before IPO, Financial Times (Sub)
- OpenAI's Friar pushes for 'need to take safety seriously' on AI, CNBC
- Steve Bannon and Bernie Sanders Demand Tighter Controls on A.I., New York Times
- Google contributes $10 million to Nevada’s Clean Energy Fund, Google Blog
Links & Content Marketing
- Foundational Links: How to Build a Solid Link Foundation, The Upper Ranks
- Why Marketers Should Speak Plainly: 3 Drills To Remove Jargon, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- I rely on Google Maps every day, but Apple Maps handles these key navigation details so much better, Android Police
- GM found the 'sweet spot' of Android Auto and CarPlay support, 9To5Google
- Google Maps on Android Auto is finally getting a speedometer that’s always on, Android Police
Other Search
- Gemini Daily Brief could soon be actually useful all day long, Android Authority
- Gmail Search’s AI Overviews now available globally, Google Workspace Updates
- Meta to Launch Camera-Free Smart Glasses Amid Mounting Privacy Concerns, The Information
- 2026 State of Ecommerce Report, Similarweb
PPC
- Apple Maps Ads Are Here: Everything You Need to Know, WordStream
- Google debuts new ad detection tools within iChrome, Digiday
- Microsoft Merchant Center Store Renaming No Longer Affects Shopping Ads, PPC News Feed
- SEO vs. PPC for Ecommerce: When to Invest in Each, Intergrowth
- Google Is Not As Safe A Place To Advertise As TV, VAB Asserts, MediaPost
- Merchant Center Expands Conversational Attribute Specs, PPC News Feed
- Microsoft Expands Customer Match CDP Partners, PPC News Feed
SEO
- AI Search Questions We’re Solving for Top Brands, Terakeet
- Google Discover, September 15, 2026: ten hours without fresh articles, 1492.vision
- Have it both ways: stay discoverable in search while disallowing AI training, Cloudflare Blog
- The SEO Meta Study: 182 SEO tactics with evidence, Ovisy
- The Trust Crisis: SEO Desperately Needs Accreditation, SEO For Lunch
- What is Information Gain Score in SEO?, Hobo
- If You Were On Reddit Just For “GEO”, Your Strategy Was Doomed From the Very Start, Ann Smarty
- Is Your "GEO" Just Another Name For Spam?, Joe Hall
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