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 sponsored results have a featured stores section. Google is testing shading the stock sections. Bing is testing colored lines. Microsoft Ads with free shipping icons.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Bing Tests Colorful Lines In Search Results
Microsoft Bing is testing colorful lines and separator sections in the Bing Search results. The colors are in blue, orange and gray (and maybe more). -
Bing Search Ads With Free Shipping Text Attributes
Microsoft is testing showing text attributes that can say things like "Free Shipping on Qualified Orders" with an icon next to the search ads on Bing Search. This is not just the CTA buttons that these ads have supported for a while but additional text attributes. -
Google Search Tests Featured Stores Sponsored Ads Section
Google is testing a new sponsored ads section in the search results named Featured Stores. This reminds me of the from online stores but that was organic/free, not ads. -
Google Search Testing Shaded Stock Price Interface
Google is testing a shaded box design for the stock pricing and information in the Google Search results. Google has these shaded designs in other areas as well but for now, this may just be a test. -
Steel Pan Music at Google London
Here is a photo of a few steel pan music musicians playing at the Google office in London. They wrote, "Young Camden Foundation’s youth steering panel to create the energy & vibe ahead of The Camden Algorithm event at Google HQ."
Other Great Search Threads:
- An example of something that's still uncertain: if you have an AI system in your browser that clicks around and does stuff for you, is that a bot that could (should?) be authenticated? or is that just "you"? (a better / different / assisted "you"?), John Mueller on Bluesky
- ChatGPT dropped 90% of citations overnight on September 11th. Even Wikipedia and Reddit - their most cited sources - got cut., Niklas Buschner on LinkedIn
- Google Ads beta for seasonality adjustments for App Campaigns, Qais Haddad on LinkedIn
- It probably takes non-zero processing on the server side, so regardless of crawl budget, if you have a lot of them, they seem like a good candidate for blocking (I'd also look at the internal links to see why they're even findable.), John Mueller on Bluesky
- The remedies trial in the DOJ's ad tech case starts today. DOJ is proposing changes that would break helpful tools, raise prices and make it harder for advertisers and publishers to grow. Here's our blog post:, Dan Taylor on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google Ads doubles negative keyword list limit: Glitch or quiet policy change?
- Google’s ad tech monopoly remedies trial begins
- Hidden prompt injection: The black hat trick AI outgrew
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Recover ChatGPT 404 Traffic with GA4, Practical Ecommerce
- What Is a Log File Analysis? & How to Do It for SEO, Semrush
Industry & Business
- Everything you need to know about the closing stages of Google's ad tech antitrust trial, Digiday
- OpenAI and NVIDIA announce strategic partnership to deploy 10 gigawatts of NVIDIA systems, OpenAI
- We’re at the courthouse where Google is fighting another break up attempt., The Verge
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
- This journalist tested Google Maps vs Waze in real life—and the results surprised him, Glass Almanac
Mobile & Voice
- Google Home just got a major update – here are 4 new features you can try right now, TechRadar
- Google’s Home app finally gets a Gemini-infused redesign, Trusted Reviews
SEO
- BotID uncovers hidden SEO poisoning, Vercel
- How to fix Shopify crawl issues in Screaming Frog and Sitebulb using Web Bot Auth, Chris Lever
- Localization in 2025: Why Hreflangs and Translations Aren’t Enough, Advanced Web Ranking
- Prompt: Rate My Page Quality using the Hobo SEO Method, Hobo
- SEO Post-AI: Build Value, Measure Lift | Ian Lurie, Advanced Web Ranking
- Why Your Brand Is Your Most Important SEO Asset in 2026, Semrush
- Winning Executive Buy-in for AI Search, SALT.agency
Search Features
- Gemini comes to Google TV, Google Blog
- Gemini is coming to Google TV starting today, The Verge
- Google integrates Solana chart in search results, Crypto Briefing
Other Search
- Google AI risk document spotlights risk of models resisting shutdown, Axios
- The Future of AI in Search | Whiteboard Friday Revisited With Britney Muller, Moz
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.
Note: This was pre-written and scheduled to be posted today, I am currently offline for Rosh Hashanah.
