Daily Search Forum Recap: October 1, 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 AI Mode now gets more visual with the new visual search fan out technique. Google's Liz Reid was interviewed again about the future of Google Search. Google AI Overviews tests a sticky citations box. Google Ads Performance Max gets new segmentation in the asset report, and new features for channel reporting. Google ADs has new message asset requirements. Google rolled out the emoji answer box. 😡 Finally, I am offline for Yom Kippur tomorrow - there will be no stories published on Thursday.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google AI Mode With More Visual Responses
  Google announced that AI Mode had been updated to handle and respond more visually. So AI Mode responses both understand your queries in a more visual way and respond with more visual responses. Google said the responses aim at sparking inspiration, amongst other things.
• Google's Elizabeth Reid Interviewed On AI, Search, Blue Links, SEO & More
  Here is a new interview published yesterday by The Economic Times Podcasts with Elizabeth Reid, VP of Google Search. She spoke about Google's progression of AI in Search, content quality, SEO, blue links, traffic, the ecosystem, agentic features and more.
• Google AI Overviews With Sticky Citations As You Scroll
  Google is testing having the citations stick to the top (of the AI Overview section only) as you scroll down past the AI Overview. This keeps those citations more in view, as you scroll over the AI Overview.
• Google Ads PMax Segmentation In Asset Reporting & Channel Reporting Features
  Google Ads has announced several new features, including segmentation in asset reporting and enhancements to channel performance reporting. Google told me that this continues to provide advertisers with the visibility they are seeking.
• New Google Ads Message Assets Requirements
  Google announced new message assets requirements for Google Ads. These new requirements aim "to ensure a good user experience" and go into effect on October 30, 2025.
• Google Search Rolls Out Emoji Answer Box
  In June, Google began testing showing a new answer box for emoji related queries. So when you search for a specific type of emoji, Google will give you the emoji options that you can copy directly from the search results page instead of going to a third-party publisher site. Well, that seems fully live as of today.
• October 2025 Google Webmaster Report
  Google's spam update completed after almost a month rollout, it was pretty wild and got even more wild after the rollout completed. Google AI Mode rolled out to more languages, is more visual, is testing agentic experiences and much more. Google dropped the num parameter causing a huge mess for so many of us.
• Google Reflex Training
  Here is something new, this Googler, is doing what is called reflex training at the Google office. These sticks fall from the top of the device, and you need to catch them before they fall.
• Programming Note: Offline Thursday For Yom Kippur 5786
  This is just a programming note that I will be 100% offline starting Wednesday night (October 1st) through Thursday night (October 2nd) for Yom Kippur. I am not scheduling any stories on Yom Kippur...

Other Great Search Threads:

• Appreciate the feedback and if there are specific features you're referring to that would be helpful to know. As you're aware, your ads don't always show when you frequently search for your keywords an, AdsLiaison on X
• If anyone used Cancelo[dot]io SaaS - make sure you have removed their flow.js from your website. The domain expired, and someone has replaced the js with malware, Mark Williams-Cook on Bluesky
• One of the most dangerous mistakes in Google Ads: Ignoring traffic quality. Example: We had a client whose daily clicks stayed flat at ~10,000. On paper, things looked stable. But conversions dropped 35% overnight. In, Menachem Ani on X
• From Google Search's point of view, it's fine to use a ccTLD for a global site. The difficulty would only be if you wanted to target a different country (eg a .in targeting China), because of the mismatch., John Mueller on Bluesky

Search Engine Land Stories:

• YouTube dominates AI search with 200x citation advantage: Data
• Google’s Liz Reid: AI isn’t replacing search – it’s augmenting it
• Google Ads Performance Max gets asset and channel reporting
• Google Ads tests new Labs hub for experimental features
• Google adds ROI insights to Meridian marketing mix model
• Thriving in AI search starts with SEO fundamentals
• AI Max in action: What early case studies and a new analysis script reveal
• Google AI Mode gets more visual, including inspirational shopping responses
• A checklist for effective SEO QA

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• Amazon launches Echo devices designed for Alexa+, Amazon
• Amazon Launches Revamped Echo Show 8, Echo Show 11, Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Bloomberg
• Inside Amazon’s Hardware Overhaul: Interview with Panos Panay on Echo, Kindle, Bloomberg
• Optimising for Agentic Commerce Protocol - A Technical Guide for SEOs, SALT.agency
• Sora 2 is here, OpenAI
• Study Shows Just 2.1% of ChatGPT Queries Related to Purchasable Products, Despite "GEO/AEO" Hype, Eric Hebert

Analytics

• NeenOpal GAfix: Smarter Google Analytics Audit Tool, Martech Cube
• Pinterest Ads cost data comes to Google Analytics, Search Engine Land

Industry & Business

• Apple, Google, Meta must face lawsuits over casino-style gambling apps, Reuters
• Dear FTC: Don't let Google's PR stunt distract you, Washington Times
• Google Offers More Ad Data to Publishers at DOJ Antitrust Trial, Bloomberg
• Google's Head of Search, Elizabeth Reid interview with The Economic Times!, Gagan Ghotra
• Top A.I. Researchers Leave OpenAI, Google and Meta for New Start-Up, New York Times
• 2025 DuckDuckGo Charitable Donations: $1.1M to privacy and digital competition non-profits around the world, Spread Privacy
• Google Ad Tech Judge Says Court Order Is 'Elephant In Room', Law360
• Kent Walker addresses the Competitive Europe Summit, Google Blog

Links & Content Marketing

• Does Buying Clicks Actually Improve Google Rankings? We Put It to the Test, Search Engine World
• The Art of Picky Link Building, The Upper Ranks
• 6 Mindsets Required for Great Marketing Teams, Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• Google Announces Two New Android Auto Features, AutoEvolution
• Places Insights in BigQuery is now Generally Available: Uncover local, real-world insights for site selection, market research, location performance evaluation, and more, Google Maps Platform Blog

SEO

• Panda/Penguin were so 2000, Bruh. Long live LLM PBNs!, SEO for Lunch
• Search Everywhere: How Hospitality & Travel Brands Can Win in AI-Driven Search, Koozai
• Want to Tank Your SEO? Change Shopify Domains, Ilana Davis

PPC

• Google Ads Tests New Labs Section in Interface, PPC News Feed
• Google Just Removed Seven Years of Political Advertising History from 27 Countries, 404 Media
• How Optmyzr’s Geo HeatMap Solves Common Google Ads Location Targeting Challenges, Optmyzr
• India’s festive shopping surge: A guide for advertisers around the globe, Microsoft Advertising
• New updates to drive smarter budget decisions with Meridian, Google Blog
• Update to YouTube and Discover Feed ad requirements (September 2025), Google Advertising Policies Help
• Why UX is the Secret Weapon for Maximizing Ad Performance, PPC Hero

Search Features

• Google Home could use AI to help cut down the number of useless smart home notifications — here's how, Tom's Guide
• Google is blocking AI searches for Trump and dementia, The Verge
• Publishers with AI deals have 7x higher clickthrough from chatbots, Press Gazette

Other Search

• AI as a research partner: Advancing theoretical computer science with AlphaEvolve, Google Research Blog
• Does Google want to kill the web?, Computerworld
• New Android Enterprise account improves Google access, Google Blog

Feedback:

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