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's head of search, Liz Reid, was interviewed about Google Search, AI, ad clicks, publishers, AI slop and more. Google Posts now let you post to numerous Google Business Profiles. Google is sending push notifications to users to search on AI Mode. Google Ads updated its prescription drug terms policies. Google Merchant Center now lets you sell physical goods subscriptions. And I posted the weekly SEO video recap, sorry for being sick.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Watch Google's Liz Reid Interviewed By WSJ On AI Search, Ad Clicks, Publishers
Liz Reid VP, head of Search at Google, was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal's Bold Names podcast. They spoke about AI, AI Search, how ads are impacted by AI results and other Google features, and AI-generated content's impact on the web and search, plus more. -
Google Business Profiles Quick Google Posts Across Multiple Profiles
Now if you manage multiple Google Business Profiles, when you add a Google Post, Google will let you quickly add that same Google Post to other Google Business Profiles that you manage. -
Google Sending Push Notifications That Go To AI Mode Searches
Google is now sending push notifications to some users that direct that user to a search within AI Mode. Yes, Google is pushing users to do queries in AI Mode using push notification services from the Google app. -
Google Ads Updates Medicines Policy Regarding Prescription Drug Terms
Google Ads will be updating the Google Ads Healthcare and Medicines policy to reflect the changes it will require to the approach to advertiser use of prescription drug terms. -
Google Merchant Center Now Supports Physical Goods Subscriptions
Google has updated its Google Merchant Center policies to now allow for the sale of physical goods subscriptions. Google said this "will be available to all eligible Shopping ad merchants in the United States." -
GoogleBox - The Google Telephone Booth
The GoogleBox, a Google telephone booth is located in the Google London office. This isn't new but it is still around and still in use. Here is a more recent photo I found of it on Instagram. -
Video: Google Deceptive Hide Ads Interface, Google Goldmine, Bing data-nosnippet & More
This week we covered the new Google Ads label, which Google says improves navigation but in my opinion, is a deceptive way to get searchers to click on those ads. Google Goldmine leaked as a search content ranking...
Other Great Search Threads:
- Discover update. Seems like you cannot tap through to publisher profiles anymore. That started today... @rajanpatel Just wanted to make sure Google knew about that. Several people on LinkedIn are saying the same thing., Glenn Gabe on X
- I vibe coded this website and got 90+ upvotes in 2 hours on product hunt :), Reddit
- What do I see on Google Discover?! Linkedin is on Google Discover, but not only that. Note: LinkedIn isn't the only thing appearing on Discover. But rather under what I call the "content creator" icon sub-thumbnail, as we saw w, Damien (andell) on X
- I think these would basically stand on their own like any other website., John Mueller on Bluesky
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google opens Shopping Ads to physical goods subscriptions
- Google Ads API v22 adds generative AI, smarter bidding, and more
- Google’s Liz Reid: The real search shift is behavioral, not AI
- Google’s Liz Reid on AI Overviews: Less ad clicks, more searches
- 3 key AI search limitations for B2B SaaS marketing
- How to plan for GEO in 2026 and evolve your search strategy
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- Direct messaging could soon let you talk to humans in ChatGPT, Android Police
- Relevance Engineering for YouTube Video and AI Search, iPullRank
- Similarweb Web Intelligence 4.0: Data You Can Trust to Help You Win Your Market, Similarweb
Analytics
- AI Traffic Analysis: Beyond Basic Reports to Audience Insights That Matter, KP Playbook
- Excluding a Country, KRM Digital Marketing
Industry & Business
- Anthropic Nears $7 Billion in Annualized Revenue, The Information
- DeepSomatic accurately identifies genetic variants in cancer, Google Blog
- Italian news publishers demand investigation into Google’s AI Overviews, The Guardian
- OpenAI’s Growing Ecosystem Play, The Information
- Google’s data centre push in India exposes gaps in AI safeguards, Financial Times (Sub)
- Reddit expands its AI-powered search to five new languages, TechCrunch
Links & Content Marketing
- Do Backlinks Still Matter in AI Search? Insights from 1,000 Domains [Study], Semrush
- Site Explorer – Advanced Query Filters BETA Update, Majestic
- Hidden links: why your website traffic is declining, Securelist
Local & Maps
- EP 228 - AI & Local: How AI Is Rewriting Location Management; Interview with Ana Martinez, P2, Near Media
- I use Google Maps every time I drive, even if I know where I'm going — here's why, Tom's Guide
- Electrify America Adds Real-Time EV Charger Info To Google Maps, InsideEVs
- Google Maps could make it easier to see when you’ll get home, Android Authority
SEO
- Ecommerce Agentic Search for SEO Strategies Today, I Love SEO
- Quick SEO Fixes, Small Traffic Wins, And Why Retainers Aren't Always The Answer, Nikki Pilkington
- The Definitive Guide to SEO Audits post-Google Leak, Hobo
- Trading Traditional SEO Personas for Smarter AI Regional Marketing (with Help from Custom AI Analysts), Seer Interactive
- How I Used Vibe Coding to Build Custom SEO Tools (Without Writing Code!), Moz
- What is Index Bloat? — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
PPC
- From targeting to trust: How privacy-first PPC turns GA4 into a customer compass, PPC Hero
- Q4 holiday ROI opportunities for publishers, Microsoft Advertising
Search Features
- Google prepares Gemini Agent to perform tasks for you, Testing Catalog
Other Search
Feedback:
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