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 local reviews are disappearing, it appears to be a bug Google is working to fix. Google Posts is testing a scheduler option. Google Ads has a new investment strategy tab. Google Ads may soon support campaign level audience exclusions in Performance Max campaigns. Google Merchant Center for Agencies is now available.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Reviews Disappearing Within Google - Google Fixing
Over the past couple of weeks, there have been numerous reports of reviews disappearing, being removed, or being deleted from local business profiles on Google Search and Google Maps. Supposedly, this is now a known bug and is being actively worked on by the Google team. -
Google Ads Campaign Level Audience Exclusions To Performance Max
Google Ads seems to be bringing the ability to do campaign level audience exclusions to Performance Max (PMax) campaigns. A new Data Exclusions feature is showing up for some advertisers under campaign settings. -
Google Ads New Investment Strategy Recommendation Page
Google Ads added a new tab on the Recommendations page named Investment Strategy. This tab "provides account-level suggestions to help you understand the potential impact of increased investment on your key metrics, such as clicks, conversions, or conversion value," Google wrote. -
Schedule Google Posts In Google Business Profiles Tests
Google seems to be testing the ability to schedule your Google Posts within Google Business Profiles. At the bottom of the add Google Posts overlay, Google is testing a new option named "Schedule this post" that lets you toggle it on and schedule when you want the post to go live. -
Google Launching Merchant Center For Agencies
It looks like Google is launching a special agency version of Google Merchant Center named Merchant Center for Agencies. Google explained this version is a "tailored experience designed specifically for agency users. The product allows for the management of multiple Merchant Center accounts at scale." -
YouTube Latte Art
Here is a photo from a video I found on Instagram of a latte machine making custom YouTube logos into these drinks. I think the brand is Brewani.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Disney doing some advanced SEO? :) probably some SEOs having fun? via George Kamide, Barry Schwartz on Bluesky
- International SEO: expanding a website into new regions and languages can get messy real quick without the correct foundations. The language/region selector is a good example of this, where it is not uncommon for large sites to link to, Brodie Clark on X
- told you already! just took Google 5 days and they again blocked the workaround from dataforseo that enabled them to scrape 100 results with just 2 crawls, Gagan Ghotra on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- 90% of businesses fear losing SEO visibility as AI reshapes search
- The latest jobs in search marketing
- Your ads are dying: How to spot and stop creative fatigue before it tanks performance
- Your Q4 ecommerce checklist for peak holiday sales
- Google working on fixing Search Console performance report delay
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- OpenAI made ChatGPT better at sifting through your work information, The Verge
- AI chatbots use different sources than Google search and often cite less-known websites, The Decoder
- Altman taps leading researcher for BCI startup Merge Labs, Sources News
Analytics
- My Beef with GA4 Channel Groupings, Brie E Anderson
Industry & Business
- Google to pay $190 million in legal fees to Texas' law firms in privacy settlement, Reuters
- Google Investigates Weekslong Security Breach Involving Contractor, The Information
- Google leases massive Gurugram office space in ‘one of the biggest office space transactions of the year’, The Times of India
- Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas says: Let's not leave internet in Google’s hands, it is too, The Times of India
Links & Content Marketing
- Here's Why I Love "AI Slop", SEO Agency
- Use AI to call your SMEs and create content with substance, not slop, Seer Interactive
- Making the case for an integrated content marketing strategy, SALT agency
Local & Maps
- No more CarPlay as GM cuts phone ties in all cars, not just EVs, ArenaEV
- Apple Maps will add adverts in 2026, AppleInsider
- Germany's defamation laws skew Google reviews, Fast Company
- Google Maps finally adds this Waze-like radar trick and it changes everything, Talk Android
SEO
- Quick Hits for AI Overviews: 8 Tips & Tricks to Try, JumpFly
- SEO For AI/LLM (GEO) Stats: 90% of Businesses Are Worried About the Future of Organic Findability, Smarty Marketing
- The Best of Published Decks from the Latest BrightonSEO [October 2025], The SEOFOMO Hub
PPC
- Microsoft Ads Impersonated in New Scam Campaign on Google, PPC News Feed
- New Customer Acquisition in Demand Gen Live, PPC News Feed
Search Features
Other Search
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