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 is testing blending ads in AI Mode with all products and sponsored products. Google may be testing dropping the citations card from AI Overviews. Google expanded ads in AI Mode to more countries and launched muiltiturn ads in the US. Google Business Profiles finally lets restaurants manage their ordering providers. Google does not show all spammy links in the Search Console link report. Google spoke about 404s and why they are not scary. Google AI Overviews have query refinement bubbles that take you into AI Mode. Google Ads API version 26.1 is out and a new Merchant API is available. Google expanded connected apps in Google Search. Google's ad revenue was up 10.5% but profit fell, while Bing's ad revenue was up 12%.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google AI Mode Tests Blending All Products With Sponsored Products
Google seems to be testing mixing sponsored products, ads, within the organic product results in AI Mode. Google has this line above the product results that can say "Sponsored" and "All products." Even as I look at screenshots of this, I am not sure if the "All products" are sponsored or not. -
Is Google Testing Dropping Citations Cards From AI Overviews?
Google may be testing removing the citations card on the Google AI Overviews section. So when you do a search on desktop and see an AI Overview, Google generally shows a citations card that has links to the sources you can click on. Google is reportedly testing removing that card from the interface. -
Google Business Profiles Finally Adds Third-Party Ordering Controls
Google has finally added the ability to manage and control third-party ordering services on an individual basis for restaurants within Google Business Profiles. So you can disable features completely or partially from within Google Business Profiles. -
Google Expands Ads In AI Mode To More Countries & Multiturn Ads In U.S.
Google announced it is expanding ads in AI Mode to several more countries including Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Singapore. Then in Q4 Google will also expand ads in AI Mode to Brazil, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. -
Bing Ads Revenue Up 12% With Overall Revenue Up 19%
Microsoft reported its first quarter 2027 earnings, showing that its search and advertising revenue was up 12%, indicating its ad growth was 2 points higher than the previous quarter. The previous quarter it was up 10%, before that was up 12%, before that up 10% before that, up 16% and the one before that was 21% and this quarter, it is only up 10%. -
Google Ad Revenue Up 10.5% With Overall Revenue Up 25%
Google reported its earnings today, its Q3 2026 earnings report showed search ad revenues up by 10.5% at $82 billion and overall revenue was up 25% at $127.6 billion. As you know, I specifically like to dig in as best as I can on the search ad revenue side to see how Google Ads has performed. -
You Can Now Build Apps For Google Search: Connected Apps Platform
Google announced today that you and your developers can now build apps for Google Search and Gemini. Google wrote, "today we're launching the preview of our Connected Apps Platform, a unified way for more app developers to bring their capabilities directly into Gemini and Search." -
Google Explains Why 404 Errors Aren't Scary
Google is out with a new video in The Non-Canonical Cabinet series, this one is on 404 pages and why they are not scary. I like how they also timed the video with a Halloween theme. -
Google Does Not Show All Spammy Links In Search Console
Google does not show all links, and not all spammy links, within the Search Console links report. This is not new, Google has long said that the link report only shows a sampling of links. -
Google AI Overviews With Query Refinement Bubbles
Google is testing query refinement bubbles at the top of the AI Overviews in Google Search. But clicking the refinement bubble does not change the query, instead, it takes you into AI Mode for that query set. -
Google Ads API Version 26.1 Now Out Available
Google Ads has just released a minor update to its Google Ads API, this is version 26.1. This update touches on assets, campaigns, local services, recommendations, reporting, and targeting. -
Google Merchant API With New October 2026 Updates
Google has released several updates to the Merchant API for October 26. The update expands YouTube Shopping and AI-commerce reporting, adds product attributes for videos and warranties, improves disapproval diagnostics, and introduces API integration enhancements and reporting deprecations. -
Pumpkin Waymo For Halloween
Google is dressing up its Waymo fleet for Halloween in scary pumpkin outfits. Here is a photo from a video of a Waymo picking up a passenger that shows this. You can see the full video on Instagram.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Great! Now we are seeing full branded Frankenstein AIO recipes at the top of search for unbranded recipe intent queries. In many cases the plagiarizing branded AIO is on top of a huge stack of ads. Things are getting way out out of control @rmstein and @rajanpatel, Inspired Taste on X
- Even crawling can be complex (for all sides!). There's a lot of work involved to make fancy things look like they're easy. The world of technical SEO is not going away, though you might use AI to make it a bit easier to figure out., John Mueller on Bluesky
- Announcing Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index v5, featuring 2 new benchmarks and 3 upgrades. For the first time, the majority of the Index is built on private datasets The Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is our composite measure of model capabilities across tasks, Artificial Analysis on X
- Bing showing wired on serp , big dislike button , wierd show and hide button for ad grouping. Might be a bug....., Khushal Bherwani on X
- Showing Top Stories in AI Overviews is also a way for Google to disincentivize publishers from blocking Google from showing them in AI Overviews. Clever. (First learned this one from @JShehata!), Lily Ray on X
- Also dumb, now I'm asking AI Mode for the article itself and the citations it includes don't point to the actual Google article I'm looking for. @thefox @rajanpatel you guys do realize this is a measurably worse experience for the user right?, Lily Ray on X
- We’re fixing the issue with 2020 election queries in AI Mode; the Gemini app answers the question more fully. Our systems verify election responses using news articles or AP data for recent elections, and historic records for older ones. There was a technical gap with 2020 - same, News from Google on X
- Thanks. Had an issue with the feed. Good to hear from you!, Rajan Patel on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google AI Mode tests clearer labels for sponsored and organic shopping results
- Google expands ads in AI Mode to 10 new markets, with UK and Brazil next
- Google Ads adds ‘All Conversions’ tab to simplify conversion tracking and audits
- SEOs, we need to talk about E-E-A-T
- Why the SEO industry needs in-person meetups
- Human-first SEO: The risks of optimizing for AI over users
- Organic traffic is down, but it’s not all AI
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- ChatGPT’s Advice to Cut Her Seizure Drug Led to Devastating Consequences, New York Times
- Measuring AI visibility: why breadth beats repetition, SISTRIX
- Hill-Climbing Agent Quality with Agents CLI Evaluation, Google Developers Blog
- How AI agents shape experts’ judgment calls, Anthropic
- Introducing Gemini 4 Carbon, Google Blog
- Meta's Waddle World Is A Tamagotchi-Like AI Pet App, Engadget
- OpenAI launching election war room to track interference efforts, POLITICO
- 2026 AI Citation Study: What ChatGPT and Google's AI Cite, TJ Robertson
- Immersive explorations in Gemini app for students and learners, Google Blog
- Smaller apps and faster GPU inference with LiteRT in Google Play services, Google Developers Blog
- AI training plan for upskilling marketers, Think with Google
- API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptions, OpenAI
Analytics
- Agentic Commerce May Break Your Measurement Before It Breaks Your Strategy., Seer Interactive
- How to Find When a GA4 Event Stopped Working (and Why), KRM Digital Marketing
Industry & Business
- Google's AI spend under scrutiny: Here's what to know, CNBC
- OpenAI has been ordered to provide Apple with more details of its employees, Apple Insider
- Linn County approves agreement with Google for independent water study, KCRG
- Apple vs. OpenAI trial date set for 2027, Apple Insider
- Q3 2026 earnings call: Remarks from our CEO, Google Blog
Links & Content Marketing
- Firm Creates Community To Differentiate Itself, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- What Does Multimodal Search Actually Change About SEO?, SEO Theory
- Google Maps brings fall colors to Android Auto, Android Authority
- Review Removals, SMB Misalignment, AEO a Mistake?, Local Product Inventory, ChatGPT Search, Near Media
- Hit the Road This Season With These Useful New Map Features, New York Times
- Google Maps "Fall Update" Now Rolling Out on Android Auto if You Are Really, Really Lucky - autoevolution, Autoevolution
Other Search
- Amazon Unveils New Echo Show 16, Alexa Speakers, Smart Clock and Photo Frame, Bloomberg
- Google Chrome rolling out ‘Suggested by Gemini’ autofill, 9To5Google
- Chrome enhanced autofill now pulls data from Gmail, Google Blog
- ChatGPT vs. Google in 2026: Updated Search Volume Estimate, seoClarity
PPC
- Build, steer, and measure your campaigns with AI: What's new in Microsoft Advertising this October, Microsoft Advertising
- Three Fixes, One Budget. What Gets Done First?, JumpFly
- Shopify Stores Now Get Native Checkout on Google Al by Default. Here's What Owners Ought to Do Next., JXT Group
- What Breaks If Your Black Friday Campaign Works Too Well?, Hop Skip Media
- Audience Exclusions for PMax Open in Pilot, PPC News Feed
Search Features
SEO
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