Daily Search Forum Recap: November 10, 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.

Late last week, into this weekend, we saw signs of yet another unconfirmed Google Search ranking update. Google is promoting its AI Opal tool to create optimized content in a scalable way - sounds like the something for the scaled content abuse policy. Microsoft Copilot launched its own search experience and said it has better links and citations for publishers. Google Ads AI Max is under performing other match types, says advertisers. Google offers SEO advice for using two different TLDs for your company. Google Ads fixed an invitation bug that was lingering for a week.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up - Movember Update
  Starting maybe late Thursday, into Friday, November 7th, I started to feel a Google Search ranking update and volatility brewing. Like I've been saying since the num=100 parameter change, it has been harder to validate those feelings, but based on the chatter I have been seeing in the SEO community and some of the third-party Google Search tracking tools, I think there was a Google update around November 7, 2025.
• Google Opal Tool Creates Optimized Content In Scalable Way - Seriously?
  Last week, Google announced Opal, a Google Labs project, expanded to more regions. Well, it also explained how you can use this tool to create optimized content in a scalable way - consistently and quickly, without much human intervention. Yea, does this seem like something that might be against the Google Search guidelines?
• Microsoft Coplilot Gets AI Search With Better Links & Citations
  Microsoft announced on Friday afternoon that Copilot now has its own dedicated search experience. Plus, because Microsoft knows how important publishers are to the ecosystem, it is making citations and links way more prominent and clickable.
• Google: SEO Advice On Using Two Different TLDs For Your Company
  Google's John Mueller responded with SEO advice on how a company can use two different TLDs for its company. The company wants to use the .co.uk for normal search and web traffic but .digital as a TLD for some of its marketing campaigns.
• Google Ads AI Max Underperforming Other Match Types
  There have been a number of threads on LinkedIn over the past week about how poorly Google Ads AI Max is performing compared to other match types. The conversions or conversion value is greatly below other match types, in early tests, despite Google saying it should deliver 14% more.
• Week Long Google Ads Invitation Access Bug Fixed
  Google seems to have fixed a bug with inviting others to access your Google Ads account. This bug appeared about a week ago and it Google seemed to start to roll out a fix for this bug on Friday.
• Mother & Daughter Work Session At Google
  Here is a mother and daughter, I think, at the Google office in Austin, Texas. They are sitting at a table at the office and working on their devices. I figured I'd share a happy photo.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Google is testing showing categories in event-rich cards in the USA. It will display various category options such as nightlife, couple-friendly, and by age, it is only visible in the USA region., Vijay Chauhan on X
• Google is changing how conversion goals are automatically created when you add a new conversion action via the Google Ads API., Adriaan Dekker on LinkedIn
• The next SEO Service trend will be to offer structured data / schema / rich results removal services - via, Barry Schwartz on Bluesky
• Yeah, there's always a lot of cookie-cutter work being done, but it's good to see folks grow from there to better understanding. It takes time & experience, and sometimes direct comments by experienced folks :), John Mueller on Bluesky

Search Engine Land Stories:

• What is the inevitable evolution of LLMs and search?
• The latest jobs in search marketing
• Google clarifies policy on false information in advertiser verification
• ChatGPT ads are coming – and they won’t look like Google Ads
• Stop reporting traffic and activity. Start reporting progress.
• Microsoft brings AI Search to Copilot with emphasis on citations
• Google’s new AI tools automate ad reviews, reporting, and support for publishers
• Why B2B brands are shifting from keywords to Performance Max
• How to build and lead a successful remote SEO team

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• Apple Finally Agrees to Fix Siri, Spyglass
• Browsing vs Content Fetcher, DEJAN
• Oddest ChatGPT leaks yet: Cringey chat logs found in Google analytics tool, Ars Technica
• Solving the AI Search Accuracy Challenge for Enterprise Brands, seoClarity
• How ChatGPT Uses the Public Suffix List to Treat Domains & Subdomains Differently, Metehan

Analytics

• FAQ: How To Determine The Source Of Direct Traffic in GA4, Himanshu Sharma
• Reporting Identiy in GA4, KRM Digital Marketing

Industry & Business

• Google commits $5M to Oklahoma for AI training, Google Blog
• Google, Microsoft, and Meta Have Stopped Publishing Workforce Diversity Data, Wired
• Google, the sleeping AI giant, awakenes, Axios

Links & Content Marketing

• How much of your content survives the AI Search filter?, DEJAN
• Checking for Spam Content with Chrome AI, Raymond Camden
• The 8-Step Workflow for Content Hubs Creation, I Love SEO

Local & Maps

• Google Is Building the Navigation App Everybody Will Use, AutoEvolution
• Mining for Gold: Turning Customer Feedback into Local SEO Success, BrightLocal

SEO

• Plain-text Lifelines: How to Make Medical Content Visible in AI Search, Sitebulb
• Why SEO Success Depends on Entity Architecture, Not Volume, WordLift Blog
• llms.txt: The Web’s Next Great Idea, or Its Next Spam Magnet, Duane Forrester Decodes
• Product Led AEO: The playbook, Product Led SEO

PPC

• New Brand Suitability Controls For YouTube Feed & Discover, Google Ads Help
• Asset-Level Reporting Coming To Display Campaigns, PPC News Feed
• 4 Ecommerce Automation Plays That Turn Google Ads AI Into a Profit Machine, Optmyzr
• Card-Based Ads Now Live in Google Images Tab on Mobile, PPC News Feed
• How to Split Your Google Ads Budget for B2B Demand Generation, PPC Live

Search Features

• Google is Deprecating Vehicles for Sale, SearchLab Digital
• Personality and custom instructions now apply to all chats, ChatGPT Release Notes

Other Search

• Personalize your experience across Google based on your purchases, your way., Google Blog
• Are Your Google Searches Actually Private?, BGR

Feedback:

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