Daily Search Forum Recap: November 28, 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.

We had a lot, I mean, a lot of Google search ranking volatility this week - a Thanksgiving Google update. Gemini 3 is now used, automatically, for some types of queries on AI Mode. John Mueller said rewriting AI content by humans won't result in a Google recovery. Google Ads Advisor may take context from your other clients in your MCC account. Google AI Overviews is testing direct event display. Sundar Pichai, Google's CEO, monitors X for product feedback. OpenAI is scaling up its crawlers and bots. Plus, I posted the weekly SEO video recap.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Thanksgiving Google Search Ranking Update Volatility
  Google may have pushed out a Google search ranking update over the past couple of days. Although the chatter was somewhat quiet, it picked up today and some of the tools are also picking up on an update. I suspect the update and volatility started a couple of days ago, maybe on Monday, November 24th.
• Gemini 3 Now Powering Google AI Mode For Some Queries, Automatically
  I know Google said on November 18th that Gemini 3 was "shipping in Search on day one." But no, it shipped on November 26th instead. Nick Fox, SVP at Google, said on X, "We've just shipped intelligent automatic model routing to Gemini 3 Pro for your toughest questions in AI Mode."
• Google: Rewriting AI Content With Human Content Won't Lead To Recovery
  Google's John Mueller said that rewriting AI content by a human won't change the site's ranking in Google by default. Instead, he said, you need to rethink your whole content strategy and the purpose of the site.
• Google AI Overviews Showcases Events With New Results
  Google has updated how it shows events within AI Overviews. It can now show the direct display of events, instead of an event summary. It is also a bit buggy, but here is how it looks.
• Google Ads Advisor May Take Context From Other MCC Client Chats
  Google rolled out Ads Advisor, its AI-based chatbot for Google Ads, a couple of weeks ago. But some are noticing that if you have an MCC account, where you manage multiple advertisers under one account, the Ads Advisor responses can mix advice from one chat you had about one client account, to a new chat on a totally different client's account.
• Google's Sundar Pichai Monitors X On Launch Days For Feedback
  The CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, said he spends time on X on launch days to monitor how real people are using, interacting, and experiencing new Google product releases. He said he is "pretty active on launch day trying to understand what's working."
• OpenAI Scales Up Crawling & Bots For The Holidays
  OpenAI is reportedly scaling up its crawling infrastructure for the holiday shopping season. The folks at Vercel noticed OpenAI adding a lot of new IP ranges for its bots and crawlers.
• Clicking Google's Thanksgiving Doodle Goes To AI Mode
  Google uploaded its Thanksgiving Doodle to the Google Search home page, google.com. It is a typical and expected cute Google Doodle - more on that later. But when you click on it, you are not taken to the Google search results page, instead you are taken directly into AI Mode.
• Video: Google Ads Account Hijacks, Thanksgiving Google Volatility & Web Guide For All
  We are seeing volatility in the Google search results this week, Thanksgiving week. Google Ads accounts are being hijacked and it is super concerning. Gemini 3 now powers Google AI Mode for more complex queries...
• Google Nano Banana Party Stand
  Here is a photo from a Google party for the Nano Banana team. You can see, this is of the Nano Banana stand that has a yellow banana theme with real bananas, fake ones, banana cups and more.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Bing changed the design of the bottom search suggestions., Sachin Patel on X
• "People also search for": A carousel at the top lists similar properties, including the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando - Disney Springs Area (the first item), Brad Brewer on X
• Ask anything in AI more. New interface in SERP. after clicking from here, it appends my old search with the new search and generates results. “I am searching for ‘events in Chicago today’ and have a follow-up query, Vijay Chauhan on X
• Perplexity now remembers your threads and interests to provide smarter, faster, and more personalized answers. Memory recall works across all models and search modes, even allowing you to continue conversations with full context wee, Perplexity on X
• Google seems to be testing (or introducing) a small variation in their image SERPs. When you hover over one of the search suggestions, the image fades., Frank Sandtmann on LinkedIn

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Gemini 3 now used for some queries in AI Mode
• Google Ads’ Nano Banana Pro AI get rigorously tested
• Google Ads overview tab now supports custom views
• Google expands custom segments for restricted Display Campaigns
• Google Ads search terms report: 5 tips for better results
• Beyond SERP visibility: 7 success criteria for organic search in 2026
• How AI answers are disrupting publisher revenue and advertising
• Want to write for Search Engine Land?

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• Do AI Assistants Link When Mentioning Brands? For Ahrefs, Only 28% of the Time, Ahrefs
• Google could be secretly training Gemini to focus on user 'Projects', Android Central
• Initial Research: Gemini 3 Query Fan-Outs, Seer Interactive
• How AI Search Works: The Complete Guide, Onely
• MIT study finds AI can already replace 11.7% of U.S. workforce, CNBC

Analytics

• How to run a Google Tag Manager (GTM) Audit, Measure Minds Group

Industry & Business

• Deepening our AI research partnership with Tel Aviv University, Google Blog
• Google launches AI-powered cultural learning experiments, Google Blog
• Google’s Vertical Assault on the AI Market, The Information
• What to know about a recent Mixpanel security incident, OpenAI

Links & Content Marketing

• How Brands Can Combat Misinformation in AI Search, TopRank Marketing
• The Inevitability of Reciprocal Linking, The Upper Ranks
• How to Adopt AI for Content Marketing, Onely
• Site Explorer: Advanced Query Filters BETA part 3, Majestic

Local & Maps

• Google Maps starts rolling out Gemini for all navigation modes , 9to5Google
• Google Maps gets a smarter way to save battery on Pixel 10, Android Police

SEO

• AI SEO Myths, Debunked: A No-BS Guide For Marketers, Backlinko
• Speed-to-Meaning: Technical & Measurement Blueprint for AI Search, Sitebulb
• The 3 New KPIs for AI Search: How to Measure Brand Performance in the Age of LLMs, Seer Interactive
• What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and How to Do It, Onely
• 13 of the Best SEO Blogs (Beyond the Usual Suspects), Ahrefs
• Advanced Prompting Techniques for AI SEO, DEJAN
• How To Rank in AI Search Results, Onely
• How to Write Job Descriptions That Attract Top SEO Talent, SEOjobs
• What Is an MCP Server, and Why Should Marketers Care?, Ahrefs

PPC

• Can Performance Max Work for Lead Generation? A Google Ads Expert Put It to the Test, PPC Live
• Custom Date Ranges Now in Google Ads Transparency Center, PPC News Feed
• Nano Banana Pro in Google Ads: The Good, Bad, and Weird, Hopskip Media
• Why Product Feeds Deserve More Love (Beyond PPC), Women in Tech SEO

Search Features

• Are Local Websites at Risk? Insights from the AI Mode Analysis, Visibility
• Google adds interactive images for learning in Gemini app, Testing Catalog
• Google is integrating Nano Banana right into its app's search bar, Android Authority
• Shopping That Puts You First, Perplexity
• Alibaba Releases Quark Smart Glasses With Its Qwen AI Built In, Bloomberg
• Circle to Search follow-ups switching to AI Mode with bottom search bar, 9to5Google
• Google is bringing Circle to Search to the Gemini overlay, Android Police

Other Search

• Scholar Labs: An AI Powered Scholar Search, Google Scholar Blog
• What Is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and How to Do It, Onely
• Google Turned Search Into an AI Agent. What Happens Next?, Limitless Podcast on YouTube

Feedback:

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