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 Search Live in AI Mode, which is kinda neat. We are seeing the start of even more Google ranking volatility. Google Search Console also added social reporting to the Insights report. Business Insider said it will use AI to write some quick news stories. Google is testing image animations for search ads. Bing is testing expandable favicons on cursor hover.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google AI Mode Tests Search Live (Voice) With Citation Cards
Google is testing integrating Search Live (Gemini Live - voice search as you talk) in AI Mode. Plus, this version shows citation cards as part of the answer, as you are having a conversational search with AI Mode. -
Google Search Ranking Volatility Heated Over This Past Weekend
It was a heated weekend, the Google Search ranking volatility was pretty heated and there was a lot of chatter within the SEO industry. Not all the tools are showing big swings but many are. And everyone is asking... -
Google Search Console Insights Adds Social Channels
Google announced it is adding social channels within the Google Search Console Insights report. This "lets you review Search performance of social channels associated with your website directly within Search Console," Google wrote. -
Business Insider To Use AI To Publish Quick News Stories
Business Insider posted a disclaimer about a new AI pilot where it will use "a custom GPT to help publish quick news stories." This custom GPT was trained on the style of how Business Insider journalists write and will all be edited by an editor at Business Insider. -
Google Tests Image Animation For Search Ads
Google is testing an animation, where an image asset slides into the sponsored results listing. So it turns a pure search text ad into a text ad with an image that slides in from the right side of the screen. -
Bing Tests Expandable Favicon On Hover Over
Microsoft is testing expanding the favicons in the Bing Search results interface when you hover your mouse cursor over the search result listing and/or ad. -
Google Soap Making Event
Google had an event for some of its employees, a soap-making event. The event was at one of the Google offices, and it looks like they made holiday-themed shaped soaps.
Other Great Search Threads:
- I'm a PM on Nano Banana, let's just call me the Naina that goes banana over images. If you have any feature requests you find a-peel-ing or any big ideas you want to plantain into the team's brains, comment away! cc @nbri, Naina Raisinghani on X
- Lots of folks asking about this papercut - we fixed it. We added a 'new chat' button in @GeminiApp header on mobile. It's now easy to start a new convo from anywhere in the app without opening sidenav. Back to work on the many ot, Carlo Varrasi on X
- We have a bit of a rant. We are simply fed up seeing our recipes, as well as other trusted recipes from other sites, plagiarized in the form of branded AI Frankenstein recipes that are flooding Google search and other platforms., Inspired Taste on X
- We plan on it! We were surprised to learn that our quote from an interview we did with @gregfinn that @rustybrick discussed on Thanksgiving was picked up by lawyers handling the Penske vs Google lawsuit. Incre, Inspired Taste on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Nils Rooijmans speaks on when ignoring Google emails can cost you
- The latest jobs in search marketing
- Google tests regional member pricing in Shopping Ads
- Cloudflare: 416 billion AI bot requests blocked since July
- Ecommerce PPC: 4 takeaways that shape how campaigns perform
- What is off-page optimization?
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- 15 examples of Gemini 3’s reasoning, coding and agentic capabilities, Google Blog
- AI Slop Is Ruining Reddit for Everyone, Wired
- Exclusive: Meta strikes multiple AI deals with news publishers, Axios
- Gemini 3 Pro: the frontier of vision AI, Google Blog
- Google announces higher Antigravity rate limits for Google AI Pro, Ultra subscribers, Google Blog
- Google fellow: AI doesn't pretend to be intelligent. It is., Big Think
- How do people use AI assistants?, DEJAN
- OpenAI is getting ready to launch GPT-5.2 soon, The Verge
- Titans + MIRAS: Helping AI have long-term memory, Google Research Blog
Analytics
- How to find revenue by channel in GA4, KRM Digital Marketing
Industry & Business
- Google Asks 5th Circ. To Transfer Monopoly Suit To Calif., Law360
- Meta’s Zuckerberg Plans Deep Cuts for Metaverse Efforts, Bloomberg
- Penske Media Slaps Google With Amended Antitrust Lawsuit, Digital Music News
- Google Search Judge Issues Finalized Antitrust Mandates, Law360
- Judge Orders Google to Limit Default Search Deals to One Year, Business Insider
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
SEO
- EP 234 P#1 - Gemini 3, AI Mode & the New Search Reality: A Conversation with Jes Scholz, Near Media
- Inside Google Discover’s New Internal Signals: Publisher IDs, Generative Retrieval & Persona-Based Ranking | LinkedIn, Damien Andell on LinkedIn
- AI Search for CMOs: Understanding the Why, How and What, I Love SEO
- Did We Pass Peak AIO?, Moz
- The Video Schema Results That Surprised SEO Experts, Search Pilot
PPC
- From PMax to AI Max: What to Consider Before Testing, Seer Interactive
- Should You Use WhatsApp as a Primary Conversion in Google Ads?, PPC Live
- OpenAI insists its shopping suggestions shouldn't be seen as advertising, The Decoder
Other Search
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