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 Business Profiles review appeals are delayed. Google is testing super long expandable AI-generated search result snippets. Google clarified business owner review replies in the help documentation. Bing is testing the plus sign with search and image and make an image. Google Discover is rolling out Tailor your feed.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Business Profiles Review Appeals Are Delayed Before Holidays
If you submitted a review appeal within Google Business Profiles it will likely take longer than normal to hear back. Google's review appeals are delayed and Google cannot provide a specific response timeframe for pending cases. -
Google Clarifies Business Owner Review Replies Expectations
Google has updated its Manage customer reviews help documentation to expand and clarify the "Understand what happens to your replies" section. It now specifies why a business reply to a review may be hold, how long it takes and more. -
Microsoft Tests Search With An Image & Make An Image In Bing Search Bar
Microsoft is testing the ability to upload an image directly within the Bing search bar. You click on a plus sign and Bing shows you "search with an image" and "make an image." I get the search with an image feature but why add generative AI features, like make an image, in this search bar? -
Google Tests Very Long Expandable AI-Generated Search Result Snippets
Google is testing extremely long and expandable search result snippet descriptions in the search results. These are also AI-generated snippets, which we've seen before, but not this long. This goes on for eight lines of text. -
Google Discover Tailor Your Feed With Natural Language
Google Discover is testing and maybe rolling out an option to "Tailor your feed." This allows you to tailor the feed with "Say in your own words what you want to see," and Google will try to figure it out. -
Massive Google Coffee, Milk & Sugar Cubes - AI-Generated
At first, I thought this was a real photoshoot but it looks more AI-generated. If you look through the pictures on Instagram, you can tell by some of the wording on some of the photos. This has the super G Google log, with a massive coffee cup, milk cartoon and sugar cubes.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Introducing ChatGPT Images, powered by our flagship new image generation model. - Stronger instruction following - Precise editing - Detail preservation - 4x faster than before Rolling out today in ChatGPT for all users, and in the API, OpenAI on X
- We hear you (and the broader community) on engaging and sharing more about the work we’re doing, features we’re launching, feedback we’re hearing and responding to, and the overall vision. We have plans to do just that in the coming year. As we’ve, Ginny Marvin on LinkedIn
- What are your biggest complaints about using the web right now?, Una Kravets on Bluesky
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google: Exact match keywords won’t block broad match in AI Max
- Google AI Overviews surged in 2025, then pulled back: Data
- The enterprise blueprint for winning visibility in AI search
- When Google’s AI bidding breaks – and how to take control
- A 3-tier framework for Shopify integrations that drive conversions
- Google says doing optimization for AI search is ‘the same’ as doing SEO for traditional search
- Help us shape SMX Advanced 2026. You could win an All Access pass!
- Google fixes weeks-long Search Console Performance report delay
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- Can You Fake Expertise in AI Search? We Tested 9 Models to Find Out, Authoritas
- CC from Google Labs helps you stay productive, Google Blog
- How CMOs Are Turning AI Optimism into Action, BruceClay
- Local Visibility in AI Search: Findings from 6.9M Citations, iPullRank
- OpenAI Rolls Back ChatGPT’s Model Router System for Most Users, Wired
- OpenAI’s ChatGPT Updated to Make Images Better and Faster, Bloomberg
- Perplexity AI Revamps iPad App to Deepen Focus on Research Tools, Bloomberg
- Senators Investigate Role of A.I. Data Centers in Rising Electricity Costs, New York Times
- The AI/LLM Data Flaw That's Killing Marketers, SEO for Lunch
Analytics
- Your Google Analytics (GA4) Is Lying About Your Organic Traffic - And It's Been Doing It For Ages, Nikki Pilkington
- How To Track User Journey In GA4 To Make SEO Wins More Visible, Search Engine Journal
Industry & Business
- Google AI summaries are ruining the livelihoods of recipe writers: ‘It’s an extinction event’, The Guardian
- Google retains spot as world's most popular internet service, but AI is growing fast, CBS News
- OpenAI hires George Osborne to spearhead global ‘Stargate’ expansion, Financial Times (Sub)
- OpenAI in Talks to Raise At Least $10 Billion From Amazon and Use Its AI Chips, The Information
Links & Content Marketing
- Content Amplification Channels + Strategies for Ecommerce, Shopify
- Marketing budgets rise as accountability tightens, eMarketer
Local & Maps
- Why I stopped relying on Google Maps in Android Auto — and the app I use now, Android Police
- Do Google Posts help with SEO?, SEO Savvy Agent
SEO
- A new SEO Task list to guide you inside Yoast SEO, Yoast
- Building A Web Strategy To Outgrow Google, SEO Theory
- How often should SEO be updated?, Ilana Davis
- Wix SEO & GEO in 2026: New features and releases, Wix SEO Hub
- SEOs Should Not Dismiss Geo for Being Low-Traffic, Moz
- What Are Google Web Guides And What They Mean For SEO?, Nikki Pilkington
PPC
- Google AI Ads Advisor: What You Need to Know, Hopskip Media
- Google Shares Key Demand Gen Tips for 2026 Campaigns, PPC News Feed
- How to Choose the Best PPC Automation Tool: 9 Top Picks for 2026, Optmyzr
- How To Set Schedules In Meta Ads and Google Ads Using Rules, Boggs Creative
- Top 12 PPC'ers to follow in 2026, PPC Live
Search Features
- Build mini apps with Opal in the Gemini web app, Google Blog
- Gemini Deep Research can now generate images, charts, 9to5Google
- Google updates AI Mode with new model switcher, greeting, 9to5Google
- A Guide to Web Guide: Our Hybrid Search Future, Moz
Other Search
Feedback:
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