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 Ads MMC accounts are starting to see channel performance reporting. Google Ads Demand Gen gains Maps channel. Google Search traffic dropped 25 points to news publishers based on the distribution of all Google Maps traffic. Google Search bar in Chrome teases AI Mode searches. Google Discover notifications push people to Google Discover.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Ads MCC Accounts With Channel Performance Reporting
Some Google Ads MCC, Manager Accounts, are seeing channel performance reporting. This does not seem to have been rolled out to all advertisers yet, but Mike Ryan noticed it was rolling out on some of his MCC accounts. -
Google Ads Adds Google Maps Channel For Demand Gen
Google Ads added a new channel control for Demand Gen to show ads in Google Maps. Some advertisers see the ability to select Maps as a placement in Demand Gen. -
Google Search Traffic To News Publishers Drops From 51% To 27%
Google Search has been sending 25 percentage points less traffic to news publishers over the past two years, according to the folks over at Newzdash. In 2023, Google Web Search made up over 51% of traffic from Google surfaces to news publishers; that number is now down to 27%. -
Google Search Bar Tests Teases For AI Mode With Animation In Box
Google is testing prefilling the search bar in a new Chrome tab, with teasers to encourage you to search deeper with AI Mode. Google is putting in the search box, "Research a topic," "Write something new," "Ask Google," and "Make a plan." -
Google Discover Notifications That Go AI Mode Responses
Have you seen those Google Discover notifications that pop up and seem like news notifications from the Google app but what they do is drive you into Google AI Mode. I find them incredibly annoying, because every time I click on it, I think I am going to a news article but instead, I am given an AI-generated AI Mode answer. -
Google London Holidays Signage
The entrance to the Google London office is ready for the holidays. You can see the signage is all dressed up for the holidays. And in some of the videos on Instagram, as you walk in, the lobby is all decked out as well.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Good Morning Google Land! This is the 12/22 edition of "Core Updates Notes". The Dec broad core update keeps rolling on... We saw the first tremor on Saturday (which I shared about) and we are about 1.5 weeks into the 2-3 week rollout. S, Glenn Gabe on X
- Quick reminder to Hotels NOT to try and sneak in a Special Offer into a post on their Google Business Profile. Google takes their OTA Ad revenue seriously!, Tim Capper on X
- Share of search traffic over time: ChatGPT: January - 78.59% November - 74.25% Gemini: January - 5.64% November - 14.95% DeepSeek: January - 12.79% November - 5.35% Grok: January - 0.02% November - 2.53% Perplexity: January - 2.96% N, Similarweb on X
- There's something you don't see every day... these 4 medical sites have generally grown over the last several years but are being hit hard by this current core update, Lily Ray on X
- This is circulating again. Pretty amazing to hear Larry Page predict what we are experiencing now with AI in Search. This was from 2000. "Artificial Intelligence would be the ultimate version of Google. So if we had the ultimate sea, Glenn Gabe on X
- You'll find even more of these in your server logs - lots of users who just don't update to something reasonable. Users? I meant scripts :-), John Mueller on Bluesky
- Image SEO in 2026 is about machine readability., Myriam Jessier on Bluesky
Search Engine Land Stories:
- AI search is growing, but SEO fundamentals still drive most traffic
- Google expands Performance Max channel reporting to MCCs
- Why Google is deleting reviews at record levels
- Image SEO for multimodal AI
- How to build search visibility before demand exists
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- 60 of Google’s biggest AI announcements and updates in 2025, Google Blog
- Caring for the Future: a Council of Europe expert reads “The Future Report”, Google Blog
Industry & Business
- Alphabet Announces Agreement to Acquire Intersect to Advance U.S. Energy Innovation, Alphabet Investor Relations
- Alphabet to Buy Data Center Partner Intersect for $4.75 Billion, Bloomberg
- Global AI Data Center Dominance Shifts Away From Big Tech, Bloomberg
- Google buys Mountain View building near tech titan's iconic office hubs, Mercury News
- OpenAI Is Getting More Efficient at Running Its AI, The Information
- OpenAI’s Child Exploitation Reports Increased Sharply This Year, Wired
- Anthropic, Google, Meta Face More Writer Copyright Claims, Law360
- Nigeria in Advanced Talks With Google for New Undersea Cable, Bloomberg
- Phishing campaign leverages Google's no-reply emails, Cybernews
Links & Content Marketing
- 6 Common Content Marketing Mistakes To Avoid, Shopify
- Despite the hype, agentic AI isn’t ready to take the controls just yet , Digiday
- Top 5 Content Marketing Strategy Examples, Small Biz Trends
Local & Maps
- I left Google Maps behind for a free alternative that doesn't track me (or drain my phone battery), ZDNET
- The Ugly Side of Google Maps: Thieves Use the App To Break Into Homes, AutoEvolution
SEO
- Fresh Content: Why Publish Dates Make or Break Rankings and AI Visibility, Ahrefs
- How to Audit E-E-A-T at Scale with Screaming Frog and OpenAI API - iansorin.fr, Ian Sorin
- The Semiotics of the Synthetic: A Comparative Analysis of Generative AI Search Interfaces and the Evolution of the Search Journey, I Love SEO
PPC
Search Features
- ChatGPT launches a year-end review like Spotify Wrapped, TechCrunch
- OpenAI says AI browsers may always be vulnerable to prompt injection attacks, TechCrunch
- Yandex Search Integrates AI into its Global Domain, Techloy
Other Search
- ChatGPT Is a Search Engine. Here's How It Works., QueryBurst
- Google AI Boss Demis Hassabis Is Working on the Next Killer App, Bloomberg
- Study: Bing search results suck in entirely new and profound ways, Mashable
Feedback:
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