Daily Search Forum Recap: September 29, 2026
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’s Nick Fox was interviewed again and said the DMA changes make him sad and are terrible for search…
Google rolls out monitoring capabilities in AI Mode to everyone
Google is rolling out AI Mode’s info monitoring feature to all users globally, previously limited to Pro and Ultra subscribers, letting Search continuously track topics like restock alerts and local events.
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Google’s Nick Fox Feels Sad & Terrible For European Searchers After DMA
Pietro Valetto interviewed Nick Fox, Senior Vice President of Knowledge & Information at Google. Nick Fox shared a snippet from the full video about the DMA changes that led Google to say it had to make the biggest reduction in search quality in its 28…
Google Local Panel With Two Rows Of Buttons On Mobile
Google is testing showing two rows of action buttons of the local panels within mobile search. Google has been testing showing a more + sign to load more or a scrollable carousel of buttons and now here it is with two rows.
Google AI Overviews Testing Citations Cards At Bottom (Not Right Side) Again
Google is testing showing citation cards at the bottom of AI Overview responses on desktop, instead of on the right side. Google tested variations of this at least twice before, once in March of 2026 and before that in September 2025.
Google Maps Bug Places Map Pins In Middle Of Ocean
A new bug with Google Business Profiles and Google Maps is placing some businesses’ Google Maps pins in the middle of the ocean. This is reportedly happening for some service area businesses that do not list their address publicly on their Google local…
Google Business Profiles Policies Adds Misuse Of Support Channels
Google has added a new policy to the Google Business Profiles policies document. The new policy is named “Misuse of support channels.”
Google Appeals Europe’s DMA Mandate To Share Search History Data
Google has officially appealed to the European Union to stop the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) mandate requiring it to share search history data with competitors. Google said, “We’re appealing decisions that will force us to share peo…
Google tests new product carousel design with larger boxes
Google is testing a product carousel design that shows three larger product cards per row instead of the usual four or five.
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Google Ads adds beta Promotion Mode to campaign settings
Google Ads is testing a beta ‘Promotion Mode’ setting that lets advertisers set promotion dates, adjust Target ROAS tolerance, and add extra daily budget, then automatically reverts afterward.
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Google now shows Google Translate directly in AI Overviews
Google is now showing its Translate tool directly within AI Overviews, a change that could reduce clicks to third-party translation websites.
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Google tests sponsored product grid replacing organic product grid in SERP
Google is testing a sponsored product grid that appears to replace the organic product grid entirely, with Brodie Clark warning the labeling isn’t disclosed clearly enough to avoid user confusion.
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Turn your AI tools from spectators into collaborators with Yoast
If you’ve been setting up MCP connections or agentic workflows, this release is for you. You ask an AI tool to check your site’s SEO. It comes back with real findings: a product page that’s telling Google it’s a recipe, a link still pointing to an old test version of your site. Helpful, but useless […]
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Google Globally Rolls Out Monitoring Capabilities In AI Mode
Google is now rolling out monitoring capabilities in AI Mode in Google Search globally for everyone. When Google first announced this feature, it was only available for Ultra and Pro paid subscribers, but now it is available to all Google users.
Google Maps review-spam alerts reach business owners
Google announced these protections in April. A September email screenshot shows Business Profile owners are now being told when a review spike triggers removals and a temporary posting pause.
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Google will test gun accessory ads in US Search this October
A six-month pilot will cover selected accessories, while ads for firearms and ammunition remain banned.
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Google Ads gets a CRM backstop for broken conversion tags
Google’s multi-source conversions beta lets advertisers connect website tags with backend data from a CRM or order system, using transaction IDs to fill missing user data, update values and reduce measurement gaps.
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Google explains how to get star ratings next to your ads
Stores generally need 100 customer reviews and a score of at least 3.5 out of 5, according to updated Merchant Center guidance.
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Daily Search Forum Recap: September 28, 2026
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.
The Google September spam update had a big impact this weekend…
Google tests new image design in product grid
Google is testing a new, shorter image design within its product grid, though it’s unclear whether this is an intentional test or a display bug.
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