Search Engine Watch is back: a new independent chapter begins
Thirty years after a webmaster’s question became Search Engine Watch, the publication is under new independent ownership. Here is what we owe its history, and what we intend to build next. The first thing to say about relaunching Search Engine Watch is that this story does not begin with me. I did not create this […]
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Is Google changing its homepage buttons again?
Google appears to be making more changes to its homepage design. A couple of weeks ago, we covered Google adding new buttons below the search bar, and Google confirmed this test pointed users toward AI Mode. At the time, there were four buttons: “Create images,” “Ask about files,” “Brainstorm,” and “I’m feeling lucky.” As a […]
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Is Google changing its homepage buttons again?
Google appears to be making more changes to its homepage design. A couple of weeks ago, we covered Google adding new buttons below the search bar, and Google confirmed this test pointed users toward AI Mode. At the time, there were four buttons: “Create images,” “Ask about files,” “Brainstorm,” and “I’m feeling lucky.” As a […]
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Reddit citations in ChatGPT Search drop over 86%
AI search and analytics company PromptWatch is reporting a sharp drop in how often Reddit gets cited in ChatGPT Search down by more than 86%. Reddit had been holding a fairly steady citation rate in ChatGPT, sitting at around 3.83% on average, according to PromptWatch. But something shifted starting August 14, and the numbers fell […]
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Google tests moving the search bar position on the results page
Google appears to be testing another change to where the search bar sits on the results page. Previously, the search bar started above the AI Mode tab, but today it appeared starting from the Images tab instead. This isn’t the first time Google has experimented with the search bar’s placement or size we’ve seen tests […]
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Google adds new personalization features across Search, Discover, and News
Google announced new personalization features across Search, Discover, and Google News. The goal is to give users more control over their preferred sources and topics. 1. Preferred Sources button Google introduced a new Preferred Sources button that publishers can embed directly on their websites. When a user clicks the button, that website gets added to […]
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Similarweb can now track ads inside ChatGPT and Google AI Mode
Similarweb says it can now track ads appearing across ChatGPT and Google AI search experiences. Its new AI Ads product provides competitive intelligence on sponsored placements, covering competitor brands, ad creatives, messaging, landing pages, and share of voice across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and Google AI Overviews. How does it collect the data? According to […]
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OpenAI expands ChatGPT ads to 31 European countries
OpenAI announced on August 18th that it will expand ads to 31 European countries. The countries include Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Austria, among others. How will advertisers get access to the ads? Advertisers can get access through: OpenAI’s Ads Solutions team Agency partners Technology partners Self-service access will also […]
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AI Overview cites self-serving listicles, but skips the brand that ranks itself #1
Harpreet flagged something odd in a Google AI Overview and shared it on X, pointing out that the AIO cited four self-serving listicles within its answer, yet the one brand ranking itself #1 in those listicles wasn’t actually mentioned in the AI-generated answer. He wrote: “Crazy AI Overview. 4 self-serving listicles are cited within the […]
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Google Trends adds interactive maps and regional breakdowns
Google Search Central announced on linkedin that Google Trends has added new interactive maps and regional breakdowns within its Explore section. This feature is rolling out gradually. With the new interactive maps, users can visually explore regional trends for any given search term, making it easier to see where interest in a topic is concentrated. […]
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Google Analytics is down, real-time reporting isn’t working
Google Analytics appears to be experiencing issues for some users today, with our tests showing real time considerably low The outage appears to affect at least some Google Analytics users, although the exact scope of the problem is currently unclear. At the time of writing, Google’s official Ads Status Dashboard does not acknowledge an outage […]
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Yahoo tests follow-up queries and blue hyperlinks in Yahoo Scout
Yahoo is testing follow-up queries and blue hyperlinks within Yahoo Scout. We spotted these changes, though we can’t say for certain they’re new but since our last visit, neither follow-up questions nor blue hyperlinks were present. Here is how it looks. Suggesting follow-up queries is likely meant to keep users engaged longer within Yahoo’s results, […]
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Google adds option to edit short name in Search Profiles
Google is adding a new option in Search Profiles that lets users edit their short name. Previously, this wasn’t something users could change once set. According to Google, if a preferred handle isn’t available, users can link a new social account instead. Google recently updated its help documentation to reflect this change. Barry Schwartz spotted […]
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Google releases August 2026 spam update after weeks of SERP volatility
Google says it’s rolling out the August 2026 spam update, and it expects the rollout to complete in a few days. “Released the August 2026 spam update, which applies globally and to all languages. The rollout may take a few days to complete,” Google noted in a status update. A search algorithm update was expected […]
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Bing tests Short video tab in header on desktop
Bing is testing a short video header tab on desktop. We saw Google do something similar nov 2025, adding a short video option to its header, since short video has become so popular across social media. Now it looks like Bing is following the same approach. This appears to be a recent test. I was […]
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Google pauses AI-generated images test in search results
Last week, Google tested AI-generated images within search results. we covered previously this, Inspired Taste shared their frustration on X after seeing AI-generated images replace their own recipe content in an AI Overview. He wrote “replace creators who buy groceries for testing, photography, and filming recipe videos” It looks like Google has now paused this […]
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Google lets users remove watermarks from AI generations
Google announced last Friday that users can now remove watermarks from its AI-generated content. This was confirmed by Josh Woodward, the company’s VP for Gemini, who posted on X. Woodward wrote: “Papercut fixed: You can now toggle visible watermarks on or off in Gemini and Flow, with Search coming next. This applies to watermarks on […]
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Google brings Gemini 3.7 Flash to Search AI Mode
Google is bringing the Gemini 3.7 Flash model to AI Mode in Google Search. This is available globally starting today for Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers. Google Search VP of Product Robby Stein confirmed this on X. Stein wrote: “News Flash: We’re bringing Gemini 3.7 Flash to Search! -> Better at following instructions […]
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Yahoo Search is pushing its AI-powered Scout directly into search results
Yahoo launched a new feature called Yahoo Scout back in January, similar in concept to Google’s AI Mode. I spotted this and shared it on X. Just like Google’s AI Overviews, Scout appears above your regular search results, and here’s what it looks like: Yahoo is now testing a section within its search results called […]
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Google Search falsely declared Sam Altman dead, but Google says nobody did it manually
Google Search briefly told users that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had died on August 12, 2026, displaying the false date prominently inside his Knowledge Panel: Google has now responded to the backlash and removed the misinformation. In a public response on X, the company said the result was not manually changed by anyone at Google […]
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