Do AI-automated sites get filtered differently in Google spam update?
Users shared interesting observations on X about how Google’s August 2026 spam update may be treating AI-generated and automated content differently, depending on how a site was originally built. OkaTakuma1 wrote on X and shared its observations. “Regarding this Google spam update, it seems that sites automatically posting with Claude Code, codec, etc., are being […]
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Google search results are dropping PDF pages
Some users are seeing a drop in visibility and indexing for PDFs in Google Search. Savanna Gray spotted this and shared her observations on LinkedIn. She wrote: “This week I’m seeing several sites with dramatic drops for clicks to PDFs on Google. I first noticed this when looking at PDF performance in GSC, which had […]
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Google is bringing link carousels for developing topics to AI Mode
Google is bringing link carousels for developing topics to AI Mode, giving users more prominent access to relevant articles and webpages when searching for trending topics. This feature was already available in AI Overviews and is now live in AI Mode as well. Robby Stein posted about this on X, wrote: “Our goal with AI […]
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Bing tests renaming Copilot results to AI Overview
Bing is testing a rename of its Copilot results section in search results to “AI Overview.” This is the first time we’ve seen this usually, this section appears labeled as “Copilot” along with its logo, but today, when searching on Bing, the results appeared under the “AI Overview” label instead. This looks new, since we […]
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Google answers whether some industries don’t need GEO
A user asked John Mueller a question about GEO on Bluesky: are there any industries where GEO isn’t required? The user, @galloni.net, cited examples from industries like adult, gambling, and others where Google remains a major source of discovery. Here’s what the user asked: “are there industries where GEO simply doesn’t matter yet? I’m thinking […]
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Google Search Console owners receive emails about new account owners
Google Search Console owners have been receiving emails from Google notifying them of a new owner on their Search Console accounts. Barry Schwartz received one of these emails and shared a screenshot along with an article on SER. Here is the screenshot of how it looks. Barry noted: “Again, it seems like these folks already […]
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Google explains why spam updates need to happen
Google John Mueller has explained why Google announces spam updates, even though many of Google spam systems already update continuously on their own. Eli Schwartz posted a question on LinkedIn: “Why after 26 years does there need to be an update to get rid of spam instead of it just happening on its own with […]
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Google search console crawl stats report shows data gap
Google Search Console’s Crawl Stats report is currently showing missing data for a couple of days in August. Barry Schwartz spotted this issue and posted on SER. Here is the screenshot of this. Glenn Gabe also posted this on X, wrote: “FYI, two days are missing from the Crawl Stats reporting in GSC. August 15 […]
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9 best internal linking tools we still like in 2026
Internal linking has always played a crucial role in effective SEO. While its importance remains, the approach has evolved: many now seek automated and AI-powered solutions to handle this complex task efficiently. In this guide, we’ve reviewed today’s leading internal linking tools to identify the best, most up-to-date options available this year. If you think […]
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Google says favicon display issue is on their end
There have been a growing number of complaints on X and LinkedIn about missing website favicons in Google Search. We covered this issue previously when Google was first seen struggling to display favicons in search results. Now Google has confirmed this is simply a bug, and the team is working on resolving it. Glenn Gabe […]
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Google changes how it parses double-escaped JSON-LD entities
Google has changed how it extracts JSON-LD data, bringing it more in line with JSON and other web standards. As Google Search Central announced on LinkedIn, Google will only do a single pass of HTML unescaping. What developers should know If developers are using JSON-LD for structured data, it’s time to update your code. Instead […]
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Google confirms August 2026 spam update is complete
Google August 2026 spam update is completed and rolling out. The update was started on August 18 and finished three days later, on August 21. Google wrote on x “The rollout was complete as of August 21, 2026.” When Google first launched the update, they wrote on x, “Released the August 2026 spam update, which […]
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Google Tests New Colour Variation for Featured Snippets
Google is testing to show colours for text in featured snippets. We searched for SEO, and the text appeared in a featured snippet with different colours. I assume this is new previously, Google was testing more variations with featured snippets, like background colours showing in a box and many more, but this test seems new […]
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Google Business Profile now shows view counts for posts
Google Business Profile is showing view counts on posts. This was spotted by Muhammad Hussain on LinkedIn, who shared a screenshot along with his post. He wrote: “Google Business Profile posts are now showing view counts. Does this show up on everyone’s dashboard? I don’t see it on my side, but a friend in my […]
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Google Search Console data recovering after logging issue
Yesterday, we covered the drop in Google Search Console’s performance report, which John Mueller confirmed was due to a logging issue. Now, checking Search Console account, the data appears to be trending upward again suggesting the issue may be resolving. Here is a screenshot showing the graphs climbing back up. Glenn Gabe also posted on […]
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Google Search Console performance report shows decline
Site owners have been reporting a drop in Google Search data since August 15th, with many complaints circulating on social media. I noticed this myself this morning as well. John Mueller confirmed the issue and wrote: “Hi Juan, we’re aware of this issue and working on resolving it. This is just a logging issue and […]
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Bing tests showing full URLs in Copilot search
Bing is testing a change in Copilot search that shows the entire URL for a result. this is different from how Google handles links within AI Overviews. Instead of showing the full URL, Google displays anchor text. clicking on it takes the user directly to that website. Here is a screenshot of how Bing Copilot […]
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Google now shows AI-generated images within AI Overviews
Google is now showing AI-generated images directly within AI Overviews. Google announced this last month, writing: “To help bring those unique ideas to life, we’re bringing image generation directly into AI Overviews in Search.” We’re now starting to see this play out in actual search results. Here is how it looks. Inspired Taste shared a […]
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Google updates checkout functionality in free listings
Google is testing new functionality within its free listings checkout experience. Earlier this year, Google launched direct checkout for free listings, and now it appears Google has made further changes to how it works. Brodie Clark spotted this and shared it on X and the SERP timeline. Brodie wrote: “Worth noting that the new ‘cart’ […]
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Google tests showing hyperlinks below cards in AI Mode
Since AI Mode launched in Google’s search results, Google has continued rolling out changes to how it looks and functions. We’ve spotted another change: Google is now showing links at the bottom of the page, after the cards, within AI Mode. Usually, these links appear before the cards, so seeing them positioned after felt new. […]
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