Google search operators I still use after 20 years as a publisher
I have spent more than 20 years building and running publishing websites that live or die by search. For much of that time, Google itself was one of my SEO tools. Before dashboards became the default answer to every question, I would use site: to look through an unwieldy archive, put a sentence in quotation […]
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Google tests new check stock at more nearby stores button in free listings
Google is now testing a new button within free listings labeled “Check stock at more nearby stores.” When a user clicks on it, they’re redirected to a popup showing additional results. Previously, we’ve seen other button tests appear within free listings, like ‘Nearby,’ ‘Best price,’ and ‘Most popular’ but this specific one looks new, since […]
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Google Shopping tab lets users filter products by trusted review sites
Google Shopping tab is showing a new filter for users on mobile. Users can now filter products by website. I searched on google, upon opening the Shopping tab, saw a new filter labeled “Top Reviewed in 2026.” This lets users filter results by specific websites, including YouTube, Reddit, and several others. Here is the screenshot. […]
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Google Search faces indexing and serving issues on August 28
Google Search experienced an indexing issue on August 28. Barry Schwartz reported this on Search Engine Roundtable, wrote: “Google Search Having Indexing/Serving Issues August 28th.” He shared several screenshots and pointed to examples from major news sites like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, and others. Barry noted that these sites publish […]
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KWFinder review: I made it my main keyword tool for a week
After spending more than 20 years running search-led publishing businesses and relying on SEO tools to make real editorial, traffic, and investment decisions, I approached KWFinder not just as another reviewer, but as a publisher – someone who has to decide which search opportunities truly deserve time and money, not just tick off another feature […]
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100+ Best Free SEO Tools in 2026: actually free options
Search Engine Watch published its first major free SEO tools roundup in 2013. We returned to the subject in 2016 with a list built from recommendations supplied by SEW readers and experienced search professionals. A decade later, the problem is no longer finding SEO tools. It is working out which ones are still useful, which […]
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How to use Bing Webmaster Tools Keyword Research feature
Bing has its own version of Search Console, which has recently been enriched with interesting features. We’ve reviewed the AI Performance report, which we found quite useful, and now we’re exploring ways to make the most of the Keyword Research feature. Let’s go! First of all, we’re assuming you’ve already set up Bing Webmaster Tools […]
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Google AI Mode tests sign-in popup within content
Google AI Mode is testing a new popup that appears between content, prompting users to “Sign in to save your favorite SEO tools and track your website optimization.” This showed up when searching for SEO tools. This looks like Google’s way of encouraging users to sign in for a more personalized experience. This is new […]
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Google google.com/goto tracking URL nears full rollout
Google has been testing a new tracking URL format, google.com/goto, within its search results. This was first spotted by Brodie Clark on July 2, who shared it on X along with a screenshot. Now, after roughly two months of testing, it appears Google is close to a full rollout. Derek Perkins posted about this on […]
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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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