OpenAI tests ChatGPT ads that skip the advertiser’s website
OpenAI is testing ads that open a conversation with a brand’s AI agent inside ChatGPT, giving advertisers a way to handle customer questions before anyone reaches their website. According to Digiday’s September 14 report, the format has been introduced to selected clients. A button such as “Chat with us” takes the user into a branded […]
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OpenAI can reject ChatGPT ads simply for competing with its own business
OpenAI has explicitly reserved the right to reject ChatGPT advertisements that conflict with its commercial interests, giving competing businesses another condition to consider before buying ads. The company’s advertising policy, updated September 10, says it can decline advertisers and refuse ads or website links for reasons including its “business interests, or competitive position.” The September […]
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Google details partner-only search API as Custom Search nears shutdown
Google has updated documentation for a service that lets approved partners add full-web Google search results to their websites and apps. The details arrive as customers of its older Custom Search JSON API face a January 1, 2027 shutdown. The Web Search Service API requires a Google Cloud project, an API key and a client […]
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Google tests payments for content used in AI answers, but pricing remains unclear
Google is testing payments to publishers whose content helps produce answers in Gemini, AI Overviews and AI Mode. Participants can see their earnings, but receive little information about how Google calculates them, according to Digiday. The “AI contribution pilot” adds an earnings panel to Google Search Console. Payments depend on whether Google considers a publisher’s […]
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Microsoft Copilot prompts users to sign in mid-response
Microsoft Copilot is showing users a ‘Please sign in’ message partway through responses, another sign that Microsoft is pushing users toward account sign-in.
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Daily Search Forum Recap: September 14, 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 is testing a way to pay publishers for using their content in AI Mode…
Google Search Update September 4th That Reverted September 13th?
I’ve been pretty quiet on posting reports Google updates recently, in fact, I have not posted about one since late August. But while most sites seem calm in the Google rankings, there was definitely some sort of ranking blip around September 4th, and i…
Google Search Tests Blue More Link In Shopping Results
Google is testing a blue background color on the “More” link within the product results in Google Search. The link is normally just a basic “more” link with no prominence or color that calls it out but in this test, Google is using a blue highlight col…
Google AI Mode More Query Expansion Interfaces
Google continues to test new query expansion methods in AI Mode, beyond standard follow-up questions. Now Google is testing questions with multi-selection tools, a query refinement option and those recent paginated responses.
Google Search: It’s Normal For Image Thumbnails To Be Slow To Update
Google’s John Mueller said it is normal for Google Search to take a while to update image thumbnails in its search results with updated images from the website it pulls from. And it can take even longer if the image is still on the page, but was only m…
Google tests hiding sponsored results in Shopping tab
Google appears to have briefly tested letting users hide sponsored results within the Shopping tab, a feature previously limited to the main search results tab.
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Google Ads Product Value Optimization Beta
Google Ads has a new beta named Product Value Optimization that allows advertisers to configure value adjustments to guide automated bidding to optimize for the products that matter for your business goals.
Google Al Contribution Pilot – Paying Publishers For Use Of Content In AI
Google is doing a small test where it is paying publishers for using their content within the Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini and other AI search features. This is called the AI contribution pilot, something we actually spotted back in April 2026,…
Google AI Overviews Practice Knowledge Quiz
Did you know that Google AI Overviews can also quiz you on various knowledge topics? Google announced this with AI Mode a few weeks ago, but it is also available in Google Search.
Google tests new ‘More’ blue label in free listings, redirects to websites
Google is testing a more prominent ‘More >’ blue label in free listings, alongside a change where clicking the product carousel now redirects to a retailer’s site instead of opening the free listing panel.
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Google tests new ad format within AI Mode
Google is testing a new ad format within AI Mode that appears directly between content — a design not previously documented among other recent AI Mode ad tests.
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Bing tests sidebar navigation on desktop for ecommerce queries
Bing is testing sidebar category navigation for ecommerce queries on desktop, following a similar approach Google introduced back in 2022.
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Google’s Statistics: Heads They Win, Tails You Lose.
When Google reports lift results… Who is it solving for? Let’s start with a phrase that causes me to cringe […]
The post Google’s Statistics: Heads They Win, Tails You Lose. appeared first on Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik.
Search Central Live India 2026: Bengaluru, We’re Coming (For Real This Time)
Remember back in March when we
told our Indian community to “sit tight”
while we figured out the APAC event calendar? Hopefully, you didn’t take that
too literally, because sitting tight for six months is probably not great for
your back. In any case, you can finally stand up and stretch:
Search Central Live is officially returning to India in 2026,
specifically to Bengaluru!
Search Central Live India 2026: Bengaluru, We’re Coming (For Real This Time)
Remember back in March when we
told our Indian community to “sit tight”
while we figured out the APAC event calendar? Hopefully, you didn’t take that
too literally, because sitting tight for six months is probably not great for
your back. In any case, you can finally stand up and stretch:
Search Central Live is officially returning to India in 2026,
specifically to Bengaluru!