Grok matches a cheaper AI on security tests, at nearly 65 times the cost
Artificial Analysis has launched a new Cyber Index for testing AI models on vulnerability discovery, validation and repair but performance comes at a cost.
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Phase Two Of The Google September 2026 Spam Update Hits On 9/30
Google announced the Google September 2026 spam update a week ago today on September 24th. We most likely saw the first wave of sites getting hit on September 25th, 26th and into the 27th. Then things cooled a bit but it all heated back up yesterday, …
Google Maps now requires sign-in to read more reviews
Google Maps now requires users to sign in to read more or sorted reviews, a change that may be aimed at preventing AI and bots from scraping review data.
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Google Local Service Ads Bug Serving Wrong Locations
There seems to be a bug with Google Local Service Ads showing ads from advertisers who are not targeting specific locations. With Local Service Ads, an advertiser can say they serve a specific city or location, but Google seems to be showing ads from a…
October 2026 Google Webmaster Report
Here is the big Google webmaster report for October 2026, where I recap the most important organic and webmaster-focused Google Search news for the past month. Clearly, the Google September 2026 spam update, which started off strong and is still rolli…
Google AI Overviews Invade Team Rosters
Google seems to be going after team rosters with the latest Google AI Overview to overtake website content for its own AI-generated version of that content. If you search for certain team rosters, Google will generate an AI answer, an AI Overview, wit…
Microsoft Advertising Optimization Experiments Now Generally Available
Microsoft Advertising announced that optimization experiments is now generally available for Search, Shopping, Audience, and Performance Max campaigns. An Optimization experiment measures the impact of a campaign change through a controlled A/B test, M…
Google Tests Dropping I’m Feeling Lucky Button From Search Bar
Google seems to be testing dropping the historic I’m feeling lucky button for the main Google Search bar. It is totally gone for some searchers when you start to type your query, and in other cases, it is supplemented with AI buttons.
Bing tests italic URL font style in search results again
Bing is testing an italic font style for URLs in search results, with the style appearing consistently across multiple checks today.
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Google Search Tests 3 Products In Grid That Expands To More
Google is testing showing three products in the more products grid within Google Search. In some tests, the grid can expand to show four or five or so products across or downsize to only show three.
Google Ads: Have At Least One Asset Group To Avoid Invalid Final URL Error
Google Ads updated its destination not working policy document to “provide additional examples for destination issues for advertisers,” the company said. But Google also added a new line that says “Make sure your campaign has at least one asset group …
AMD’s next AI move: an $8.2 billion deal for a company that builds virtual worlds
AMD has agreed to acquire World Labs for $8.2 billion to shape the design of its future hardware, software, and systems.
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Instinct lands $1 billion to build an AI assistant that actually runs your errands
Instinct raises $1 billion to expand its AI concierge, though users must still review and approve key details before bookings are finalized.
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Google tests Try on button directly in SERP carousels
Google is testing a ‘Try on’ button that now appears directly within SERP product carousels, instead of only after opening the carousel.
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Bing tests Minority-owned label on sponsored ads
Bing is testing a new ‘Minority-owned’ label on sponsored ads, joining other business-identity labels like ‘Small business’ seen previously.
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Google wants users to see if they can spot a scam before it happens
Google is promoting its Be Scam Ready game on the Search homepage, giving users a chance to test their ability to spot scams through real-life scenarios.
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Google removes useful EU search features, then asks Europeans to blame Brussels
Nick Fox says European Search has lost price checks and hotel-date filters. Google’s own documentation shows comparison sites can still display richer results.
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Best image search engines: I tested 10 on real publishing jobs
For this guide, I tested 10 image search platforms on the same real-world jobs. I wasn’t interested in which one advertised the most features. I wanted to know which one got me to the right, correctly sourced and usable image fastest.
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Adobe expects AI shopping referrals to more than double this holiday season
Adobe forecasts AI-referred traffic to US retail sites will grow 130% this holiday season, but says the channel remains modest in overall volume.
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Manus 2.0 launches video editing, and I tested it on a 30-second ad
Manus 2.0 adds video editing and event-triggered automations, alongside a new agent architecture and persistent cloud computing.
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