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 Adds Flight Price Tracking, Mile Rates & Hotel Booking
Google is rolling out three new travel features within AI Mode in Google Search. These features include track flight prices, view points or miles rates, and book hotels directly within AI Mode, through your conversational search.
5 best Google Ads conferences worth the investment in 2026 and 2027
It is surprisingly difficult to find a serious Google Ads conference. Search for one and you will meet the usual conference-list problem: general marketing expos with one paid-search session, event pages still promoting last year’s date, and roundups that treat a platform keynote, a 200-person practitioner conference and a 40,000-person trade show as if they […]
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Bing Tests Renaming Copilot Search Answer To AI Overviews
Microsoft is testing renaming the Copilot Search AI answer box at the top of the Bing Search results to AI Overviews. That is the name Google uses for its AI answer results in Google Search. Microsoft is still placing the Copilot logo with the box but…
Google Ask Advisor Soon To Get Shared Memory Across Tools
Google posted on X that Ask Advisor, which is in Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google Merchant Center and more Google tools, will soon “maintain shared memory across your Google marketing tools.” When this rolls out, when you ask a question on Google A…
Microsoft Advertising Search Term Landing Page Report For AI Max
Microsoft Advertising, with the release of AI Max globally, has rolled out a new Search term landing page reporting template. This report gives advertisers “full insights into all parts of AI Max’s performance,” said Navah Hopkins, the Microsoft Ads L…
Google Ads Tests Swipeable Categories For Sponsored Results Again
Google is testing once again testing swipeable Google Ads sponsored results, where you can swipe a carousel of categories to potentially change the sponsored results listed below. We saw this for shopping ads in October 2024 and Google has continued to…
OpenAI Pins Shopping To ChatGPT Sidebar
OpenAI has pinned the Shopping tab to the left sidebar on ChatGPT. Clicking on it takes you to a landing page and a dedicated search page focused on shopping.
Google Ads New Troubleshoot Performance Fluctuations & Changes
Google Ads has released several new “Troubleshoot performance fluctuations and changes” across Google Ads, Performance Max, Search campaigns, Display, video, shopping, app, and more. At least I think these documents are new based on my tools, but the W…
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 tests new tab menu below sponsored results heading
Google is testing a new tab menu under sponsored results. We spotted this new variation today when searching a query, with new tab-style headers appearing under the sponsored results section. Here is a screenshot of this. When users switch between these tabs, they see different sets of results. This can benefit users by making it […]
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Google asks what feature users want next in AI Mode
Google Robby Stein posted a simple question on X, asking users what they want in AI Mode. He wrote: “If you could get one feature shipped right now in AI Mode, what would it be?” It’s not often Google’s product team asks this directly, but since Stein posted this on X, it’s a good chance […]
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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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Google Search Rolling Out google.com/goto Tracking Parameters?
Google Search seems like it is rolling out the google.com/goto URL as a passthrough URL within the search results that it began testing in July 2026. This seems like a way for Google to help prevent scraping of its search results by third-party tools a…
5 best DataForSEO alternatives we recommend in 2026
Let me say from the very beginning, after my tests – there is no clean, one-for-one replacement for DataForSEO. That is the first thing most “alternatives” lists get wrong. DataForSEO is not merely a Google results API. It is a collection of live SERP endpoints, keyword and domain databases, backlink data, site crawling, app and […]
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Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance review: 7 things we love
I am a fan of Bing Webmaster Tools. I’ve said it multiple times, and I’ll say it again: I think they’ve come a long way in the last few years and have really improved their product. Today, we’re looking at a relatively recent feature: the AI Performance Report. We’ll use one of our sites to […]
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Tell Google What You Want From AI Mode
Robby Stein, Google’s Vice President of Product at Google Search, asked on X, “If you could get one feature shipped right now in AI Mode, what would it be?” So now is your chance to reply on X with what you want.
Google tests AI-generated descriptions for ads in AI Mode
Google is testing another change to how ads appear in AI Mode. Previously, we spotted sitelinks showing up within these ads. Today, we noticed that ads appearing at the bottom of AI Mode now include AI-generated descriptions. This looks new to me. A line also appeared below the ads reading: “AI response about ads are […]
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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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