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Google Says AI Search Responses Don’t Require Special Optimization
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…
Google expands AI Max for search campaigns
Google is expanding AI Max for Search campaigns, giving advertisers new tools to test changes to budgets, ROI targets, and campaign settings before actually…
Search Engine Watch is back: a new independent chapter begins
Thirty years after a webmaster’s question became Search Engine Watch, the publication is under new independent ownership. Here is what we owe its history,…
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…
Google Merchant Center warns advertisers about image size requirements
Google has been sending emails to Merchant Center advertisers about a change coming to product image requirements. Starting January 31, 2027, Google will disapprove…
Is Google changing its homepage buttons again?
Google appears to be making more changes to its homepage design. A couple of weeks ago, we covered Google adding new buttons below the…
6 best SEO courses that are actually worth taking in 2026
Search Engine Watch was comparing online SEO training options back in 2008. At the time, paying roughly $150 for a beginner course could be…
Google rolls out updates to google tag and tag manager
Google has rolled out several updates to its tagging tools, aimed at making it easier for advertisers to measure website performance and cutting down…
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…
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…
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…
Reddit citations in ChatGPT Search drop over 86%
AI search and analytics company PromptWatch is reporting a sharp drop in how often Reddit gets cited in ChatGPT Search down by more than…
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…
Google tests moving the search bar position on the results page
Google appears to be testing another change to where the search bar sits on the results page. Previously, the search bar started above the…
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…
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…
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…
Google adds new personalization features across Search, Discover, and News
Google announced new personalization features across Search, Discover, and Google News. The goal is to give users more control over their preferred sources and…
Google tests highlighted sponsored results on mobile
Google is testing a highlighted background for its sponsored results and the section beneath them on mobile. I spotted this while searching on Google…
Similarweb can now track ads inside ChatGPT and Google AI Mode
Similarweb says it can now track ads appearing across ChatGPT and Google AI search experiences. Its new AI Ads product provides competitive intelligence on…