Google: We May Use Spam Report Submissions For Manual Actions
Google has updated its spam‑report policy to state that user submissions can be used to trigger manual actions against sites violating its spam guidelines. When a manual action is issued, Google will forward the exact text of the reporter’s submission to the affected site owner, while omitting any other identifying information. The change reverses earlier guidance that spam reports were not used for manual penalties. Webmasters must now consider report content as potentially visible to competitors or penalized parties.
Google Ads Consolidating Enhanced Conversions With On/Off Switch
Google Ads is consolidating its Enhanced Conversions for web and for leads into a single, unified setting that can be toggled on or off. The change eliminates the need to choose between implementation methods such as the Google tag, Google...
Google Business Profile Updates Identity Change Policy Language
Google has revised the identity‑change language in its Business Profile policy, making the rules more explicit about what constitutes a fraudulent edit. The new wording requires merchants to mark a previous business as permanently closed rather than renaming it when...
Google Is Aware Of And Warns Against Self-Serving Listicles
Google has confirmed it is monitoring and combating self‑serving listicles that SEO firms use to game large language models and its search results. A spokesperson said the company employs robust protections in both Search and Gemini to block low‑quality, manipulative...
Google Ads & Google Analytics Data Controls Update
Google announced a consolidation of data controls between Google Ads and Google Analytics, shifting all ad‑related data governance to Google Ads settings. Effective June 15 2026, the Google Signals setting in Analytics will defer to Consent Mode in Ads, making ad‑storage decisions...
Daily Search Forum Recap: April 13, 2026
Google is piloting an AI Contribution report in Search Console, echoing Bing’s AI performance tools, while a logging error has inflated GSC impression data since May 2025. The March 2026 broad core update finished its 12‑day, 4‑hour rollout, and Google confirmed it...
New Study Points to Holes In AI Overviews
A new Oumi study of 4,326 Google AI Overviews finds accuracy improved from 85 % with Gemini 2 to 91 % with Gemini 3, yet more than half of the correct answers lack source grounding. The analysis also shows Gemini 3 produces a higher share...
Google AdSense Will Experiment With New Ad Technology Partners
Google announced that AdSense will begin experimenting with an updated roster of commonly used ad‑technology partners on August 20, 2026, after a preliminary rollout starting April 20, 2026. The trial will assess partner performance and privacy compliance, with a full list update slated for...
Google Search Console Testing AI Contribution Report
Google Search Console is quietly testing a new AI contribution report, a feature hinted at by John Mueller in early February. The pilot appears in the Help documentation but lacks screenshots or detailed explanations. Analysts suspect the report will surface...
Google Still Processing Status To XML Sitemaps - Nothing To Announce
Google has confirmed that it will not be adding a new “still processing” status to XML‑sitemap error reports at this time. The request, raised by SEO specialist Kyle Risley, sought a clearer signal for sitemaps that have been crawled but...
Google Discusses Page Weight, Average Mobile Homepage Size, and Googlebot File Size Limits
Google clarified its Googlebot file‑size limits on the Search Off The Record podcast, confirming a 2 MB cap for HTML pages, 65 MB for PDFs, and a 15 MB ceiling for other file types. The limits apply per individual file, not to the...
Reusable "Skills" Are Coming To Gemini In Chrome
Google has introduced a new "Skills" button to Gemini in Chrome, currently available in Chrome Canary. The feature lets users save a prompt as a reusable skill and summon it later with a slash command. Google also ships a few pre‑built...
Google Testing Jumping To AI Mode Directly From AIOs ON DESKTOP
Google is piloting a desktop version of its AI Mode that launches directly from the “Show more” button in AI‑generated overview (AIO) cards. The feature, previously limited to mobile, pulls users out of the classic SERP into an AI‑driven answer...
ÂJarvis Approachingâ: Google's Sundar Pichai Signals an Agentic, Multi-Threaded Future for Search
Google CEO Sundar Pichai told the Cheeky Pint podcast that Search will evolve into a Jarvis‑like, agent‑centric platform where multiple AI threads operate simultaneously to complete user tasks. He described future Search as an "agent manager" that orchestrates personal assistants...
Google Ads Testing New Layouts for Multi-Location GBP Assets?
Google Ads is piloting new ad formats for Google Business Profile (GBP) location assets. The test introduces a vertical layout that displays individual location reviews alongside directions, exposing each store’s rating rather than a single brand score. A second variation...
