Recent Posts
News•Feb 18, 2026
Google AdSense Anchor & Vignette Ads Bug Won't Close Ads
Google AdSense publishers are experiencing a regression where anchor and vignette ads lack functional close buttons, preventing users from dismissing them. The problem surfaced on February 13, 2026 and has spread across multiple sites, with some reports of misaligned display ads causing horizontal scrolling. Google Support confirmed the issue and recommends disabling both ad formats until a fix is released. The company is actively working on a resolution, but the bug continues to affect user experience and publisher revenue.
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 17, 2026
Google Ads Recommendations Doc About The Results Tab
Google has added a Results tab to the Google Ads Recommendations help page, letting advertisers see the actual performance impact after applying bid or budget suggestions. The system evaluates campaign data a week after a recommendation is implemented and contrasts...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 16, 2026
Google Warns Not To Serve "Not Available" With JavaScript
Google’s John Mueller warned that displaying a “not available” message through JavaScript before the real content loads can cause Google to treat the page as missing, preventing it from being indexed. The issue was highlighted in a Reddit thread where...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 16, 2026
New Google Ads Calculate Your Conversion Value For New Customers
Google Ads has rolled out a feature that automatically calculates a conversion value for new customers by letting advertisers set a lower target ROAS. The system then proposes a suggested value, eliminating the need for manual entry. This approach ties...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 16, 2026
Google & Bing: Markdown Files Messy & Causes More Crawl Load
Google and Bing have publicly labeled markdown (.md) files as “messy” and a source of unnecessary crawl load. Representatives John Mueller and Fabrice Canel warned that search engines will prioritize the rendered user experience and may filter out or de‑index...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 16, 2026
Google Ends Parked Domains (AFD) On Search Partner Network
Google announced that parked domains (AFD) will no longer serve ads within its Search Partner Network, effective February 10, 2026. The removal also eliminates the option to include parked domains in Content suitability settings. This follows a prior commitment to...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 13, 2026
Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Volatility, Bing AI Performance Reports, New AI Mode Retail Ads, UCP Checkout & ChatGPT...
Google’s search ranking volatility intensified on February 10, prompting noticeable SERP shifts for sites like Grokipedia. Bing introduced AI Performance reports with a redesigned dashboard, while Google tested contextual overlay cards for AI Overviews and launched new AI Mode shopping ads...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 13, 2026
Where Are Those New Google Search Console Features?
Google announced several enhancements to Search Console in late 2025, including branded query filters, social‑channel insights, and an AI‑driven configuration tool. Months later, most users still see only the smoothing views, with the new features remaining unavailable. The rollout appears...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 13, 2026
Google Ads Product Eligibility View Across Campaigns
Google Ads has introduced a new feature in the Products section that shows product eligibility directly in the Status column. This allows advertisers to instantly see which products are eligible across Shopping and Performance Max campaigns. The change, highlighted by...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 10, 2026
Google Search Ranking Volatility Gets Heated Again February 10th
On February 10, 2026, the SEO community observed fresh Google Search ranking volatility, distinct from the February 5 Discover core update. Multiple third‑party tracking platforms—including Semrush, Sistrix, and Mozcast—showed simultaneous spikes, echoing earlier volatility periods in January and December 2025. Analysts...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 9, 2026
Google On If A Younger Web Site Can Beat An Older Website In Search
John Mueller clarified that a website’s age is not a decisive ranking factor; success depends on the value it delivers. Older sites may have accumulated authority, but newer sites with modern architecture and quality content can compete. Mueller advises focusing...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 9, 2026
Google Preferred Sources Deeplink Button Is Broken
Google’s Preferred Sources deep‑link button, launched globally in December 2025, is currently malfunctioning. The button no longer auto‑populates the site URL, forcing users to type it manually. Multiple publishers have confirmed the issue across browsers, and Google’s Rajan Patel acknowledged...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 9, 2026
Google Ads API Developer Token Access Applications Delayed
Google announced that a surge in demand for Google Ads API developer tokens has created a backlog, delaying the review and approval of applications. The company has responded by adding extra reviewers and fast‑tracking select requests, but many developers still...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 6, 2026
Google AI Mode Follow Up Search Suggestions
Google is testing a new set of follow‑up search suggestions within AI Mode results, displayed as short prompts in white bubbles beneath the AI‑generated answer. The layout replaces the earlier arrow‑based follow‑up prompts and resembles traditional query boxes, similar to...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 6, 2026
Bing Unshipping Frankenstein Recipes In Search
Microsoft Bing is removing its AI‑generated "Frankenstein recipes" feature after criticism that it mashed steps from multiple publishers into inaccurate suggestions, such as substituting ginger with mace in pho. The problematic feature sparked backlash from publishers like Inspired Taste, who...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 6, 2026
Report: ChatGPT & Perplexity Treat Structured Data As Text On A Page
A recent test by Mark Williams‑Cook showed that ChatGPT and Perplexity treat JSON‑LD schema markup as ordinary page text, extracting data even when the markup is invalid. The experiment used a fictitious company, DUCKYEA t‑shirts, and placed its address solely inside malformed...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 5, 2026
Google Local Hotel Photos "Good To Know" AI Labels
Google is testing AI-generated “Good to Know” labels on hotel photos in its Google Hotels listings. The labels provide brief descriptions summarizing the photo content and related user reviews, and appear on both owner‑uploaded and visitor images, though not on...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 5, 2026
Google AdSense Reports Gain Browser, Hosting App & Operating System
Google AdSense is adding new reporting dimensions to its console, allowing publishers to see traffic broken down by browser, hosting app, and operating system. The metrics will appear in the standard performance reports and can be filtered like existing dimensions....
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 5, 2026
Microsoft Advertising Tests Magazine Answer Card Ad Format
Microsoft Advertising is piloting a magazine‑style layout within its Answer Card ad format on Bing’s search results page. The new design places ads in the prominent card slots that appear at the top of queries. Advertisers can access the space...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 4, 2026
Google AI Overviews Bug Removes Links & Citations
Google has acknowledged a bug in its AI Overviews feature that omits citation links from certain responses. The issue was first highlighted by SEO researcher Lily Ray, and Google’s VP of Search Engineering, Rajan Patel, confirmed the problem and said...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 4, 2026
Google Ad Revenue Up 14% - Google's Biggest Revenue & Ad Revenue Yet
Alphabet announced its Q4 2025 earnings, showing ad revenue climbing 14% to $82.3 billion. Total revenue rose 17% to $113.8 billion, pushing annual revenue past $400 billion for the first time. The company highlighted AI‑driven growth, citing Gemini 3 integration in Search and a surge...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 4, 2026
Google On Serving Markdown Pages To LLM Crawlers
Google’s John Mueller warned that serving raw Markdown files to large language model (LLM) crawlers poses significant technical risks. He highlighted uncertainties around link parsing, internal navigation, and whether bots even recognize Markdown as anything beyond plain text. Mueller also...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 4, 2026
Google Ad Network Invalid Clicks Report: Fraud vs Accidental
Mike Ryan examined over 550 million ecommerce clicks from Q4 2025 using Google’s new “general invalid clicks” metric. He found the Google Display Network (GDN) registers the highest invalid‑click rate—nearly one in five clicks—though most are accidental. In contrast, the Search Partner...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 3, 2026
Daily Search Forum Recap: February 3, 2026
The Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums reported that Google disclosed a minor core algorithm adjustment on February 3, 2026, alongside heightened spam detection measures. Community members discussed the impact on ranking volatility, especially for news publishers, and emphasized...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 3, 2026
Google: Search Algorithms, Spam Detections & Policies Don't Fundamentally Change With AI Search
Google’s John Mueller told the SEO community that the rise of AI‑driven search does not fundamentally alter the core ranking algorithms, spam‑detection systems, or policy framework that have long governed Google Search. He emphasized that while the web is constantly...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 3, 2026
Bing Multi-Turn Search Rolls Out Worldwide
Microsoft has launched its multi‑turn search feature in Bing for users worldwide, extending a capability first tested in the United States last year. The new interface appears as a floating box at the bottom of the results page, allowing users...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 3, 2026
Google's Top Crawling Challenges In 2025
Google’s 2025 crawling report, presented by Gary Illyes and Martin Splitt, highlights five primary URL‑parameter issues that strain Googlebot. Faceted navigation accounts for half of the problems, followed by action parameters, irrelevant tracking strings, WordPress‑generated URLs, and miscellaneous encoding errors....
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 3, 2026
Google: Don't Spend Too Much Time On Redirects Analysis For SEO
Google’s John Mueller warned that exhaustive redirect‑chain analysis is unnecessary for most sites, noting that problematic redirects and CSP settings are usually visible in a standard browser. He emphasized that simple tools like the Redirect Path extension can surface these...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 2, 2026
Google Ads Replacing Support Form With AI Agent
Google Ads has replaced its traditional support form with an AI‑driven chat agent, accessible via the usual support URL. The chatbot introduces itself as an AI advisor, prompting users to describe issues before offering assistance or escalating to human help....
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 30, 2026
Daily Search Forum Recap: January 30, 2026
Google rolled out several product tweaks on January 30, 2026, including a test of third‑party endorsement content in search ads, new one‑click previews for Performance Max campaigns, and official help documentation for Preferred Sources. At the same time, Google Business Profile review appeals...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 30, 2026
Google Ads Tests Third-Party Endorsement Content On Search Ads
Google is piloting a new feature that places third‑party endorsement content directly within Search ad descriptions. The format will display the endorsing site’s name, logo, and a brief testimonial beneath the ad copy. This test aims to leverage external credibility...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 30, 2026
Google Search Adds Preferred Sources Help Docs
Google has published official help documentation for its Preferred Sources feature, which lets users designate trusted news sites in Google Search. The feature, rolled out globally after earlier releases in the US, India, and a beta phase, influences Top Stories...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 29, 2026
Google Ads Advertiser Verification Page Moving
Google has relocated the Advertiser Verification page within the Google Ads console to the Admin → Policy → Account section, renaming it simply "Account." The new hub consolidates verification tasks with business information, certifications, and compliance status. The change was highlighted by industry voices...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 29, 2026
Google Personal Intelligence Creates AI Frankenstein Recipes
Google’s Personal Intelligence (PI) is delivering AI‑generated “Frankenstein” recipes that blend content from multiple sources. In a recent test, the tool produced a Key Lime Pie recipe attributed to the food blog Inspired Taste but with incorrect ingredients, bake time,...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 29, 2026
Google Ads API Version 23 Now Available
Google has launched version 23 of the Google Ads API, marking the first release of 2026 and a shift to a faster release cadence. The update adds dozens of new features, including expanded asset and reporting metrics, granular billing data, and...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 28, 2026
Bing Ads Revenue Up 10% - Is Growth Slowing?
Microsoft reported second‑quarter 2026 results showing Bing Ads revenue grew 10% year‑over‑year, a slowdown from the 16% and 21% gains in the prior two quarters. Overall company revenue reached $81.3 billion, up 17% YoY, while operating income rose 21% and net...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 28, 2026
Google Search - Add Splash Of Color With Color Picker
Google is experimenting with a new color‑picker feature that lets users add a custom hue to the top of the Search results page. An icon above the results bar opens a palette where users can choose any shade, effectively personalizing...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 28, 2026
Gemini 3 Powering Google AI Overviews Globally
Google has made Gemini 3 the default model for AI Overviews on its search engine worldwide. The new model delivers concise, context‑aware answers directly on the results page, replacing earlier pilots of Gemini 3 Pro for complex queries. The rollout starts in English...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 28, 2026
Google Exploring Ways To Allow Sites To Opt Out Of AI Overviews & AI Mode
Google announced it is exploring new controls that would let website owners opt out of having their content used in Search’s generative AI features, such as AI Overviews and AI Mode. The move follows the UK Competition and Markets Authority’s...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 27, 2026
Google Posts Tips To Write Better Review Replies
Google has refreshed its Business Profiles help center, adding a dedicated section on crafting better review replies. The guidance emphasizes friendly, concise, and professional responses, urging merchants to avoid sales pitches and only reply when they have new, relevant information....
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 27, 2026
Google Search Ranking Volatility Remains Super Heated
Google’s search algorithm has entered a period of heightened volatility, with notable update spikes on January 6, 15, 21 and a lingering effect from the December 2025 core update. Multiple SEO monitoring platforms—including Semrush, Mozcast, and SERPstat—show synchronized ranking swings across the board. Publishers...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 26, 2026
Google Ads New Billing Report
Google Ads is introducing a new billing report that provides a line‑by‑line view of invoices, displaying account, campaign, usage, and payment details. The interface lets users select custom date ranges, view data by account ID and type, and reconcile spend...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 26, 2026
Google Ads Gambling & Games Certification Eligibility: Good Health
Google will update its Ads gambling and games policy on March 23, 2026, requiring advertisers to demonstrate good policy health before obtaining certification. The rule mandates a clean account history with few violations, and manager accounts with a significant number...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 26, 2026
Google Ads Campaign Mix Experiments In Beta
Google Ads introduced Campaign Mix Experiments, a beta tool that lets advertisers run a single experiment across multiple campaign types, budgets, and settings. Users can assign existing campaigns to up to five experiment arms, enabling tests of account structures, consolidation,...
By Search Engine Roundtable