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June 23, 2025

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Google introduces Search Live, a new voice-activated AI mode for the Google app, allowing users to have back-and-forth conversations with Search. This feature, powered by a custom version of Gemini, provides audio responses and web links for deeper exploration, enhancing multitasking capabilities.

🤔 SEO News

Cyrus Shepard revisits his 2021 SEO tips, emphasizing overlooked Favicon optimization for click influence. While links remain vital, tactics evolve towards content that earns them passively. The value of long-form content is changing, and adapting to AI Overviews is crucial.

Analyzing Google's AI Mode patent reveals a restructuring of search, potentially dismantling the open web. Google is engineering a system that remembers previous searches, predicts future needs, and guides users with AI support. This shift changes who controls information flow and how economic value is distributed.

In 2025, marketers need to focus on conversions, retention, and brand impact, not just rankings and traffic. Rebecca Jackson at MozCon London will teach you how to refocus your strategy on your audience to build meaningful outcomes and create a conversion-focused SEO strategy that drives results.

Heading to MozCon London 2025? Maximize your trip with a curated list of 15 activities near the venue! Discover historic landmarks, art galleries, dining, and even a cinephile walking tour. Plan your adventure today!

The SEO industry mourns the loss of Jill Whalen, a founding pillar and champion of ethical SEO practices. Jill's emphasis on content shaped the industry. She will be deeply missed.

This week's search news video recap covers Google search ranking volatility, the introduction of AI Mode in Search Console, tests of Audio Overviews in Google Search, and OpenAI's search quality update for ChatGPT. Google is also experimenting with new features in Ads and Merchant Center. Stay informed with the latest updates!

John Mueller from Google notes that significant, long-term SEO problems require more time for Google to reprocess and adjust rankings after fixes. This is especially true if the issue was substantial or persisted for a long duration.

Google updated its help document with troubleshooting steps for blocking content from AI Overviews and AI Mode. Check preview controls, ensure visibility to Googlebot, and allow time for recrawling. Seek community help if needed.

Google is testing a speaker icon in video search results to indicate the language of the video. This feature was spotted in German search results and is similar to speaker icons used in other Google features.

Google is investigating why some search clicks are leading to translated results, raising concerns about traffic being redirected from original websites. The issue was brought to light by a Reddit thread, and Google is now looking into it. A fix may already be in place.

Google is testing "background checked" labels in Local Service Ads, replacing the Screened or Verified labels. This aims to show searchers that Google has vetted the company.

Google introduces the talk and listen version of Search Live in the Google app, enabling voice conversations with search. Users can explore links and view transcripts, with a camera feature coming soon. This is available for AI Mode experiment participants.

Google is testing new report reviews options in the Google Business Profiles reviews section. The two top fields for review reporting have been reworded. The top used to be called "Off-topic," and the next was "Spam."

Google updated its URL structure help doc with clearer guidelines and examples, but no changes to search processing. The update emphasizes crawlability requirements and uses more prescriptive language, with a focus on practical advice and updated terminology.

Google is testing swapping the site name with the URL in the search result snippets. Instead of the site name, Google is showing the URL above that, followed by the site name. This test was spotted by Sachin Patel.

Google is testing a new "Promotion Preview" tool within Google Search, allowing advertisers to see how their promotions will appear before they go live. This feature helps advertisers know what to expect and make necessary changes. The tool is currently limited to Google Search and is for reference only.

Google's Martin Splitt addresses 'The Great Decoupling,' where impressions rise but clicks stagnate due to AI Overviews. He suggests users may convert later, even without direct search clicks, and that the clicks you get through search are more likely to convert. Attribution is becoming trickier.

Google's search rankings are showing increased volatility, with many third-party tools reporting significant fluctuations. The SEO community is observing these changes, though some are tired of discussing volatility without corresponding click increases. This follows a series of updates and volatility reports throughout May and June.

Google is testing a new ad design with horizontal lines that are filled halfway, alternating directions. Spotted by Brodie Clark and Adriaan Dekker, the design has sparked discussion.

Google's John Mueller reveals that no AI system is currently using LLMs.txt, despite the ongoing discussions and Yoast's new support for it. The question remains: Is implementing LLMs.txt worth the effort?

Google has launched Website-reported Autofeeds, a new feature to automate inventory updates in Google Merchant Center using Google Tag Manager. This feature allows automatic import of in-store inventory data, eliminating the need for extra feed files. It requires tagging your website with key product attributes and is designed for advanced users or those with developer support.

Bing is testing new hover effects in search results. When hovering over a snippet URL, the result will bold and underline. Related searches are getting blue and orangish backgrounds.

Google Search Console now includes AI Mode data in its metrics, affecting clicks, impressions, and positions. The data is lumped in with main search data, making it harder to differentiate performance. Experts express concern over the difficulty of tracking specific data within the aggregated reports.

Google Business Profiles rolls out a new, easier-to-use interface for viewing historical Google Posts within Google Business Profiles. The new interface is a scrollable list view.

Google is investigating a bug where all search results appear as previously visited, regardless of whether the user has clicked on them. The issue is impacting some searchers, and Google is aware of the problem.

Google Knowledge Panel Buttons are sending users to the wrong websites. This is happening with Ahrefs, John Deere, Love and Lemons, and Uber Eats. It is unclear if this is a bug or a hack.

Google Ads is rolling out a refreshed interface for conversion actions and setup, featuring a step-by-step process designed to be more user-friendly, especially for new advertisers. The new UI aims to simplify conversion tracking with guided steps and clearer options.

Google is testing AI Mode in People also ask and Chrome search auto-suggestions. This follows the launch of AI Mode in the US.

Google is testing "Audio Overviews," an AI-generated audio version of search results, similar to NotebookLM. This Search Labs experiment offers conversational audio previews with links to explore more.

Google Merchant Center has updated its user interface with a new settings section and a collapsible sidebar menu. The settings section is now located in the top right corner, replacing the gear icon. The collapsible menu helps declutter the sidebar.

Microsoft is testing a new look for Bing, potentially dropping the "Microsoft" name from the search box. The test, spotted by Sachin Patel, includes versions with just the Bing logo. This follows previous tests where the entire name was removed.

Google Ads is testing a new charts and graphing user interface with larger boxes and visuals in the campaign tab. It also seems to give you new ways to layout the data and visualize the data in these charts. Melissa Mackey spotted this update and posted some screenshots on X.

OpenAI updated ChatGPT to include UTM parameters in the 'More' section links, improving traffic tracking from ChatGPT in analytics tools. This update, noticed by Glenn Gabe, helps provide a more complete view of user engagement.

OpenAI upgrades ChatGPT search, delivering smarter, more comprehensive responses. It now handles longer conversations and allows image-based web searches, enhancing overall search quality.

Stay ahead of the competition with the 16 best competitor monitoring tools. This article reviews tools for analyzing competitors' SEO, paid search, email, and social media marketing efforts, helping you optimize your strategies and win over dissatisfied customers. Discover both paid and free options to suit your budget.

Want to grow your business? This article teaches you how to analyze your competitors' website traffic, why it works, and which tools provide the most accurate data. Gain insights into traffic volume, audience growth, channels, user experience, demographics, and user journeys.

LLM optimization (LLMO) is a marketing tactic that aims to improve a brand’s visibility and portrayal in LLM-generated responses—like those found in ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and Google’s AI Mode. Key LLM optimization techniques include getting positive mentions of your brand on reputable websites and creating original, useful, and LLM-friendly content. LLMO matters because it allows you to improve your brand’s visibility and portrayal in LLM-generated responses—content that people increasingly see and engage with.

Unlock your business potential with 9 competitive insights. Analyze market share, traffic channels, and social media presence to make informed decisions. Stay ahead of the competition!

Meta keywords are HTML tags aimed to boost webpage ranking but are now ineffective for major search engines like Google and Bing. They can even hurt SEO efforts by being seen as spam or revealing keyword strategy to competitors. Focus on optimizing title tags, headings, body content, alt text, and anchor text instead.

Jill Whalen, a pioneering SEO expert and advocate for ethical content, has passed away. Her work in prioritizing content quality and white-hat SEO significantly shaped the search marketing industry. Whalen's legacy continues to impact those in the field.

Hyperlocal PR is critical for modern SEO and LLM-driven visibility. Brands can scale it with Citation Labs’ Software AND a Service model. Real-world workflows, examples, and tools are available for immediate use.

Marketers are under pressure to move faster, do more, and cut costs, so it’s no surprise many turn to AI. But there are still plenty of areas where automation isn’t just risky – it’s a liability. There are and will always be initiatives that need a strategic, experienced human at the wheel, no matter how valuable AI can prove in doing some of the block-and-tackle work.

Google Ads quietly rolled out a new metric, 'Conv. value (incl. predicted),' that combines actual and forecasted data for a forward-looking performance view. This could be a game-changer for evaluating ROAS, especially for longer sales cycles, but caution is advised due to the lack of official documentation.

Google's AI-driven ad innovations are reshaping ecommerce, emphasizing Shopping ads. Updates include AI Overviews, creative tools, and campaign optimization. Advertisers should focus on adapting to these changes for continued success.

Google Ads no longer auto-selects the Display Network for Search campaigns, giving advertisers more control. This helps prevent wasted spend on low-intent traffic. The update gives more control over where budget goes and reduces unintended campaign bloat.

Google is expanding its Commerce Media suite, bringing AI-powered tools to Search, YouTube, and Display. This update allows brands and retailers to collaborate more effectively, optimize campaigns, and achieve measurable results. Key features include Performance Max enhancements and deeper measurement capabilities.

Marketing strategies need to evolve from data obsession to trust-based relationships. Data misuse has led to distrust and legislation, breaking current marketing strategies. Privacy should be the new foundation of marketing strategies.

AI agents are changing how brands connect with customers, driving deeper transformation in customer experience. These systems plan, reason, and execute tasks across departments, delivering real results like reducing time-to-resolution and enabling real-time personalization.

Google updated its URL structure best practices document with added examples to clarify the written guidance. There were no changes to how Google Search handles URLs. It is important to review this document.

Google is integrating its Veo 3 AI video tool into YouTube Shorts, enabling creators to generate short-form videos from text prompts. This could democratize video production but raises concerns about quality and originality, potentially flooding the platform with AI-generated content.

Google has launched Search Live, a talk and listen version within the Google Search app. This feature enables voice conversations with Search and exploring web links. It's currently available for U.S. users enrolled in the AI Mode experiment in Labs.

President Trump has granted TikTok a third 90-day extension, preventing a potential ban in the U.S. This move allows advertisers to maintain access to TikTok's valuable platform for reaching younger audiences. The extension provides temporary relief for marketers facing planning and budgeting challenges due to the platform's uncertain future.

Amazon and Roku are teaming up to give advertisers unified access to over 80% of U.S. connected-TV households, promising greater reach, precision, and value. The offering is expected to launch in Q4 2025, giving media buyers a new, consolidated pipeline to some of the most-watched ad-supported streaming destinations. This deal creates a unified, high-scale way to reach viewers through two of the biggest players in connected TV.

Maximize Clicks bidding in Google Ads is an automated strategy that aims to spend your entire budget to get the most clicks. It's useful for driving traffic without specific conversion goals or gathering initial campaign data. For conversion-focused campaigns, Smart Bidding strategies are generally more effective.

In 2025, improving PPC lead quality isn’t about micromanaging bids – it’s about micromanaging data. The marketers who win will be the ones who feed Google smarter signals, build clean data feedback loops, and let automation do what it does best: optimize. Adopt a signal-first mindset, and your PPC performance won’t just improve – it will compound.

In the age of AI, measuring SEO performance is more critical than ever. This article breaks down the key SEO metrics and KPIs you need to keep up with, stay ahead of, and succeed in this new era of AI-driven search. Learn how to connect your marketing objectives to your SEO reporting and ensure your website and business thrive.

Meta introduces AI tools for automated video creation, branding, and ad optimization. These tools aim to streamline workflows and boost ad performance with features like AI video generation and dynamic branding.

Reddit launches Community Intelligence tools, turning 20 years of conversations into actionable insights for brands. New features include Reddit Insights for real-time campaign planning and Conversation Summary Add-ons for boosting ad engagement through social proof.

Google Ads now offers Target CPC bidding in Demand Gen campaigns, enabling advertisers to optimize for clicks while maintaining control over their average cost per click. This new feature is designed for campaigns focused on driving traffic and generating volume within budget expectations, providing a balance between automation and cost management. It is ideal for those less concerned about post-click actions and more focused on consistent click costs.

Align your SEO strategy with buyer intent to avoid misaligned CTAs. Map keywords to intent, tailor content formats by stage, and align SEO with paid campaigns for full-funnel results. Understand user behavior to meet their needs at each stage of their journey.

For SEOs in 2025, soft skills are critical. Storytelling, empathy, and adaptability enhance relationships and clarify complex data. Adapt to AI and cross-channel collaboration for success.

Ad strength in Google Ads is a feedback tool that provides advertisers with a score for their RSA, ranging from Incomplete, Poor, Average, Good, to Excellent. The higher the score, the more potential Google Ads believes the ad has for strong performance. This article unpacks what ad strength really measures, where it falls short, and how to use it without letting it steer your strategy.

Marketers can unify customer data, streamline operations, and build real-time profiles that drive measurable growth by using Customer Data Platforms (CDPs). This session helps connect the dots between real-time data and real-world results.

TikTok has launched new generative AI tools that allow marketers to rapidly create custom video content using product images or short text prompts. The tools, part of TikTok's Symphony suite, include image-to-video and text-to-video capabilities, and are integrated with Adobe Express and WPP Open.

WhatsApp is introducing channel subscriptions, promoted channels, and Status ads within its Updates tab. These updates aim to enhance content discovery for users and expand the reach of businesses. With 1.5 billion daily users, the Updates tab is evolving into a central platform for creators and brands.

Google Ads is changing how Smart and PMax campaigns optimize for offline conversions, prioritizing high-intent users on Search and Maps. This shift targets higher-quality offline actions, potentially increasing CPC but improving conversion value. Advertisers should prepare for a transition period by updating campaign settings and creative assets.

Google Search Console now includes AI Mode traffic data, offering a breakdown of clicks, impressions, and positions. This update allows marketers to analyze the performance of AI-driven search elements. Follow-up questions in AI Mode are treated as new searches, impacting metric attribution.

OpenAI has upgraded ChatGPT's search capabilities to better understand complex queries and provide more coherent responses. Users can now search using images. However, responses may be longer and overly detailed, so verify the results.

A PPC-only agency shares their journey into SEO, driven by AI's impact on search. They reveal how they've successfully integrated SEO into their performance-based model.

AI video generators like OpenAI's Sora are changing content creation. This article evaluates leading AI video tools, highlighting their capabilities and limitations. It explores how they fit into the future of content creation.

Google's AI Mode is more than just a gimmick; it's a turning point in interface design. It operates agentically, launching processes instead of fetching static results. AI Mode remembers you, learns your patterns, and builds a personalized profile of you based on user embeddings.

Insight Online, a digital marketing agency, improved its reporting efficiency by integrating SE Ranking and Swydo. This move streamlined report creation, reduced reliance on multiple tools, and saved time. The integration simplified complex workflows, allowing the agency to focus more on strategy and results.

EYClick, a digital marketing agency, dramatically improved the online visibility of La Estrella del Jamón, a Catalan restaurant, by building an SEO-friendly website and optimizing its Google Business Profile. In just three months, the restaurant saw a 300% increase in organic traffic and achieved top rankings for local keywords using SE Ranking's comprehensive tool suite. This led to more walk-ins, bookings, and stronger brand recognition.

Cardeseo agency drives SEO results with SE Ranking, cutting reporting time by 70% and scaling to 200+ clients. They revived stagnant sites, achieving significant traffic and impression increases. Discover their toolkit for SEO success.

Localizing your SEO strategy can greatly improve organic traffic, but it requires more than just translation. It's about understanding cultural nuances, conducting local keyword research, and creating content that resonates with the target audience. Don't translate everything; instead, focus on strategic localization and building a solid technical foundation.

AI assistants are changing web visibility, favoring different criteria than traditional search rankings. A study comparing Mention Share to Impression Share reveals biases in Google AI Overviews (leaning on UGC sites), ChatGPT (under-representing Wikipedia and news), and Perplexity (fairly neutral, but under-representing Wikipedia). Optimize for different systems with different biases.

TikTok SEO: Gen Z uses TikTok as a search engine. Learn a 4-week plan to rank high, focusing on engaging content, keyword targeting, and consistent posting.

Ahrefs' study reveals AI content is significantly cheaper, costing $131 per post versus $611 for human-written content. Companies maintain similar content budgets, but many plan to increase AI spending. AI adoption leads to savings on writers for 38% of companies, with AI tools averaging $188 monthly.

AI bots are crawling the web more than ever, but they are wasting resources and making poor crawl decisions. IndexNow can help save resources, money, and the planet. AI search traffic is only 0.1% of overall traffic, so AI assistants need to provide value to website owners or risk being blocked.

Zero-click searches are on the rise, with AI Overviews and AI Mode answering queries directly in search results. This trend is forcing marketers to adapt by focusing on product-led content, diversifying channels, and investing in brand building. The future of search is clickless, and marketers must embrace this new reality.

Google's AI Overviews are changing the SEO landscape, leading to increased impressions but decreased clicks. This 'great decoupling' impacts the entire industry, requiring a shift in content marketing strategies. Discover how to adapt and leverage AI for growth.

Ahrefs' study reveals the state of AI in content marketing: AI content is growing faster, but human content is still considered higher quality. Misinformation and accuracy are top concerns. The report emphasizes balancing AI with human expertise for content success.

Patrick Stox from Ahrefs analyzes the quality of traffic from AI search engines like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini. AI search visitors convert at a 23x higher rate than traditional organic search visitors. AI search traffic accounts for just 0.5% of Ahrefs traffic, but 12.1% of signups come from AI search.

Feeling lost in the sea of content marketing metrics? This article cuts through the noise, highlighting the 7 core metrics that truly matter, from content output to conversions, enabling you to make data-driven decisions and drive business results. Learn how to focus on what works and avoid getting bogged down in vanity metrics.

Patrick Stox analyzes referral traffic from AI Search using Ahrefs Web Analytics, finding that only 0.5% of traffic comes from AI search. The majority of AI search traffic goes to free tools, product pages, and the homepage. International pages perform poorly in AI search.

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is revolutionizing marketing by enabling LLMs to access real-time data and tools. This allows for automation of tasks like report generation, content optimization, and ad campaign management. Companies like Wix, Zapier, and HubSpot are leveraging MCP servers to enhance marketing workflows.

Transform your About page from a business-centric narrative to a customer-focused resource. Address visitor problems, highlight life improvements your business offers, and showcase credibility through reviews, statistics, and compelling visuals to drive conversions.

Google's Martin Splitt and Gary Illyes clarify the level of technical expertise needed for SEO professionals. Coding skills are not mandatory, but a strong understanding of web technologies is beneficial. The discussion also highlights the importance of collaboration between developers and SEO teams.

Yoast SEO plugin had a bug that injected hidden AI HTML classes into content. The bug was quickly fixed with an update to version 25.3.1. Users should update immediately.

Agentic SEO revolutionizes site audits using AI agents for comprehensive analysis and real-time corrections, saving time and improving accuracy. AI identifies technical issues, content gaps, and optimization opportunities, providing actionable recommendations. Implementing Agentic SEO can significantly increase organic traffic.

Are AI Overviews stealing your clicks? This webinar shows you how to measure the impact of AIOs on your traffic using GA4, GSC, and rank tracking. Learn to identify traffic loss and create a modern AIO SEO strategy.

Yoast SEO plugin introduces llms.txt support in both free and premium versions, allowing users to add llms.txt files for AI search engines. The plugin automatically generates and refreshes the file weekly, highlighting key content without manual work. This feature helps AI tools better understand your site and prepares it for the future of AI search.

Google's AI Mode is reshaping search, prioritizing semantic meaning over keywords. SEOs must adapt by optimizing for data and using AI-driven tools to align content with search intent. Market Brew's AI Mode Visualizer helps visualize this new landscape.

AI is changing affiliate marketing, offering opportunities and risks for content creators, managers, and networks. Properly used AI can drive growth, but misuse can backfire, potentially harming businesses by violating terms of service, stealing traffic, and causing damage.

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