Category: Google Updates

Google Moves Hotel AI Overviews to a Side Panel in Test

Google is testing AI Overviews for hotel searches in a side panel under the knowledge panel, instead of the top of the page.

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Google Confirms Search Console Dark Mode Announcement Was a Joke

Dark mode for Google Search Console was teased at a recent event, then confirmed as a joke. Here is what was actually shown.

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Google Tests “More From” Titles Above Sponsored Sitelinks

Google is testing a "more from [advertiser name]" title above sitelinks in sponsored search results, with the advertiser's favicon and name included.

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Google Rolls Out google.com/goto Tracking Parameters in Search Results

Google is pushing google.com/goto URL redirects across search results to block scraping. Here's what the change does and why it matters for SEO tools.

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Google September 2026 Spam Update Impact: What Changed This Week in Search

A roundup of Google September 2026 spam update impact, AI Overview tests, Maps bugs, and ad platform changes from the first week of October.

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Google AI Overviews URL Tracking Parameter Test: What Happened

A ?st_source=ai_overview parameter appeared on AI Overview links. It was a Chrome extension, not Google. Here is what the test would have meant if real.

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Google Search Tests 3-Product Grid That Expands to More

Google is testing a 3-product grid in Search that can expand or shrink. See the variations spotted and what they mean for product listings.

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Google: Manually Factcheck and Review AI-Generated Content Before Publishing

Google's updated guidance now calls it "critical" to factcheck AI-generated content before publishing, citing the risk of hallucinations in generative model

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Google Tests More Sitelinks Designs

Google is testing new sitelinks layouts in mobile search results, including line-by-line listings with a left-side margin and a version with inline images.

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Google Tests Human Check Before Serving Search Pages

Google is testing a Continue button that activates after a short delay to verify human users before serving search results, adding to its anti-scraping push.

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Bing Tests Search Result Snippets Without Site Names

Microsoft is experimenting with removing site names from Bing search result snippets, showing only URLs instead. Google tested a similar design roughly a year

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Google Tests Blue ‘More’ Link in Shopping Product Results

Google is testing a blue highlight on the 'More' link inside Shopping product grids, drawing the eye to additional retailers carrying an item.

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Google Tests Larger Images and Highlight Box for Local Service Ads

Google is testing a redesigned Local Service Ads layout with bigger images and a more prominent highlight box in search results.

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Google Confirms GOTO URL Redirects Now Applied to Search Results Links

Google confirms it now wraps some search result links in GOTO URL redirects, changing how clicks are measured and how analytics reports traffic sources.

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Google Search Console adds AI performance reports and SGE controls globally

Google is rolling out AI performance reports and Search Generative Experience controls in Search Console worldwide.

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