Google Search Console Adds Achievements Report To Track Milestones
Google adds an Achievements report in Search Console so you can track click-based milestones, see in-progress goals, and jump to Insights and tips.
About
Matt G. Southern, Senior News Writer, has been with Search Engine Journal since 2013. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, Matt specializes in gathering details, checking facts, and making complex subjects easy to understand. In addition to writing articles, Matt oversees strategy development for SEJ’s news department.
Articles
ChatGPT Study: 1 In 4 Conversations Now Seek Information
An OpenAI and Harvard study finds that 24% of ChatGPT use is information-seeking, with non-work usage now exceeding 70%.
Google Modifies Search Results Parameter, Affecting SEO Tools
Google appears to have disabled the &num=100 results parameter, disrupting rank trackers and prompting a rethink of desktop impressions in Search Console.
Google Expands YMYL Guidelines To Cover Election & Civic Content
Google updated its quality rater guidelines to treat election and voting info as YMYL. See what changed and how to align civic content.
Ahrefs Acquires Detailed.com & SEO Extension; Founder Joins Company
Ahrefs has acquired Detailed.com and the Detailed SEO Extension. Founder Glen Allsopp joins Ahrefs full-time. Current tools remain free.
Google AI Max For Search Goes Global In Beta
Google’s AI Max for Search is now in global beta with one-click experiments and an upcoming text guidelines feature to steer brand-safe creative.
Google Ads Rolls Out New Creative & Omnichannel Tools
Google adds creative, omnichannel, loyalty, and budgeting updates across Ads and YouTube. Including Demand Gen optimization for in-store sales, and 3–90 day total budgets.
Google Gemini Adds Audio File Uploads After Being Top User Request
Google’s Gemini app now supports audio file uploads. Free users get 10 minutes per prompt; paid plans support up to three hours.
Google Drops Search Console Reporting For Six Structured Data Types
Google will stop reporting six deprecated structured data types in Search Console and remove them from the Rich Results Test and appearance filters.
Anthropic Agrees To $1.5B Settlement Over Pirated Books
Anthropic agreed to a proposed $1.5B settlement over pirated books used to train Claude. If approved, eligible titles would receive about $3,000 each.
Google Publishes Exact Gemini Usage Limits Across All Tiers
Google’s Help Center now lists Gemini App limits for prompts, images, Deep Research, video generation, and context windows.
Google: Your Login Pages May Be Hurting Your SEO Performance
Google explains how generic login pages trigger duplicate indexing. Learn fixes using noindex, redirects, and paywall markup.
AI Search Sends Users to 404 Pages Nearly 3X More Than Google
AI search engines send users to 404 pages more than Google. A study of 16M URLs finds ChatGPT leads in hallucinating links.
Google Quietly Raised Ad Prices, Court Orders More Transparency
Google raised ad prices incrementally through internal “pricing knobs” that advertisers couldn’t detect, according to federal court documents.
Google Avoids Breakup As Judge Bars Exclusive Default Search Deals
Google avoids Chrome and Android breakup but must end exclusive search default deals, and may have to share data with rivals.
Google: AI Mode Sees “Big Improvements” On STEM Queries
Google says AI Mode now handles complex STEM questions better and surfaces key details sooner, timed for back to school.
Google: AI Max For Search Has No Conversion Minimums
Google confirms no conversion minimums for AI Max for Search, but Smart Bidding is required for search-term matching.
LinkedIn Study: Professionals Trust Their Networks Over AI & Search
LinkedIn reports that professionals trust their networks more than AI or search engines for work advice, with spending shifting to creators and community content.
Google Wants To Show More Links In AI Mode
Google says it wants to show more links in AI Mode, rolling out embedded carousels, smarter inline links, and expanding Web Guide.
Google Rolls Out August Spam Update Targeting Search Quality
Google released the August spam update, impacting search results worldwide. The rollout may take a few weeks to complete.
Perplexity Launches Comet Plus, Shares Revenue With Publishers
Perplexity’s new subscription plan pays publishers for webpage visits, AI search citations, and agent actions.
Google: Why Lazy Loading Can Delay Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
On Google’s podcast, Martin Splitt explains how default lazy loading can delay LCP, why some libraries hinder indexing, and how to verify fixes.
Google AI Mode Adds Agentic Booking, Expands To More Countries
Google adds agentic bookings and personalization to AI Mode and expands access to 180+ countries in English.
Ahrefs Launches Tracker Comparing ChatGPT & Google Referral Traffic
Ahrefs launched a monthly dashboard comparing Google and ChatGPT referral traffic so you can track AI search as a measurable channel.
Google: Why CrUX & Search Console Don’t Match On Core Web Vitals
Google’s Barry Pollard explains why CrUX and Search Console often report different Core Web Vitals results. Learn how page-view vs. URL-level methods lead to mismatches.
Google Trends API Alpha: Mueller Confirms Small Pilot Group
Google Trends API launch starts with “quite small” pilot group, John Mueller confirms. Not expected to be a “big SEO event.”
LinkedIn Alerts You When Posts Drive Profile Views & Followers
LinkedIn notifications now alert you when posts drive profile views & followers. Learn how these real-time analytics can help.
AI Systems Often Prefer AI-Written Content, Study Finds
A peer-reviewed study finds LLMs often prefer AI-written content over human text in pairwise tests.
Google Makes Merchant API Generally Available: What’s New
Google makes Merchant API generally available and announces plans to sunset the Content API. New features include order tracking, issue resolution, and Product Studio.
Local SEO Best Practices Aren’t Universal: Yext Study
A study of 8.7M Google results finds review engagement correlates strongest with Local Pack visibility, with tactics varying by industry.