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.
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
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.
Googlebot Crawl Slump? Mueller Points To Server Errors
A Reddit thread about a sharp crawl drop prompted guidance from Google’s John Mueller. Here’s how to diagnose the cause.
Google Brings AI Trip-Finding To Google Flights
Google adds an AI “Flight Deals” tool to Google Flights, part of a broader push into vertical, conversational search experiences.
Google Gemini Adds Personalization From Past Chats
Google’s Gemini now personalizes replies from past chats and adds Temporary Chats, rolling out now with controls you can manage.
OpenAI Brings GPT-4o Back For Paid ChatGPT Users
OpenAI restores GPT-4o to the ChatGPT picker for paid users and promises advance notice on future deprecations.
YouTube Lets Creators Pick Exact CTAs In Promote Website Ads
YouTube’s Promote tool now lets you choose specific calls to action for website traffic campaigns, like “Book now” or “Get quote.”
Google: Invalid Ad Traffic From Deceptive Serving Down 40%
Google cites a 40% drop in invalid ad traffic from deceptive serving, helping protect budgets and keep billing clean for advertisers.
Google Rolls Out ‘Preferred Sources’ For Top Stories In Search
Google is rolling out Preferred Sources for Top Stories in Search, letting you choose outlets to see more often.
Google Cautions Businesses Against Generic Keyword Domains
Google’s John Mueller advises small businesses to choose distinctive brand names over generic keyword domains for better search visibility.
Google: Unique Image Landing Pages Can Help Search Visibility
Google’s John Mueller says giving each image its own landing page can help it appear in image search, while gallery setups may limit visibility.
OpenAI Launches GPT-5 In ChatGPT To All Users
OpenAI launches GPT-5, now the default model in ChatGPT for all users. The update prioritizes factual accuracy, transparent reasoning, and broader accessibility.
Ecosia & Qwant Launch European Search Infrastructure
Ecosia begins using its own search index in France, part of a joint effort with Qwant to reduce reliance on U.S. tech providers.
Google Says AI Clicks Are Better, What Does Your Data Say?
Google claims AI is making Search more useful and clicks more valuable. Check whether that holds true for your content.
Study: Advanced Personalization Linked To Higher Conversions
Deloitte research commissioned by Meta shows personalization boosts conversions by 16%, with a framework to assess and improve your strategy.
Claude Opus 4.1 Improves Coding & Agent Capabilities
Anthropic has released Claude Opus 4.1, which is said to deliver better coding and agent performance with improved safety.
The Future Of Search: 5 Key Findings On What Buyers Really Want
AI answers, offline calls, and voice search are reshaping how buyers act. This report breaks down what that means for your search strategy.
ChatGPT Nears 700 Million Weekly Users, OpenAI Announces
ChatGPT is nearing 700 million weekly active users, up from 500 million in March and four times higher than a year ago.
Chrome Trial Aims To Fix Core Web Vitals For JavaScript-Heavy Sites
Google is testing a new API to measure Core Web Vitals in SPAs. Learn how to test it and why it matters for performance tracking.
OpenAI Is Pulling Shared ChatGPT Chats From Google Search
OpenAI disables ChatGPT’s search discoverability feature after shared chats appeared in Google results, raising privacy concerns.
Reddit Prioritizes Search, Sees 5X Growth in AI-Powered Answers
Reddit is investing in search after hitting 70M weekly queries, with Reddit Answers expanding and deeper integration on the way.
Bing Recommends lastmod Tags For AI Search Indexing
Bing recommends using accurate lastmod values in sitemaps to help AI-powered search prioritize which pages to recrawl and index.
Query Fan-Out Technique in AI Mode: New Details From Google
Google’s Robby Stein shares new details about the query fan-out technique in AI Mode, explaining how Google generates and executes its own queries.
B2B Marketing Is Starting to Look a Lot Like B2C (And It’s Working)
LinkedIn’s latest benchmark report reveals how video content and creator partnerships are driving trust and growth in the B2B space.
Microsoft Adds Copilot Mode To Edge With Multi-Tab AI Analysis
Microsoft launches Copilot Mode in Edge, introducing multi-tab AI analysis, voice navigation, and more features in development.
OpenAI Study Mode Brings Guided Learning to ChatGPT
OpenAI has introduced Study Mode in ChatGPT, a step-by-step learning tool that uses guided prompts to encourage deeper discovery.
Google AI Mode Update: File Uploads, Live Video Search, More
Google Search expands AI Mode with PDF uploads, planning tools, video input, and Chrome integration, offering new ways to interact with search.
Which Marketing Jobs Are Most Affected by AI?
Microsoft analyzed 200,000 AI workplace conversations to learn how AI is reshaping marketing and sales roles. Here’s what the data shows.
Google Warns: CSS Background Images Aren’t Indexed
Google says images styled with CSS won’t be indexed in Image Search, advising developers to use HTML tags for important visuals.
Google: Soft 404s Use Crawl Budget Despite 200 OK Status
Google clarifies that soft 404 pages consume crawl budget, even when they return a 200 OK status. Here’s how this affects your site.