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.
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
Google’s Top 5 SEO Tools
Before you pay for another SEO tool, try these five free options from Google. Here’s why they work.
Google Confirms CSS Class Names Don’t Influence SEO
Google’s Search Relations team explains how CSS affects SEO, addressing myths about class names, pseudo elements, and page performance.
Web Guide: Google’s New AI Search Experiment
Google launches Web Guide, an experimental AI feature that clusters search results into topic groups. Available now in Search Labs.
Google Launches AI-Powered Virtual Try-On & Shopping Tools
Google has launched new AI-powered shopping tools, including virtual try-on, enhanced price alerts, and upcoming design inspiration features.
Google: AI Overviews Drive 10% More Queries, Per Q2 Earnings
Google’s Q2 earnings show AI Overviews are increasing search activity, with new data suggesting they drive over 10% more queries.
Google Makes It Easier To Talk To Your Analytics Data With AI
Google has released an open-source tool that lets large language models like Gemini connect to Google Analytics, enabling natural conversations with your data.
Google Shares SEO Guidance For State-Specific Product Pricing
Google explains how to handle state-specific product pricing in search results. Here’s what to know.
Google CTRs Drop 32% For Top Result After AI Overview Rollout
A new analysis finds Google’s top organic CTR dropped from 28% to 19% following the expansion of AI Overviews, highlighting how behavior is changing.
AI Chatbots Frequently Get Login URLs Wrong, Netcraft Warns
A Netcraft report finds 34% of login URLs suggested by AI could lead to phishing or unrelated sites, posing risks for users.
DuckDuckGo Adds Option To Filter Out AI-Generated Images
DuckDuckGo now lets you hide AI-generated images from search results. Here’s how it works.
Perplexity Looks Beyond Search With Its AI Browser, Comet
Perplexity’s new AI browser, Comet, is now live. Here’s how it fits into the company’s long-term vision for search and task automation.
Ex-Google Engineer Launches Athena For AI Search Visibility
Former Google Search engineer Andrew Yan launches Athena, a startup helping brands optimize their visibility in AI-generated answers.
Google’s John Mueller Clarifies How To Remove Pages From Search
Google’s John Mueller explains how to remove pages from Google Search, why sitelinks can’t be controlled manually, and when to use the URL removal tool.
Google Adds Comparison Mode To Search Console’s 24-Hour View
Google has added a comparison mode to Search Console’s 24-hour view, letting you analyze hourly performance trends against previous days.
Google Search Can Now Call Local Businesses Using AI
Google Search can now call local businesses using AI to gather pricing and availability info on your behalf. Here’s how it works.
Google Rolls Out Gemini 2.5 Pro & Deep Search For Paid Subscribers
Google rolls out Gemini 2.5 Pro and Deep Search for paid subscribers, offering expanded support for reasoning, coding, and research tasks.
Google Updates Search Analytics API To Clarify Data Freshness
Google updated the Search Analytics API with a metadata field that helps identify when recent data is still being processed.
Meta Follows YouTube In Crackdown On Unoriginal Content
Meta is taking action against unoriginal content, cracking down on accounts that repost others’ work without permission or meaningful edits.
77% Of ChatGPT Users Treat It As A Search Engine, Per Adobe Express
Adobe’s latest report finds 77% of Americans report using ChatGPT as a search engine, with nearly 1 in 4 preferring it over Google.
Google Clarifies Structured Data Rules For Returns & Loyalty Programs
Google updates its structured data documentation to clarify how merchants should implement return policies and loyalty programs.
TikTok Denies Report Claiming It’s Building a Standalone US App
TikTok has denied a Reuters report claiming it’s building a standalone U.S. app with a separate algorithm.
ChatGPT Recommendations Potentially Influenced By Hacked Sites
An investigation by SEO expert James Brockbank shows that ChatGPT may cite hacked websites and expired domains in business recommendations.
YouTube Clarifies Monetization Update: Targeting Spam, Not Reaction Channels
YouTube says its July 15 monetization update won’t specifically target reaction or clips channels, but warns enforcement will increase for repetitive or spam-like content.
Google Adds Forum Rich Results Reporting In Search Console
Google Search Console now shows performance data for Discussion Forum rich results as a distinct search appearance.
Ahrefs Study Finds No Evidence Google Penalizes AI Content
A new Ahrefs study of 600,000 pages finds no correlation between AI content and Google rankings, easing concerns about algorithmic penalties.
Relying Too Much On AI Is Backfiring For Businesses
Businesses adopting AI tools without proper planning are facing costly setbacks. Experts and research warn: AI needs human oversight.
YouTube Targets Mass-Produced Content in Monetization Update
YouTube is updating its monetization policies to target mass-produced and repetitious content. Here’s you need to know.
Cloudflare Sparks SEO Debate With New AI Crawler Payment System
Cloudflare’s new pay-per-crawl feature blocks AI crawlers and allows publishers to charge for access, sparking debate in the SEO industry over content visibility and monetization.
YouTube Adds New Viewer Metrics To Track Audience Loyalty
YouTube is replacing the “returning viewers” metric with new viewer segments to help creators better understand long-term audience engagement.