SEO Tools and Resources

Google is testing a new search results display for a small group of EU users when they search for products, restaurants, flights, and hotels. The test is part of Google’s efforts to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. What’s happening. According to a report from Dow Jones Newswires: “Under the test started Monday, Google has set up new units for users to choose between results from price comparison sites such as Booking Holdings’ Booking.com and results that take them directly to supplier websites when they are searching for products, restaurants, flights or hotels.” What Google EU search results look like. Here are screenshots showing what it looks lik…

Google is preparing a new Search bidding model called Journey Aware Bidding, designed to factor in the entire customer journey — not just the final biddable conversion — to improve prediction accuracy and campaign performance. How it works: Journey Aware Bidding learns from your primary conversion goal plus additional, non-biddable journey stages. Advertisers who fully track and properly categorize each step of their purchase funnel stand to benefit the most. Google recommends mapping the entire journey — from lead submission to final purchase — and labeling all touchpoints as conversions within standard goals. Why we care. Performance advertisers h…

Google is launching a limited test using AI to automatically generate background images for Shopping Ad product listings. How it works. The AI system will: Generate contextual background scenes for existing product images. Maintain the original product appearance without alterations. Require human review and approval before ads go live. Why we care. This update represents a significant shift in how product photography can be handled in ecommerce advertising. Moreover, since product presentation directly influences consumer purchasing decisions, this automated enhancement could potentially improve conversion rates without requiring additional investment …

Google is testing showing a blue “Send” button in the search box as you begin to type your query. The AI Mode button, which now shows at the right side of that search box disappears as you type your query and is replaced by this Send button. What it looks like. Shameem Adhikarath spotted this and posted a video of it on X: As you can see, as you begin typing your query, the AI Mode, Lens and Microphone buttons all disappear and is replaced by this blue Send button. That plus sign still remains, so that was not removed. Why we care. Firstly, this is just a test but if this launches, this may send fewer people to Google’s AI Mode and more searchers to Go…

Google is piloting Brand Profiles in Merchant Center Next, giving retailers a fresh way to showcase their story, values, and promotions directly in Search results. Why we care. With shopping searches increasingly crowded, Brand Profiles give merchants a chance to differentiate beyond product listings, potentially influencing purchase decisions earlier in the journey. How it works: Appears in the Merchant Center Next “Brand” section, though currently locked from editing. Lets merchants highlight brand values, categories, and business descriptions. Supports images, videos, and offers to enrich product visibility. Provides insights into how customers in…

Advertisers are spotting signs that Google is increasing the number of video assets allowed per Asset Group in Performance Max campaigns — from 5 videos to as many as 15. Why we care. Video is increasingly central to Performance Max performance, but the current five-video cap forces trade-offs. Advertisers often have to choose between formats or ratios, limiting coverage across YouTube, Discover and other placements. What’s changing. With up to 15 videos per Asset Group, advertisers would be able to include multiple creatives while still covering all three major video ratios. That means less need to fragment campaigns or duplicate Asset Groups just to accommodate …

Google Ads is experimenting with a quicker way for new advertisers to get up and running. Driving the news. Over the past few weeks, some users have seen a new setup option in Google Ads: “Create an account with campaign for faster setup.” The feature surfaced publicly after being spotted by Anthony Higman on X, with others noting it only appeared recently. Why we care. Account setup can be a friction point for new advertisers. By bundling account creation with an existing campaign, Google can shorten time-to-launch — and reduce the chances that advertisers stall before spending. The big picture. Google has been steadily streamlining onboarding, nudging ad…

Google is now officially testing pushing searchers from AI Overviews in Google Search into the AI Mode interface. When you click on the “Show more” button within some AI Overviews, Google may jump you directly into the AI Mode interface. What Google said. Robby Stein from Google announced this on X, saying, “Today we’re starting to test a new way to seamlessly go deeper in AI Mode directly from the Search results page on mobile, globally.” Here is a video of this in action, with the full message from Robby Stein: (2/2) This means you’ll continue to get an AI Overview as a helpful starting point, and now you can also ask conversational follow-up questions in A…

Google rolled out a beta that lets merchants display different loyalty-member prices by region in Shopping ads — giving retailers a new way to localize promotions without managing separate offers. Why we care. The feature gives merchants more flexibility to tailor pricing to local markets and highlight loyalty perks directly in ads, potentially boosting conversion and membership sign-ups. How it works Merchants must join Google’s loyalty add-on, set up regions in Merchant Center, and add loyalty_program attributes — including program label, tier, and price — to their regional inventory feed. When a shopper clicks an ad, Google appends a region ID to the UR…

Google is capping Customer Match list durations at 540 days, a significant shift that could impact advertisers’ targeting strategies and campaign performance. By the numbers: New maximum duration: 540 days Implementation date: April 7, 2025 Affects: All Google Ads and Display & Video 360 platforms The big picture. The change aligns with growing privacy concerns and Customer Match best practices, forcing advertisers to maintain more current customer data. What’s happening. Google will automatically update existing Customer Match lists that have no expiration date or durations longer than 540 days to comply with the new maximum timeframe. Why …

Google Ads is updating its Destination requirements policy to block phone numbers tied to fraud or prior policy violations, part of the company’s ongoing effort to curb deceptive advertising practices. The timeline: Policy update effective: December 10, 2025 Enforcement ramp-up: Over roughly 8 weeks after rollout What’s changing. Phone numbers flagged as fraudulent or with a history of violations will now be deemed unacceptable under the Destination requirements policy, leading to ad disapprovals. Why we care. The change targets bad actors who use legitimate-looking phone numbers to mislead users or bypass enforcement, a recurring issue in sectors like…

Google is updating its advertising policies to allow ads for Prediction Markets in the U.S. starting January 21st — but only for federally regulated entities. Who qualifies. Eligibility is limited to entities authorized by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as Designated Contract Markets (DCMs) whose primary business is listing exchange-listed event contracts, or brokerages registered with the National Futures Association (NFA) that offer access to products listed by qualifying DCMs. Advertisers must also apply for Google certification to run ads in the U.S. Why we care. Prediction markets have long been restricted on Google Ads. This change opens a n…

Google is rolling out automatic linking between YouTube channels and Google Ads accounts when its systems detect a strong data relationship between the two — giving advertisers access to richer audience signals without manual setup. Driving the news. Google will begin automatically linking accounts when its signals show a “high-confidence connection.” Admins and channel owners receive an email 30 days before the link is created, giving them the option to opt out or link early. How it works If no one opts out during the 30-day window, Google completes the link automatically. Dual admins — with access to both accounts — can link immediately. Even after li…

Google announced plans to update how Google Tag Manager (GTM) interacts with Google Ads to streamline data collection and improve tracking reliability. This change is scheduled for April 10. Key changes: Google tag loads first. GTM containers with Google Ads and Floodlight tags will automatically load a Google tag before firing events. Easier feature access. Users can turn on Enhanced Conversions, Cross-domain tracking, and Autoevents directly from Google tag settings. Smoother data collection. If Customer Data Terms of Service are accepted, User Provided Data collection will be enabled automatically across events. Why we care. This update aims to en…

Google officially announced the deprecation of Structured Data Files (SDF) v7. The legacy version will be sunset on Nov. 4. Key changes post-deprecation. SDF v7 will no longer be supported; the default version will shift to v7.1 for all users. Any sdfdownloadtasks.create API requests referencing SDF_VERSION_7 will return a 400 error after November 4. Why we care. Advertisers and partners using SDF v7 must migrate to v7.1 or higher before the deadline to avoid service disruptions in Display & Video 360 workflows. What to do. Review the v7.1 release notes to understand differences from v7 and plan your migration. Need help? Use Google’s new Display & Vid…

Google will roll out ads within AI Overviews beyond the U.S. to select English-speaking markets by the end of 2025, the company confirmed during its Google Access event last week. Why we care. As AI-generated answers become a central part of Search, this expansion could reshape how advertisers reach users – with ads appearing directly alongside AI summaries rather than traditional text results. Catch up. Ads in AI Overviews were first unveiled at Google Marketing Live 2025, allowing brands to appear within generative responses when users ask complex, multi-part queries. What’s next. Google’s gradual rollout will give advertisers and users time to adapt to …

Google will be bringing Google Discover, the news feed, to the desktop version of the Google.com home page. Google Discover is currently available on the mobile apps and mobile version of Google.com, it has been since 2018. And soon it will come to the desktop version of the Google home page. More details. Clara Soteras on X and Gianluca Fiorelli on X posted the slides from a Googler announcing this at the Search Central Live event in Madrid this morning. Here is one of those slides that says Google Discover is “expanding surfaces” to “desktop Search.” Clara Soteras added, “Google Discover will be available for desktop! The Google team is working to exp…

Google will update its Pharmaceutical policy for AdMob Authorized Buyers in January 2026, allowing prescription drug and prescription drug service ads in select markets — without requiring Google certification — while tightening clarity around what remains strictly off-limits. What’s changing. The policy will be renamed “Pharmaceutical products and services” and updated to allow Authorized Buyers to promote prescription drugs and prescription drug services in certain countries where permitted by local law, without requiring Google certification as is typically mandated in Google Ads. While access is expanding, the underlying rules are not becoming more permissive…

Google is officially retiring Call-Only Ads, with creation ending in February 2026 and full sunset by February 2027. Advertisers relying on phone leads will need to transition to Responsive Search Ads with Call Assets. How to prepare: Switch campaigns to Responsive Search Ads with Call Assets. Enable call reporting and set call conversions as a primary goal. Use smart bidding, like Maximize conversion value, for better ROI. Link your Google Business Profile for location-based relevance. Restrict calls to business hours to avoid wasted leads. Why we care. Call-Only Ads have been a go-to for businesses that rely on direct phone calls, especially in …

Google will be removing more search features in the coming months, but it has not disclosed the full list of which features. It appears that Google will do away with some of the currently supported structured data types used for rich results in Google Search, plus some search features. This comes after Google dropped support for several search features back in June, but then Google documented which ones those were. Later, Google confirmed the removal of those structured data types. What Google said. John Mueller, Search Advocate at Google, wrote: “We’re beginning to phase these lesser-used features out. “This update will simplify the page and improve the …

Google will be replacing Google Assistant with Gemini later this year, this is across mobile phones, tablets, cars and devices that connect to your phone, such as headphones and watches and even some TV-connected devices. This comes as no surprise to most, because when Google launched Bard (the name Google used for Gemini early on), Google said it would bring Bard features to the Google Assistant. Then in early 2024, Google removed a ton of features on the Google Assistant. Impacted devices. Google wrote, “Over the coming months, we’re upgrading more users on mobile devices from Google Assistant to Gemini; and later this year, the classic Google Assistant will no…

Starting in March 2026, Google Merchant Center will enforce a new system for multi-channel products — items sold both online and in physical stores — requiring advertisers to use separate product IDs when those products differ by channel. What’s changing. Under the new approach, online product attributes will become the default. If a product’s in-store details differ, advertisers will need to create a second version with a distinct product ID and manage it independently in their feeds. What advertisers should do. Google has started emailing affected accounts, flagging products that need updates ahead of the March deadline. Retailers should review their product…

Google will shut down three long-running Google Groups support forums for advertising developers early next year as it consolidates technical support into official channels. Driving the news. Google announced it will stop responding to new posts starting January 28, 2026. The forums will remain visible as read-only archives until later in the year, when Google plans to disable new posts entirely. After Jan. 28: Support agents will no longer reply on Google Groups. Replies to existing threads will trigger a new email thread with Google support instead. Content will stay online for reference — including past discussions and solutions. The shift. Googl…

Google is rolling out a new update for the Trends Explorer page that is powered by Gemini. The goal is to make it easier for users and researchers to find more search terms to explore. “The updated Explore page has a new side panel that uses Gemini capabilities to automatically identify and compare relevant trends for your area of interest,” Google wrote. What it looks like. There is this new layout and new “Suggest search terms” button at the top right of the page. Here is a screenshot: When you click on “Suggest search terms,” you can enter in a keyword or a natural language sentence and Gemini will help you break out all the terms and compare them to each o…

Google is gearing up to launch Partner Match, a new targeting option that allows advertisers to use third-party partner data to create custom audiences for YouTube campaigns, according to newly published help documentation. How it works. Partner Match enables approved third-party partners to upload hashed user data—such as email, name, or ZIP code—which Google will match to signed-in YouTube accounts. Advertisers can then target these matched segments across: Video Reach campaigns Video Views campaigns Demand Gen campaigns (YouTube channel only) It will not support ad sequences or YouTube Select guaranteed deals. Where it’s available. Partner Match …