SEO Tools and Resources

Google’s Nick Fox, the SVP of Knowledge and Information at Google, said in a recent podcast that doing optimization for AI search is “the same” as doing optimization and SEO for traditional search. He added, you want to build great sites, with great content, for your users. More details. This came up in the AI Inside podcast with Jason Howell and Jeff Jarvis interviewing Nick Fox. Here is the transcript from the 22 minute mark: Jeff Jarvis ask, “And is is there are there is there guidance for enlightened publishers who want to be part of AI about how they should view, should they view their content in any say differently no?” Nick Fox responded, “The short an…

Google has updated its JavaScript SEO basics documentation to clarify how Google’s crawler handles noindex tags in pages that use JavaScript. In short, if “you do want the page indexed, don’t use a noindex tag in the original page code,” Google wrote. What is new. Google updated this section to read: “When Google encounters the noindex tag, it may skip rendering and JavaScript execution, which means using JavaScript to change or remove the robots meta tag from noindex may not work as expected. If you do want the page indexed, don’t use a noindex tag in the original page code.” In the past, it read: “If Google encounters the noindex tag, it skips renderin…

Google said it is now able to catch 20 times the number of scammy pages within Google Search than it was previously. Google also said that it reduced the number of bad actors on the web impersonating airline customer service providers by more than 80% within Google Search. Google credits its AI and improved classifiers for these changes. The numbers. Google gave these two stats when it comes to improving the safety of the Google Search results: Google Search can “catch 20-times the number of scammy pages” Google Search has reduced fake phone number “scams by more than 80% in Search” AI and classifier improvements. Google credits these improvements to i…

John Mueller from Google posted an SEO tip and reminder for those who use cloud services, such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud or others, to host images, videos or other content. John explained that you should probably verify those within Google Search Console. This will give you the ability to track the performance of those files in Google Search, including any debugging information when necessary. Of course, in order to do this, you need to be able to control the DNS and most give you the option to do that through DNS CNAME. So you can set up your DNS to control those files in that cloud environment. For examples, it can be images.domain.com or videos.domain.com and …

Google Ads is rolling out a major policy change around how advertisers can use prescription drug terms, marking one of the biggest shifts in healthcare ad regulation on the platform in years. What’s new. Starting Oct. 29, Google will restrict the use of prescription drug terms in ads, landing pages, and keywords, with different rules depending on location. In the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand: advertisers may promote prescription drugs if compliant with local laws. Certification is now required to keyword-target prescription terms, applying to online pharmacies, telemedicine providers, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Everywhere else: Promotion of prescriptio…

Google unexpectedly decided not to implement a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies in Chrome, allowing ad tech companies to continue using this targeting technology in the world’s most popular web browser. “We’ve made the decision to maintain our current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome, and will not be rolling out a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies,” Anthony Chavez, VP of Privacy Sandbox at Google, wrote in a blog post. Between the lines. While Google is stepping back from the cookie prompt, a third party consent mechanism first mentioned in February, it isn’t abandoning Privacy Sandbox entirely. The company pl…

Google has removed its long-standing unified pricing rules in Google Ad Manager, once again allowing publishers to set different price floors for Google demand versus other programmatic buyers. What changed. Publishers can now set bidder-specific floor prices in Ad Manager. For example, one buyer can be required to bid at least $5 while others compete at a lower $2 floor. Google has also rebranded “unified pricing rules” as simply “pricing rules.” The backstory. Before 2019, publishers often set higher floors for Google to counterbalance its data advantage. That flexibility disappeared when Google mandated uniform pricing across exchanges — a move later scrutinize…

Spending on Google search ads rose 13% year over year in Q4 2025, up from 10% in Q3, based on Tinuiti’s latest benchmark report. Click growth for advertisers hit its strongest rate since early 2021, while average CPCs declined slightly for the second consecutive quarter. AI-driven results continue to expand overall query volume, including commercial searches. Why we care. Google search ad clicks are surging while CPCs remain flat, a trend fueled in part by Amazon stepping back from U.S. Google Shopping auctions. Advertisers are seeing both opportunity (CPC mostly stable) and disruption as spend patterns shift across search and shopping. Additionally, AI-driven que…

Google today announced Shop with AI Mode. This new AI-powered shopping experience combines visual inspiration, real-time product data, and a virtual dressing room – all embedded within Search. Why we care. This tool could be good news for brands, as it should make it easier for shoppers to discover products you sell, try them on virtually using personal photos, and buy them at the right price. How it works. AI Mode uses Gemini AI and Google’s 50-billion-item Shopping Graph to help users search, compare, and refine purchases. Users can describe what they want (e.g., “a cute travel bag for Portland in May”) and AI Mode will generate personalized product panels …

Google recently rolled out “read more” links in Google search results, which appear at the end of the snippet’s description. When you click on the read more link, you are anchored down to a specific portion of the web page that you clicked on. Not all search result snippets include these read more links, but many do. What it looks like. Here is a screenshot of this in action, but you can probably replicate it for most of your queries now: Google was testing this, or variations of this, back in July and now it seems to have been rolled out. Why we care. These read more links do add an additional eye-catching link to the search result snippets. Hopeful…

Brandon Ervin, Director of Product Management for Google Search Ads, recently discussed campaign consolidation, AI Max, and what advertiser control looks like in 2026 on Google’s Ads Decoded podcast. The conversation was serious and informed, and reflected a product team that understands advertiser concerns and is actively working to address them. But the podcast is also incomplete. The gap between what Google said and what advertisers actually experience from their sales organization is large enough to warrant a direct response. Ervin’s team is doing genuinely good work, but the platform’s structural incentives haven’t changed. Google’s evolving product is creati…

A few weeks ago, Google promised us the 24-hour data in the Search Performance report view would soon come to the Search Console API, with a way to go back 8 days. Well, today this API access is rolling out and Google is giving us 10 days, not 8 days. What Google said. Google posted on X just now saying, “Today, we’re adding support for hourly data to the Search Analytics API; we heard ecosystem requests to make this data more accessible, loud and clear. The API will return data for up to 10 days with an hourly breakdown.” Today, we’re adding support for hourly data to the Search Analytics API; we heard ecosystem requests to make this data more accessible, loud a…

AI Overviews, Google’s AI-generated summaries that sit above organic search results, are already eroding traffic for many publishers and creators. However, publishers are getting “higher-quality clicks,” according to Elizabeth Reid, Head of Google Search, in a new interview. Why we care. Google Search is continuing to evolve in the direction of AI Overviews, where less clicks to websites is the new normal. Clicks. Here are some quotes from Reid’s interview with the Financial Times about the AI Overviews and the impact on clicks and traffic (a.k.a., that necessary evil) to publishers: “We see the clicks are of higher quality, because they’re not clicking on a…

Google announced new branded queries filters are rolling out gradually within Google Search Console reporting. You can filter your performance reports by branded or non-branded queries and Google can show you the percentage of branded versus non-branded traffic driven to your site from Google Search. This was first introduced at the Google Search Central event in Tel Aviv today, so this news leaked from there first. What are branded queries. Google defined what it considers a branded query. Google wrote: A branded query is a query that includes your brand name (for example, Google), variations or misspellings of the brand name (for example, Gogle), and brand-…

Google added Query groups to the Search Console Insights report. Query groups groups similar search queries together so you can quickly see the main topics your audience searches for. What Google said. Google wrote, “We are excited to announce Query groups, a powerful Search Console Insights feature that groups similar search queries.” “Query groups solve this problem by grouping similar queries. Instead of a long, cluttered list of individual queries, you will now see lists of queries representing the main groups that interest your audience. The groups are computed using AI; they may evolve and change over time. They are designed for providing a better high level…

Over two months ago, Google began testing its AI-powered configuration tool. It allows you to ask AI questions about the Google Search Console performance reports and it would bring back answers for you. Well, it now seems like this tool is rolling out more broadly, maybe to everyone. AI-powered configuration. AI-powered configuration “lets you describe the analysis you want to see in natural language. Your inputs are then transformed into the appropriate filters and settings, instantly configuring the report for you,” Google said. Rolling out now. If you login to your Search Console account and click on the performance report, you may see a note at the top that s…

There are numerous reports that the Google Search Console API is delayed and not showing data sooner than this past Thursday, February 20th. If you use this API for your own tools, or bring in this data through Looker Studio reports, Big Query or other tools, your reports may be delayed. More details. The delays started around last Wednesday and some are now saying some data for Thursday is slowly coming in. However, generally, data is as recent as today through the Search Console API. The web interface is not impacted, so you can get data from going to Google Search Console directly. Some are saying data for Thursday is now coming in, but others are not sure…

In December Google added 24-hour data to the Search Performance report in Google Search Console. Now, that data will soon be available in the Search Console API, and you get not just the past 24-hours of that 24-hour data, you can get the hourly data for the past 8 days. Announcement. This was announced by Daniel Waisberg, from the Google Search team, at the Google Search Central Live event in New York City just a minute ago. 24-hour data. When Google announced this originally, Google said this “view includes data from the last available 24 hours and will appear with a delay of only a few hours.” Google added: “The ’24 hours’ view includes hourly granula…

Google has confirmed that the Search Console index coverage report, also the page indexing report, are now delayed about two weeks. Google confirmed the issue and is working to resolve the issue, but said this only impacts reporting and that crawling; indexing and ranking of websites are not impacted. Page indexing report. The page indexing report shows you which pages Google can find and index on your site, and learn about any indexing problems encountered. You can also submit “fixes” to that report to see if Google confirms your fix actually worked. But since that report is now two weeks delayed, you won’t be able to confirm your fix worked until the report update…

Google Search Console will be gaining social channel data in the Insights report tab. This is a new “experiment” that “unified view of their Google Search performance across their websites and social channels,” Google wrote. The Insights report will show performance data for some of your social channels, including YouTube, Tiktok and Instagram. What Google said. Google said: “Today, we are excited to announce a new experiment in Search Console that offers site owners a unified view of their Google Search performance across their websites and social channels.” “With this update, we are expanding the Search Console Insights report to include performance data no…

Google has confirmed a bug with the Google Search Console performance reports that specifically impacts “Job listing” and “Job details” search appearance filter. Starting April 16th Google had an issue logging this data. So Google is reporting zero clicks and impressions for these jobs reports. What Google said. Google wrote: “A logging error is preventing Search Console from reporting impressions and clicks for “Job listing” and “Job details” Search appearance types from April 16, 2026 onward. We’re working to resolve this issue. This issue affects data logging only.” Complaints. We first began noticing the complaints trickling in earlier this week, with…

Google’s page indexing report within Google Search Console is missing a block of data earlier than December 15th. It seems like some sort of reporting bug that is impacting all users. Google has not yet commented on the reporting issue but again, it is widespread and impacting everyone. What it looks like. Here is a screenshot from Vijay on X but you can see it yourself by checking your page indexing report: Why we care. I’d check back in a day or two to see if this data returns or if Google posts a notice about the issue. Right now, no one is able to access that data, so everyone is in the “same boat.” Google will hopefully fix the data, and you can…

Google announced new weekly and monthly views within the Google Search Console performance reports adds weekly and monthly views. This gives you more granular data and analysis of your reports over a longer period of time, and not just the 24-hour view. What it looks like. Here are photos I took from the announcement which took place at the Google Search Central event in Zurich this morning: Why we care. This is a small update but it gives SEOs, publishers and site owners access to more granular data. It may help you dive in and see why you saw a change in your performance data on a specific month, week or day. View the full article

Google Search Console seems to have fixed the weeks long delay with the search performance reports. For the past few weeks, we had 50+ hour delays for these reports, but as of the past several hours, the reports seem to be up-to-date. Now up-to-date. If you go to the search performance report, you should just see anywhere between about 2 – 6 hours of delay, which is typically normal. At some point over the past few weeks, the delays were over 70 hours. This is what I see: The delays started a few weeks ago and it took about three weeks to clear the delay and backlog of data. Page indexing report. Meanwhile, the page indexing report delay we reported ma…

Custom annotations are finally live within Google Search Console’s performance reports. You can now annotate reports directly within Search Console to avoid forgetting important key events; such as coding changes, algorithm updates, bugs on your website or more. What are custom annotations. Google explained that custom annotations are “Notes you create yourself to mark important events specific to your property, such as when you launch a new feature, or fix a bug on your website.” Google began testing this feature back in May 2025 and it is now live. What they look like. Here is a screenshot of a custom annotation in Search Console: How does it work. Y…