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<p>Google confirmed that meta descriptions are not a requirement, then explained why it's not pointless to write them.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-meta-descriptions-not-required-for-seo-but-theyre-worthwhile/580694/">Google: Meta Descriptions Not Required For SEO. But They’re Worthwhile.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google says publishers who want to survive in AI Search need to start making content users actually want to read.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-says-make-content-people-want-to-read/580642/">Google Says AI Visibility Hinges On Content People Actually Want To Read</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Bruce Clay, a founding figure who shaped the SEO marketing industry, has died. His concepts continue to influence professionals to this day.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/bruce-clay-seo-pioneer-who-invented-content-siloing-has-died/580602/">Bruce Clay, One of the Founding Figures of SEO, Has Died</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google's John Mueller answered whether Google Gemini's new AI agents change the rules for SEO.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-seo-for-ai-agents/580589/">Google Answers Question About SEO For AI Agents</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google warns that websites can expose AI agents to hidden traps for agentic AI navigating the open web.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-gemini-can-now-control-your-computer-hackers-are-already-targeting-ai-agents/580578/">Google Gemini Can Now Control Your Computer. Hackers Are Already Targeting AI Agents</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Desktop and mobile clickthrough rates are splitting, according to new benchmark data. Clicks are growing on desktop while declining on mobile.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-desktop-ctr-climbs-while-mobile-dips-report-finds/580527/">Google Desktop CTR Climbs While Mobile Dips, Report Finds</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>WP Rocket now offers free CDN, lowering the barrier to meaningful performance improvements on the most important pages.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wp-rocket-now-offers-free-cdn-for-your-most-important-pages/580516/">WP Rocket Now Offers Free CDN For Your Most Important Pages</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>WordPress developers question whether the platform's AI ambitions are pulling attention away from what users have been asking for all along.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wordpress-new-ai-feature/580500/">WordPress Developers Say New AI Feature Does Not Belong In Core</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>John Mueller explained that impressions in Google's Search Console AI report track links to your pages, and user-activated links only count after they're activated.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-mueller-explains-how-ai-search-impressions-get-counted/580491/">Google’s Mueller Explains How AI Search Impressions Get Counted</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>SignalFire reports marketing hiring at major tech companies has fallen far more sharply than engineering, based on its hiring data. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/marketing-hiring-down-36-at-big-tech-data-shows/580485/">Marketing Hiring Down 36% At Big Tech, Data Shows</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Microsoft Clarity's Bot Analytics dashboard now detects when bots request URLs your robots.txt disallows, with trends and filters by bot and operator.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/microsoft-clarity-now-flags-bots-that-ignore-robots-txt/580446/">Microsoft Clarity Now Flags Bots That Ignore Robots.txt</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google has begun rolling out the June 2026 spam update globally and across all languages. It's the second spam update of the year.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-begins-rolling-out-the-june-2026-spam-update/580424/">Google Begins Rolling Out The June 2026 Spam Update</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google is testing “Strongest Match” labels on Search ads. Here’s what advertisers know so far and the questions Google hasn’t answered.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-strongest-match-search-ad-labels-test/580378/">Google Tests ‘Strongest Match’ Labels On Search Ads</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>As AI agents proliferate into the web, a Senior Staff Research Scientist at Google DeepMind warns that scale makes failure inevitable.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-deepmind-admits-large-scale-ai-agent-deployment-is-unsafe-today/580321/">Google DeepMind Admits Large-Scale AI Agent Deployment Is Unsafe Today</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>WordPress plugin vulnerability rated 8.8/10 enables attackers to gain full site access.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ultimate-member-wordpress-plugin-vulnerability/580307/">Ultimate Member WordPress Plugin Vulnerability Affects Up To 200k Sites</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Anthropic's Claude Tag lets teams assign work to @Claude inside Slack, embedding AI as a co-worker and assistant.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/anthropics-claude-enters-workplace-as-a-slack-channel-coworker/580292/">Anthropic’s @Claude Enters Workplace As A Slack Channel Coworker</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google expands its Limited Ad Serving policy, introducing new advertiser qualification signals tied to user reports, identity, and Search ad eligibility.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-limited-ad-serving-update-raises-questions-about-advertiser-qualification/579138/">Google’s Limited Ad Serving Update Raises Questions About Advertiser Qualification</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google's conversational agent now troubleshoots delivery and builds reports inside Ad Manager, bringing prompt-driven workflows to publisher ad ops.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-launches-ask-ad-manager-its-first-ai-agent-for-publishers/580249/">Google Launches Ask Ad Manager, Its First AI Agent For Publishers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>A Similarweb report links AI recommendations to more site visits and deeper engagement, with most downstream traffic arriving via branded search.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ai-recommended-brands-saw-2-5x-more-site-visits-similarweb/580241/">AI-Recommended Brands Saw 2.5x More Site Visits: Similarweb</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google's John Mueller and Martin Splitt cautioned against parallelizing content with markdown for AI SEO.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-cautions-against-markdown-versions-of-websites-for-ai-seo/580235/">Google Cautions Against Markdown Versions Of Websites For AI SEO</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Two senior Google AI researchers, Gemini co-lead Noam Shazeer and AlphaFold's John Jumper, are leaving for OpenAI and Anthropic within the same week. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-loses-two-top-ai-researchers-to-openai-anthropic/580201/">Google Loses Two Top AI Researchers To OpenAI & Anthropic</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google, Shopify, and browser makers are backing new PACT protocol "on Cloudflare's network" for gatekeeping AI agents.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-and-shopify-back-cloudflares-ai-bot-gatekeeping-initiative/580182/">Google And Shopify Back Cloudflare’s AI Bot Gatekeeping Initiative</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>About half of U.S. adults use AI chatbots, and 60% read AI Overviews, but more predict AI will hurt society than help it. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ai-chatbot-use-hits-49-but-skepticism-stays-high/580184/">AI Chatbot Use Hits 49%, But Skepticism Stays High</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google's new messaging to CMOs reiterates that GEO is still SEO and states that third-party tools have no access to its internal metrics. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-says-seo-tools-lack-access-to-its-internal-metrics/580176/">Google Says SEO Tools Lack Access To Its Internal Metrics</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google's John Mueller singled out X-Frame-Options as the only security header tied to SEO.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-says-x-frame-options-matters-for-seo/580126/">Google Says X-Frame-Options Matters For SEO</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google research suggests AI spam may be easier to detect by identifying originating networks instead of analyzing content one at a time.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-generated-ai-detected/579987/">Google Research Shows How AI Spam Can Be Detected</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>OpenAI says GPT-5.5 Instant, the free default ChatGPT model, now performs comparably to its frontier models on the company's own health evaluations.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/openai-brings-improved-health-responses-to-free-chatgpt/579919/">OpenAI Brings Improved Health Responses To Free ChatGPT</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>A coalition including Google, Microsoft, and GitHub published Agentic Resource Discovery, an open draft spec for how AI agents find and verify tools online. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-microsoft-back-draft-ai-agent-discovery-spec/579894/">Google, Microsoft Back Draft AI Agent Discovery Spec</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google says a core assumption driving LLMs.txt adoption conflicts with the purpose its creators originally intended.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-exposes-llms-txt-flaw/579814/">Google Exposes The Fundamental Flaw Of LLMs.txt</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google's updated documentation for domain migrations requires broader compliance demands for site owners.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-tightens-requirements-for-domain-migrations/579781/">Google Tightens Requirements For Domain Migrations</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>The UK's CMA introduced two new conduct requirements for Google Search, covering fair ranking of organic results including AI Overviews, and search data portability. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-must-give-notice-before-significant-ranking-changes/579696/">Google Must Give Notice Before Significant Ranking Changes</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Search Console reported 51,000 URLs as "Indexed, though blocked by robots.txt," and Google says that's not necessarily a problem.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-explains-why-urls-blocked-by-robots-txt-can-still-be-indexed/579634/">Google Explains Why URLs Blocked By Robots.txt Can Still Be Indexed</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google updated its guidance to strike a less discouraging tone about the use of LLMs.txt, special markup, and markdown for AI SEO.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-says-its-fine-to-use-llms-txt-for-ai-seo/579608/">Google’s Updated Guidance Now Says It’s “Fine” To Use LLMs.txt For AI SEO</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Microsoft is beginning to roll out Citation Share, Intents, Topics, and Compare in the Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance dashboard preview. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/bing-rolls-out-ai-citation-share-in-webmaster-tools/579547/">Bing Rolls Out AI Citation Share In Webmaster Tools</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>In a fresh-account test, Kapwing found 59% of TikTok For You videos were AI slop, roughly three times the rate on YouTube. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/tiktok-shows-3x-more-ai-slop-than-youtube-report-finds/579521/">TikTok Shows 3x More AI Slop Than YouTube, Report Finds</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google says that markdown solves one problem while potentially creating others for search visibility.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-says-markdown-for-ai-seo-strips-away-the-parts-that-matter/579496/">Google Says Markdown For AI SEO Strips Away The Parts That Matter</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Ahrefs analyzed 137K domains and found 97% of llms.txt files received zero requests. AI retrieval bots accounted for 1% of total requests. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/97-of-llms-txt-files-got-no-requests-ahrefs-data-shows/579478/">97% Of LLMS.txt Files Got No Requests, Ahrefs Data Shows</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Microsoft Advertising launches Product Explorer, a new Merchant Center tool that helps advertisers analyze feed health, product status, and performance data.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/microsoft-advertising-launches-product-explorer/579316/">Microsoft Advertising Launches Product Explorer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Mueller argues LLM systems can't use llms.txt to differentiate between websites for discovery. He sees a narrow role once an agent is on a site.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-mueller-says-llms-txt-cant-help-llms-differentiate-sites/579304/">Google’s Mueller Says llms.txt Can’t Help LLMs Differentiate Sites</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google Ads expands Smart Bidding Exploration, launches Promotion mode beta, and updates optimization for budget-limited campaigns beginning August 17.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-ads-three-bidding-budgeting-updates/579292/">Google Ads Bidding Changes: What PPC Managers Need To Know About The 3 Updates</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google's John Mueller said localized URL folders for a site's primary market offer little practical SEO advantage.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-unexpected-take-on-site-folder-structure-and-seo/579268/">Google’s Unexpected Take On Site Folder Structure And SEO</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google Open Knowledge Format turns organizational knowledge into a shared format for AI agents, tools, and teams.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-cloud-announces-the-open-knowledge-format/579253/">Google Cloud Announces The Open Knowledge Format</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>U.S. export control directive forces Anthropic to shut down Fable 5 access. The company disputes the security concerns.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/government-order-shuts-down-fable-5-despite-anthropics-objections/579168/">Anthropic Forced To Shut Down Fable 5 By U.S. Government Order</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google publishes guidance after new law gives small businesses power to challenge lost visibility and deleted reviews.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-publishes-tennessee-search-blacklist-guidance/579161/">Google Publishes Tennessee Search “Blacklist” Guidance</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>MonsterInsights WordPress plugin site has been taken down and is warning against phishing attempts currently under way.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/monsterinsights-website-compromised-and-sending-phishing-emails/579140/">MonsterInsights Website Compromised And Sending Phishing Emails</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google's information agents are now available in all AI Mode languages and markets for AI Ultra subscribers, with expansion to more people planned this summer.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-rolls-out-ai-mode-information-agents-to-ultra-subscribers/579085/">Google Rolls Out AI Mode Information Agents To Ultra Subscribers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google has extended the Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max migration deadline until February 2027. Here's what advertisers need to know.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-extends-dynamic-search-ads-migration-deadline/579074/">Google Extends Dynamic Search Ads Migration Deadline</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Reddit gains ground after the May core update, new zero-click data lands, Google updates its SEO guidance, and Business Profile data comes to Analytics.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-pulse-reddit-climbs-clicks-drop-gbp-comes-to-ga4/579029/">Reddit Climbs, Clicks Drop, GBP Comes To GA4 – SEO Pulse</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>With 80% of AI traffic draining website infrastructure for model training, what can you do to fight back without affecting search visibility?</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ai-bots-keep-overloading-servers-should-website-owners-keep-paying/579018/">AI Bots Keep Overloading Servers. Should Website Owners Keep Paying?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>YouTube is expanding in-app video sharing and messaging to eligible adults in more markets, reviving a version of its messaging feature removed in 2019.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/youtube-brings-in-app-sharing-messaging-to-the-u-s/578927/">YouTube Brings In-App Sharing & Messaging To The U.S.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Vulnerability enables attackers to take control of affected WordPress sites and install malicious files.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/updraftplus-wordpress-vulnerability-puts-3-million-sites-at-risk/578912/">UpdraftPlus WordPress Vulnerability Puts 3 Million Sites At Risk</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Chrome says WebMCP creates hijacking risks for AI agents operating inside users' logged-in browser sessions.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/webmcp-can-be-used-to-hijack-ai-agents-chrome-warns/578904/">WebMCP Can Be Used To Hijack AI Agents, Chrome Warns</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google is adding a direct Google Business Profile connection and Business notebooks to the Gemini app, rolling out this month.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-is-adding-business-profile-tools-to-the-gemini-app/578824/">Google Is Adding Business Profile Tools To The Gemini App</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>New data shows most U.S. Google searches end without a click, with a shrinking share of traffic reaching websites outside Google's ecosystem. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-search-sends-23-of-queries-to-the-open-web/578724/">Google Search Sends 23% Of Queries To The Open Web</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Claude referral traffic has grown almost 4x this year, making it the fastest growing among AI platforms, though still the smallest source.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/claude-is-the-fastest-growing-ai-traffic-source-per-new-data/578669/">Claude Is The Fastest-Growing AI Traffic Source, Per New Data</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>BrightEdge research suggests AI engines assign citation roles to Reddit and LinkedIn for ranking purposes.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/research-suggests-ai-engines-assign-ranking-roles-to-sources/578620/">Research Suggests AI Engines Assign Ranking Roles To Sources</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>WordCamp SEO panelists say AI visibility depends less on chasing clicks and more on branding, clarity, entity optimization, and structured data.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-panel-agrees-brand-is-the-new-backlink-for-ai-seo/578567/">SEO Panel Agrees: Brand Is The New Backlink For AI SEO</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Anthropic Fable 5 is its most capable public AI model yet, designed for coding, research, and project-scale work.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/claude-fable-5-feels-next-level/578538/">Claude Fable 5 “Feels Next Level”</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Digital Content Next sent Common Crawl a cease and desist letter demanding it stop scraping publisher content and remove protected material from its datasets. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/us-publishers-demand-common-crawl-stop-scraping-their-content/578532/">US Publishers Demand Common Crawl Stop Scraping Their Content</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Reuters and Time now block AI bots by default, allowing only approved crawlers through allowlists, as more publishers add friction to AI content scraping.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/more-news-sites-default-to-blocking-ai-crawlers/578527/">More News Sites Default To Blocking AI Crawlers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>SE Ranking found Reddit gained top 3 share across all 20 niches after Google's May core update, with smaller moves in YMYL categories.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/reddit-gained-top-positions-in-every-niche-after-may-core-update/578502/">Reddit Gained Top Positions In Every Niche After May Core Update</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google says hyphenated domains are OK for SEO, challenging one of SEOs longest-running assumptions.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-says-hyphenated-domain-names-are-okay-for-seo/578390/">Google Says Hyphenated Domain Names Are Okay For SEO</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Getting your brand into AI-generated answers may not be enough if the narrative isn't believable. A new analysis modeled believability across seven AI platforms.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ai-mentions-may-not-translate-to-trust-new-analysis-suggests/578388/">AI Mentions May Not Translate To Trust, New Analysis Suggests</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>WordPress announced the Protect The Shire initiative for securing all plugins and themes in its repositories and directories.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wordpress-announces-initiative-to-secure-all-plugins-and-themes/578189/">New WordPress Initiative Will Secure Plugins And Themes</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google positions itself as the ground truth for SEO and AEO/GEO advice and questions third-party SEO tools, data and services.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-new-guidance-claims-authority-over-seo-tools-and-aeo-geo/578162/">Google’s New Guidance Claims Authority Over SEO, Tools, And AEO/GEO</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google has documented a native link between Google Business Profile and Google Analytics, bringing local metrics like calls and directions into GA reports.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-analytics-is-adding-google-business-profile-data/578107/">Google Analytics Is Adding Google Business Profile Data</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google co-founder Sergey Brin says AI is heading toward AGI, but can't explain what comes next.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-sergey-brin-sees-a-path-to-agi/578068/">Google’s Sergey Brin Sees A Path To AGI But Not Beyond It</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Aleyda Solis analyzed US and UK SISTRIX data from Google's May core update, finding visibility patterns tied to source type and market fit. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-may-core-update-favored-pages-that-match-intent/577996/">Google’s May Core Update Favored Pages That Match Intent</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google launches Search profiles, giving eligible creators a customizable page for articles, social posts, and followers. U.S.-only at launch.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-launches-search-profiles-for-creators-with-100k-followers/577983/">Google Launches Search Profiles, Here’s How You Can Get One</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>The UK's CMA has imposed a new conduct requirement on Google Search, letting publishers opt out of AI features and requiring clearer content attribution.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-must-let-websites-opt-out-of-ai-search-features-in-uk/577970/">Google Must Let Websites Opt Out Of AI Search Features In UK</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>As AI Mode becomes more seamless, Google appears increasingly comfortable with a world beyond Classic Search.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-ceo-is-comfortable-with-ai-mode-replacing-classic-search/577923/">Google CEO Sundar Pichai Is OK With AI Mode Replacing Classic Search</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google is testing Search Console controls and reports for AI Search visibility, including AI-specific impressions data for some UK sites. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-tests-dedicated-ai-search-reports-in-search-console/577793/">Google Tests Dedicated AI Search Reports In Search Console</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google's May core update finished rolling out on after nearly 12 days. SEO professionals described the update as heavier than March.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-may-core-update-complete-after-volatile-rollout/577704/">Google’s May Core Update Complete After Volatile Rollout</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>SISTRIX data from German-language ChatGPT responses shows citation patterns changed after GPT-5.5 appeared. The company compares it to a core update. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/chatgpt-citations-changed-after-gpt-5-5-sistrix-data-shows/577694/">ChatGPT Citations Changed After GPT-5.5, SISTRIX Data Shows</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google's John Mueller casts doubt on LLMs.txt and says he likes WebMCP, a Google-backed alternative.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-says-llms-txt-is-purely-speculative-for-now/577576/">Google Says LLMs.txt Is Purely Speculative… For Now</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google CEO Sundar Pichai downplays Google Zero concerns, saying low-quality clicks are being filtered out.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-downplays-google-zero-concerns/577489/">Google CEO Sundar Pichai Downplays Google Zero Concerns</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>AI Overview tracking can tell very different stories depending on the prompts, query types, and markets included in the sample.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-ai-overview-data-looks-different-for-commercial-queries/577350/">Google AI Overview Data Looks Different For Commercial Queries</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google brings Preferred Sources into AI Overviews and AI Mode, iPullRank measures Gmail's pull on AI Mode brand visibility, and new ad formats arrive. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-pulse-preferred-sources-expand-gmail-brand-lift-pichai-on-ai-overviews/577173/">Preferred Sources Expand, Gmail Brand Lift, Pichai On AI Overviews</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>WordPress is losing market share for six months in a row as competing platforms hold steady or grow more popular.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wordpress-market-share-in-decline/576042/">WordPress Market Share Declines For Six Months In A Row</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google says users have selected 345,000 Preferred Sources, which now appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode alongside new link carousels. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-preferred-sources-hit-345k-expand-into-ai-search/576032/">Google Preferred Sources Hit 345K, Expand Into AI Search</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>YouTube is moving AI disclosure labels to more visible spots and adding automatic detection for undisclosed photorealistic AI content on videos. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/youtube-now-auto-detects-ai-content-labels-it-for-viewers/576015/">YouTube Now Auto-Detects AI Content, Labels It For Viewers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>WordPress and Astro emerge from the latest performance comparison as a contrast between platform complexity and lightweight publishing.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/core-web-vitals-wordpress-and-astro/575818/">Core Web Vitals: WordPress And Astro Versus Everyone Else</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>iPullRank tested Gmail and Photos signals in opted-in AI Mode Personal Intelligence accounts. Gmail showed the strongest brand visibility lift. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/gmail-content-linked-to-ai-mode-brand-visibility-lift/575917/">Gmail Content Linked To AI Mode Brand Visibility Lift</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Pichai reviewed a live AI Overview and called it "more opinionated than it should be." He also addressed bounce clicks and publisher traffic. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-ceo-on-ai-overviews-more-opinionated-than-it-should-be/575902/">Google CEO On AI Overviews: ‘More Opinionated Than It Should Be’</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google is moving Display campaigns into Demand Gen, changing how advertisers manage GDN inventory, exclusions, reporting, and campaign controls inside Google Ads.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-is-retiring-standalone-display-campaigns-in-favor-of-demand-gen/575889/">Google Is Retiring Standalone Display Campaigns In Favor Of Demand Gen</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>In a post-keynote interview, Google's Liz Reid told NDTV that AI Mode's multilingual models have made it easier to expand across countries and languages. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-says-ai-mode-can-now-scale-faster-across-languages/575791/">Google Says AI Mode Can Now Scale Faster Across Languages</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Reddit CEO Steve Huffman calls user content "modern oil" for AI, discusses deals with Google and OpenAI, and outlines why some companies face lawsuits.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/reddit-ceo-llms-would-not-exist-without-reddit-data/575786/">Reddit CEO: LLMs ‘Would Not Exist’ Without Reddit Data</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Sundar Pichai says Google is "a bit behind" in agentic coding, citing a lack of developer-facing products as one reason for the gap.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/pichai-says-google-is-a-bit-behind-on-agentic-coding/575781/">Pichai Says Google Is ‘A Bit Behind’ On Agentic Coding</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google launched the May core update, redesigned Search around AI at I/O, released its first AI Mode usage data, and sent mixed signals on llms.txt.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-pulse-google-launches-core-update-amid-i-o-ai-search-overhaul/575676/">Google Launches Core Update Amid I/O AI Search Overhaul – SEO Pulse</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>WordPress 7.0 exposes AI API keys worth thousands of dollars. Security researcher says there "will be an absolute rush by hackers to steal" them.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wordpress-7-0-faces-security-concerns-over-ai-api-keys/575679/">Security Researcher: WordPress 7.0 Could Trigger Rush To Steal AI API Keys</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google began rolling out the May 2026 core update, the second broad core update this year. It may take up to two weeks to complete.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-begins-rolling-out-may-2026-core-update/575589/">Google Begins Rolling Out May 2026 Core Update</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>WordPress 7.0 may be the most consequential CMS release to date, with changes that extend far beyond the platform's new AI features.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wordpress-7-0-is-a-winner-heres-what-you-need-to-know/575510/">WordPress 7.0 Is A Winner: Here’s What You Need To Know</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google's John Mueller says markdown pages can help developer documentation, but most sites should focus on current SEO needs before agentic traffic.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/mueller-explains-why-google-uses-markdown-on-dev-docs/575465/">Mueller Explains Why Google Uses Markdown On Dev Docs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>WordPress 7.0 was expected to focus on real-time collaboration, but native AI integration may define the release and the platform's future.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/wordpress-7-0-launches-with-native-ai-integration/575419/">WordPress 7.0 Launches With Native AI Integration</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google unveils Conversational Discovery ads and Highlighted Answers in AI Mode, signaling how advertising may evolve inside conversational, AI-powered Search experiences.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-introduces-new-ad-formats-in-ai-mode/575354/">Google Introduces New Ad Formats In AI Mode</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google released first-party data on how people use AI Mode in the U.S. after one year.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-shares-first-ai-mode-usage-data-after-one-year/575443/">Google Shares First AI Mode Usage Data After One Year</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google Search says llms.txt isn't needed for AI features, while Lighthouse now checks the file for agentic browsing readiness in an experimental audit.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-llms-txt-guidance-depends-on-which-product-you-ask/575431/">Google’s llms.txt Guidance Depends On Which Product You Ask</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>YouTube introduced Gemini Omni AI remixing and Ask YouTube conversational search, raising new questions around discovery, creator tools, and future measurement challenges.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/youtube-expands-ai-creation-tools-with-gemini-omni-and-conversational-search/575310/">YouTube Brings Conversational Search And Gemini Omni To Creators</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google introduced Universal Cart at Google I/O, a new intelligent shopping cart and agentic hub for shopping on Google. </p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-announces-new-universal-cart-at-i-o/575301/">Google Announces New Universal Cart At I/O</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>
<p>Google expands SynthID verification to Search, allowing users to check whether content was AI generated.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-brings-ai-content-verification-to-search/575320/">Google Brings AI Content Verification To Search</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com">Search Engine Journal</a>.</p>