Search Engine Roundtable Podcast

In part one Riley Hope and I spoke about her SEO career, how she did her thesis on ethics in SEO and we spoke about the automotive SEO space. In part two we talk about women in SEO and more on the automotive space and search results. In part three, we talk about how COVID has changed searcher behavior. COVID & Searcher Behavior Riley said we all saw an uptick in internet usage and led to searches around mental health, depression, anxiety, sleep issues, dealing with kids being home and people buying online, curbside pickup and more general business being done online. She said some of the dealers would drop cars off at your home, which was big. But small businesses, some, weren’t able to adapt as quickly as some bigger businesses. This led to larger companies profiting more, like Walmart, Target and Amazon - leaving smaller businesses in the dust. Riley’s masters was in “social enterprise” and it involved studying the impact on COVID’s impact on small businesses and using SEO to help these small businesses recover. I gave some examples of my personal experiences and Riley explained how things changed right after COVID compared to months after. Many companies were offering digital based services, like selling cars online, and not doing everything face to face. We then moved into discussing how marketing had to change to be more sensitive towards COVID’s mental health changes. Companies had to change their commercials to adapt to the new world. We didn’t only speak about commercials but how online reviews are taking a beating with disgruntled customers who don’t want to wear masks or other issues. Strategies For Small Businesses During COVID: A lot of small businesses did not know about Google Search Console, Google My Business (now Google Business Profiles), Google Analytics and so forth. Plus, a lot of these businesses do not have websites, they might be on Instagram but no where to funnel these customers. Most these small businesses don’t know about SEO, they don’t have CRM set up, plus they have a really unprofessional website. Google did try to release features to help businesses perform and generate revenue during the pandemic. Small businesses should utilize what you can, like social media. Small businesses don’t have a big staff to do everything. So just do what you can with what resources you have, and you will learn as you go and keep growing from there. Make sure to be consistent with whatever you do. You can learn more about Riley Hope at RileyHope.com or follow Riley on Twitter @reillyhope13.

In part one, we spoke about how Colt Sliva became an SEO engineer and some topics around visualizing search graphs. In part two we spoke more about entities, python for SEO and winning over developers. Now in part three we get into frequency statistics, improving on those models and doing proper A/B testing in SEO. Frequency statistics In the frequency of an event i is the number n_{i} of times the observation occurred/recorded in an experiment or study. Frequency statistics was cheap, fast and easy to compute and that is why we used it in the old days. But we have faster computers, we are smarter, we should be using more advanced methods to predict changes and their benefit through machine learning and AI based methods. So he is hopeful for SEOs using more sophisticated methods. It is harder for smaller SEO consultants or even smaller websites, sites with very limited traffic. The big question does the new more advanced models work better than the cheaper method of frequency statistics? It is unclear right now. I did bring up at the end that the keyword planner tool added trending data, with details, it is worth checking out if you didn’t see it. iPullRank is hiring, so if you are looking for a job, hit them up. More next week but you can learn more about Colt Sliva @SignorColt.

Today we covered the Google and Microsoft earnings report, and how well they did with ad revenues.  Disney’s Google sitelink seems like it was hacked with black hat SEO.  Google Merchant Center added new promotion analytics. 0:00 - Introduction1:10 - Google and Microsoft earnings and ad revenues4:53 - Disney Google black hat sitelinks hack6:40 - Google Merchant Center promotions analytics8:19 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered the ongoing Google search ranking volatility. A judge ruled in favor of publishers over Google in the ad tech monopoly case.  Google Merchant Center now lets some merchants and advertisers define an audience for a promotion.0:00 - Introduction1:09 - Google Search rankings volatility heated1:52 - Google ad tech monopoly ruling doesn’t go Google’s way4:51 - Google Merchant Center preferred audiences for promotions6:55 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered how reviews seem to be disappearing from Google local listings. Google Search Console has a new queries group reporting. Google Posts is testing a scheduler option.  Google Ads is testing campaign level audience exclusions for PMax campaigns.  Google Ads added a new recommendations option named investment strategy. Google Ads added phone call lead metrics to the main reporting.0:00 - Introduction0:48 - Google Search Console new queries groups report3:18 - Google reviews disappearing 3:53 - Google Posts tests scheduling option4:53 - Google Ads phone call leads metrics6:40 - Google Ads campaign level audience exclusions for PMax7:21 - Google Ads new investment strategy recommendation tab8:38 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

This week, surprise - surprise, we covered more Google Search ranking volatility. OpenAI launched its web browser, ChatGPT Atlas - it uses Google. Google Search Console performance reports are stuck again. Google said links, site moves and technical SEO do not help with quality issues. Google did not give more core updates more often, despite what they said a year ago. Google Ads celebrated its 25th birthday. Google AI Mode updated for fantasy sports. ChatGPT updated GPT-5 Instant for signed-out users. Google Search added price tracking graph for each trailer. Google Business Profiles performance report is missing call data. Google Ads for AI Max added a sources column in the search terms report. Google Ads will delete accounts without campaigns after 6 months. Google Local Search Ads in Google Maps supports sitelinks. Google AdSense has a new confirmed click status breakdown in reports. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.SPONSOR: This week's video recap is sponsored by Duda, the Professional Website Builder You Can Call Your Own.0:00 - Introduction0:33 - Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up From October 15th To 17th0:58 - OpenAI Launches Browser - ChatGPT Atlas With Search Powered By Google2:11 - Google Search Console Performance Report Stuck At Sunday October 192:48 - Google: Links, Site Moves & Technical SEO Don't Fix Quality Issues3:37 - Google's More Core Updates, More Often, Seems Unlikely4:40 - Google Ads (Formerly AdWords) Launched 25 Years Ago5:37 - Google AI Mode Fantasy Sports Updated & ChatGPT GPT-5 Instant Improved6:08 - Google Search Adds Price Tracking Graph For Each Retailer6:31 - Google Business Profile Performance Report Missing Oct 14 - 16 Call Data6:57 - Google Ads AI Max Adds Sources Column in Search Term Report7:17 - Google Ads To Delete Accounts Without Campaigns After 6 Months7:31 - Google Local Search Ads In Google Maps Now Supports Sitelinks8:06 - Google AdSense Adds Confirmed Click Status Breakdown To Reports8:33 - Conclusion

Today we covered that Google Ads turned 25 years old today. Google Search Console performance reports are stuck at Sunday. Google Business Profiles call data is missing a few days of data. Google AI Mode should be better at fantasy sports queries.  ChatGPT updated GPT-5 Instant for singed out users.  Reddit sues Perplexity, SerpApi and others over stealing data.0:00 - Introduction1:10 - Google Ads turns 25 3:26 - Google Search Console performance reports missing data4:06 - Google Business Profiles call data missing 4:37 - Google AI Mode updated for fantasy sports 6:23 - ChatGPT updated GPT-5 Instant for signed-out users6:44 - Reddit sues Perplexity, SerpApi and others over stealing data8:47 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we just spoke about OpenAI’s new announcement, its AI web browser named ChatGPT Atlas.  It uses Google a lot not just for search but also as its user agent.  We dive into this news.0:00 - Introduction0:15 - ChatGPT Atlas 6:36 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered Google not giving us more core update, more often. Google Ads is experimenting with setting the new customer value amount without advertiser input.  Google Ads will delete accounts without campaigns after 6 months.  And Google is testing AI powered product summary sections in AI Mode.0:00 - Introduction0:50 - Google didn’t come through with more core updates, more often2:39 - Google Ads experimenting with setting the new customer value amount3:55 - Google Ads to delete accounts without campaigns after 6 months4:49 - Google AI Mode product summary section6:27 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered Google Search ranking volatility heated up late last week. The Google Search Console crawl stats is missing a day.  Google’s Liz Reid was interviewed again.  Google Ads is rolling out the text guidelines feature in beta. Google Merchant Center now allows selling subscriptions for physical goods. Google also shows price tracking graphs by retailer.0:00 - Introduction1:38 - Google search ranking volatility heated up last week2:38 - Google Search Console crawl stats is missing a day3:20 - Google’s Liz Reid was interviewed 7:14 - Google Ads text guidelines rolling out8:11 - Google Merchant Center subscriptions for physical goods9:25 - Google price tracking graphs by retailer11:07 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

This week we covered the new Google Ads label, which Google says improves navigation but in my opinion, is a deceptive way to get searchers to click on those ads. Google Goldmine leaked as a search content ranking system. Bing now supports the data-nosnippet HTML attribute. Google’s Robby Stein spoke about AI not replacing search, AI within Search, SEO and more. Liz Reid, Google’s head of Search was interviewed on similar topics by the Wall Street Journal. Google’s people also ask is using AI a lot more often now. Google will use push notification to drive queries on AI Mode. Google local results, in some cases, drop the call button. Google Search now supports Nano Banana. Google is hiring a Google Discover engineer for UGC content. Google Ads has a new optimization insights recommendations. Google Ads released version 22 of the API. Google Merchant Center now supports physical good subscriptions. Google Ads updated its prescription drug terms policy. Google Merchant Center clarified its misrepresentation policies. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.Thank you to our sponsor, Yahoo Search. Yahoo knows the way people are searching is changing – and as one of the top search engines in the US, with hundreds of millions of users, Yahoo Search is constantly evolving to deliver a simplified, innovative, and helpful search experience. Yahoo Search gives you quick, AI-powered summaries, plus AI chat when you want to dive deeper. Whether it's news, finance, sports, shopping or instant answers, get connected to what you need.

Today we covered Google Ads label grouping going live.  Google Ads new prescription drug ad policy. Google people also ask AI-generated. Bing supports the data no-snippet attribute. 0:00 - Introduction1:08 - Google grouped ad label is live3:05 - Google Ads prescription drug ads policy6:00 - Google people also ask AI-generated7:21 - Bing supports data-no snippet HTML attribute 8:34 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered the fake traffic surge for some e-commerce sites we saw from Google Search.  Google is providing help now for review extortion scams. Google’s Robby Stein was interviewed on AI Search.  Google has been designated with strategic market status. And YouTube Brand Pulse report is out.0:00 - Introduction1:44 - Google fake traffic surge3:00 - Google review extortion scam help3:51 - Google AI Search’s future8:51 - Google a strategic market status in UK9:53 - YouTube Brand Pulse report is out10:43 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

This week we covered some big Google Search ranking movement and volatility. Google earlier confirmed a serving issue with Google Search. Google AI Mode expanded to 35 new languages and 40 new countries. Google added shoes to the Try On feature and supports three new countries. Google is testing a more publisher-friendly recipe AI Overview. Google is testing an Ask AI Mode anything carousel. Google is testing AI Overviews that jump faster to AI Mode. Google is testing AI-generated search result snippets. Google Voice Search is now powered by Speech-to-Retrieval. Microsoft Ads blog has a post about how to optimize for AI Search. Google Business Profiles is testing a new Insights feature. Bing Places rolled out a new dashboard. Google Merchant Center has a new wallet promotion option and also allows you to use your own brand in short titles. Google Ads has a new missed growth opportunities tab. Google Ads auto-apply recommendation setting has moved. Google revealed the dates for when call-only ads will go away. Microsoft Advertising ad grant program is shutting down. Google AdSense authorized buyers will replace the ad networks blocking controls. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.Sponsored by Similarweb, the all-in-one- strategic SEO software. Step into the light and own the Gen AI Search Frontier. To learn more, check out Similarweb's new Gen-AI Intelligence tool and watch the video.0:00 - Introduction1:25 - Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up October 7th & 8th2:25 - Google Confirms Google Search Serving Issue3:03 - Google AI Mode Expands To 35 New Languages & 40 Countries3:33 - Google Try On Adds Shoes & Expands To Australia, Canada and Japan4:00 - Google Tests More Publisher Friendly Recipe AI Overviews4:45 - Google Ask AI Mode Anything Explore Carousel5:04 - Test: Google AI Overviews Show More Button Jumps Into AI Mode5:35 - Google Tests AI Generated Search Snippet Descriptions6:02  - Google Voice Search Now Powered By Speech-to-Retrieval (S2R)6:37 - Microsoft Ads Posts On How To Optimize For AI Search Answers7:10 - New: Google Business Profile Report Negative Review Extortion Scams7:39 - New Google Business Profiles Insights7:57 - Bing Places New Dashboard Rolling Out8:42 - Google Merchant Center Adds Google Wallet Promotion Option9:08 - Google Merchant Center Lets You Use Your Own Brand In Short Title9:26 - Google Ads Missed Growth Opportunities Tab9:42 - Google Reveals Dates For Call Ads Going Away10:11 - Microsoft Advertising Ad Grant Program To Be Shut Down10:35 - Google AdSense Authorized Buyers To Replace Ad Networks Blocking Controls10:56 - GA4 Surge In Organic Search Traffic But Search Console Flat11:37 - Conclusion 

Today we covered new heated Google search ranking volatility.  Google Business Profiles has a new Insights feature.  Google is testing a more friendly AI Overview for recipes. Google AI Mode has more languages and regional support.  Campaign type was added to the Google Ads channel performance report.  Google Ads has a new missed growth opportunities report. 0:00 - Introduction0:43 - Google Search ranking volatility hits1:48 - Google Business Profiles insights section2:47 - Google AI Overviews recipes update4:20 - Google AI Mode expands to more languages and regions4:47 - Campaign type added to Google Ads channel performance reports6:02 - Google Ads Missed Growth Opportunities report 8:14 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered the ongoing Google Search serving issue and events go missing in Google Search. Google is testing AI-generated search descriptions. Google is testing AI Overviews that link directly to AI Mode. Microsoft is testing super large images on Bing Copilot ads.  Google call ads revealed the sunset dates.0:00 - Introduction0:35 - Google Search serving issue1:24 - Events go missing in Google Search1:50 - Google testing AI-generated descriptions4:20 - Google AI Overviews show more button jumping to AI Mode6:07 - Microsoft Advertising Bing Copilot massive image ads7:13 - Google call ads sunset dates9:27 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

This week we covered the Google AI Mode news that it is more visual for many queries, including shopping queries. Google AI Mode agentic capabilities can now be opted into. Google AI Overviews tests a sticky citations box. Google Shopping Ask Stores feature is being tested. Google’s Liz Reid as interviewed again about AI Search. Google said the old domain history sometimes needs to be shaken off. I posted the monthly Google webmaster report. Google Search rolled out the emoji answer box. Google is testing removing the underline from the title link in the search results. Google Business Profiles has a spike in suspensions. Google is testing product reviews labeled as incentivized. Google Ads Performance Max has introduced new segmentation options in asset reporting and channel reporting features. Google Ads has new message asset requirements. Google Ads reporting may not be impacted by the num 100 change. Google will remove more lodging listings with inaccurate pricing. Google AdSense has a new traffic source breakdown report. Bing has new large image ads in Copilot boxes. ChatGPT launched Instant Checkout with Agentic Commerce Protocol. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.Sponsor: BruceClay one of the founding fathers of the SEO space, doing search marketing optimization since 1996. Bruce Clay is big into SEO training, check out seotraining.com to learn more and check them out at bruceclay.com. Also, check out their new product, Prewriter.ai - this tool empowers writers to write better and more efficiently, so check it out.0:00 - Introduction0:46 - Google AI Mode With More Visual Responses & Visual Fan-Out Technique1:41 - Google AI Mode Agentic Capabilities Opt In2:29 - Google AI Overviews With Sticky Citations As You Scroll2:43 - Google Shopping Ask Stores AI Chat3:05 - Google's Elizabeth Reid Interviewed On AI, Search, Blue Links, SEO & More3:40 - Google: Old Domain History/State Needs Time To Be Shaken Off4:32 - October 2025 Google Webmaster Report4:42 - Google Search Rolls Out Emoji Answer Box5:04 - Google Tests Dropping Underline From Search Result Snippets On Hover5:23 - Google Business Profile Suspensions Spike5:57 - Google Reviews Labeled Incentivized6:20 - Google Ads PMax Segmentation In Asset Reporting & Channel Reporting Features6:55 - New Google Ads Message Assets Requirements7:25 - Is Google Ads Reporting Also Impacted By Num=100 Change?8:10 - Google To Remove More Lodging Listings With Inaccurate Prices8:33 - New Google AdSense Traffic Source Breakdown Report8:48 - Microsoft Tests Large Images In Bing Search Copilot Ads9:01 - ChatGPT Gets Instant Checkout With Agentic Commerce Protocol9:36 - Conclusion 

Today we covered Google AI Mode gets more visual with the visual search fan-out technique. Google tests AI Overviews with sticky citations.  Google Ads updated its reporting features. Google’s head of search, Liz Reid, interviewed again.  Also, the emoji answer box is live in Google Search.0:00 - Introduction1:02 - Google AI Mode more visual3:36 - Google AI Overviews sticky citations4:29 - Google Ads PMax reporting updates5:30 - Google’s Liz Reid was interviewed again6:08 - Google goes live with the emoji answer box7:18 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered the new ChatGPT Instant Checkout with Stripe using Agentic Commerce Protocol.  Did the num 100 parameter change impact Google Ads reporting and tools? Google AdSense launched a new traffic source breakdown report. We covered an article on Google’s AI Max for Search 30 day test.0:00 - Introduction1:13 - ChatGPT Instant Checkout5:13 - Google Ads num 100 change impact7:30 - Google AdSense traffic source breakdown report8:25 - Google’s AI Max for Search 30 day test9:36 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered how Google Ads has a new campaign setup screen. Google Ads tweaked the default conversion goal behavior. Google said old domain history needs time to be shaken off.  Google Business Profiles suspensions are spiking.0:00 - Introduction1:01 - Google Ads new campaign setup screen3:11 - Google Ads tweaks default conversion goal behavior4:40 - Google says old domains history needs to be shaken off6:32 - Google Business Profiles suspensions spike7:10 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.