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.

This week, we covered the competition of the Google Discover core update. Also gave a status update on the Google Search volatility. Google had a brief serving issue with Google Search. Google is testing showing vertical search services next to its own in the EU.  Google said a spike in impressions do not cause problems for Google Search.  Google won’t use a sitemap file if it is not convinced of new or important content. Google Search Console page indexing report is missing a chunk of data. Google’s circle to search now looks at the whole picture. Microsoft updated its Bing Webmaster Guidelines.  Microsoft updated its user interface for Bing AI responses and links.  Microsoft said it prevented AI prompt injection manipulation attempts.  Anthropic released an update to its crawlers.  Google is showing AI generated services in the local panel for some businesses. Google Business Profiles to add recurring scheduled Google Posts.  Google Ads has rolled out text guidelines to all in AI Max.  Google Ads API version 23.1 is now out.  Google Ads support form requires you to give Google authorization over your account.  Microsoft Advertising  has rolled out self-service negative keyword lists. Microsoft Advertising tests a shopping carousel with multiple image toggles.  Google is testing removing the date from the article cards in the Discover feed.  That was this past week in search at the Search Engine Roundtable.Sponsored by Duda - The Professional Website Builder You Can Call Your Own0:00 - Introduction0:37 - February 2026 Google Discover Core Update Is Done Rolling Out After 3 Weeks1:53 - Google Search Ranking Volatility Beginning To Cool?2:17 - Google Search Brief Serving Issue This Morning2:40 - Google To Test Showing Vertical Search Services In EU3:30 - Google: A Spike In Impressions Doesn't Cause Problems For Search4:10 - Google Won't Use Sitemap Files If Its Not Convinced Of New/Important Content4:36 - Google Search Console Page Indexing Report Missing A Chunk Of Data5:09 - Google Circle to Search Looks At The Whole Image5:48 - Microsoft Updates Bing Webmaster Guidelines (A Bit)6:04 - Bing Tests New UI For AI Responses With New Links & References6:22 - Microsoft Thwarts AI Prompt Injection Attacks Aimed To Manipulate AI Engines7:09 - Anthropic Updates Crawler Docs: ClaudeBot, Claude-User & SearchBot7:28 - Google Business Knowledge Panels With AI Generated Services7:55 - Google Post Recurring Scheduling Coming8:19 - Google Ads Text Guidelines Rolling Out To All In AI Max8:40 - Google Ads API Version 23.1 Now Available8:52 - Google Ads Support Form Requires You To Authorize Google To Make Changes9:31 - Microsoft Advertising Rolls Out Self-Service Negative Keyword Lists9:50 - Microsoft Advertising Tests Shopping Carousel With Multiple Images Toggle10:08 - Google Tests Removing Dates From Articles In Discover Feed10:40 - Conclusion 

Today we covered Google Circle to Search looking at the whole image, with a new update. Bing updated its Webmaster Guidelines. Google Posts to add recurring scheduling. OpenAI COO says ChatGPT ad rollout will be “iterative.” Google Ads text guidelines rolling out globally for PMax and AI Max.0:00 - Introduction0:30 - Google Circle to Search looks at the whole image3:15 - Bing Webmaster Guidelines kind of updated3:54 - Google Posts to add recurring scheduling5:23 - OpenAI COO says ChatGPT ad rollout will be iterative6:58 - Google Ads text guidelines rolling out0:00 - 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, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered that Google Search had a serving bug for a short period of time last night.  Anthropic updated its crawler documentation. Google’s AI Mode added a see more button.  Google Ad Grants now lets nonprofits optimize for shop visits. Google Ads pacing budgeting was clarified a bit. 0:00 - Introduction0:39 - Google search serving bug1:21 - Anthropic documents its crawlers2:18 - Google AI Mode with see more button3:57 - Google Ads grants optimize for store visits 5:03 - Google ad pacing clarification 8:17 - 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, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered Google Discover dropping dates, a new checkbox for Google Ads help that allows Google to make changes on your behalf, a new Microsoft Shopping ad unit in the wild and poisoning AI agents with bad info.0:00 - Introduction1:12 - No dates on Google Discover2:56 - Google Ads new "make changes" on form5:13 - Bing testing newShopping (PLA) ad units?6:20 - Microsoft cuts back on AI poisoning9:02 - Conclusion10:31 - FUN!!!!!!A 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, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered how the Google search ranking volatility may be cooling.  Google Search Console has a bug with the page indexing report.  Bing is testing new links in the AI responses.  Google Ads updated its budget pacing for ad scheduling.  Google has a new Meridian tool for Marketing Mix Model.0:00 - Introduction0:40 - Google search volatility cooling1:30 - Google page indexing report bug2:22 - Bing testing new links in AI responses3:29 - Google Ads budgeting pacing for ad scheduling changes6:46 - New Meridian tool puts MMM insights directly in marketers' hands7:50 - 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, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

This week, we covered that Google Search has been super volatile all week long. Google’s John Mueller said they don’t really have a bad title black filter in search. It seems a lot of businesses are complaining that Google reviews are disappearing. Google also updated its review policies, so maybe it is related. Google Search Console rolled out the new AI-powered configuration tool. Google said the social channels and branded queries filter is still coming. Google and Bing call markdown files messy and cause unnecessary crawl load. Google highly discourages force indexing pages to Search. Google launched new links for AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google AI Mode now works in 53 new languages. Google said it is a huge engineering project to let sites opt out of showing in AI Overviews. Google AI Overviews clicks are shifting from organic clicks to shopping ad clicks. Google is losing a knowledge graph source. Google Ads may be auto enabling paused keywords, well, only for automatically paused keywords. Google Ads now shows PMax placement report details. Google Ads can calculate your conversion value for new customers. Google AdSense anchor and vignette ads bug won’t let you close the ads. 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. Make sure to check out some of that innovation with Yahoo Scout.

Today we covered how Google reviews are being removed again, we are not sure why or how widespread it is.  Google Ads is now showing Performance Max placements in the where ads showed report. Google Search Console’s branded queries and social channels report are still coming.0:00 - Introduction0:34 - Google reviews disappearing again1:45 - Google Ads PMax placement report3:20 - Google Search Console branded queries and social channels still coming4:10 - 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, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered the new link styles in Google’s AI Mode and AI Overviews.  Google Search Console’s AI-powered configuration tool is live. Google AdSense has a display bug with some ad formats. Google Ads shifts Lookalike to AI signals in Demand Gen.0:00 - Introduction1:22 - Google has new link cards for AI Mode and AI Overviews2:27 - Google Search Console’s AI-powered configuration tool is live3:33 - Google AdSense bug causing big issues4:25 - Google shifts Lookalike to AI signals in Demand Gen5:25 - 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, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered that Google said blocking AI Overviews is hard.  Google Ads may be auto-enabling your paused keywords. And yes, we have more ongoing Google Search volatility.0:00 - Introduction0:36 - Google said blocking AI Overviews is hard2:34 - Google Ads may be enabling your paused keywords4:09 - Google Search has more ongoing volatility5:58 - 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, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

This week in search we have more ongoing Google search ranking volatility. Bing Webmaster Tools rolled out new AI Performance reports with a new design. Google AI Overviews tests new overlay cards. Grokipedia is seeing a decline in visibility in Google Search and ChatGPT. Google Ads has new ad units for retailers in AI Mode. Veo 3 is now in Google Ads Asset Studio. Google launched UCP-powered checkout in AI Mode. Google Search Console still hasn’t fully rolled out those new features they showed off months ago. Google released an early preview of WebMCP. OpenAI rolled out ChatGPT ads with user ad controls. Plus, OpenAI wants to cut out advertising agencies and allow you to create ads by prompting. Google Ads PMax A/B experiments are in the wild. Google Ads recommended experiments box is showing up. Google Ads product eligibility view can go across campaigns. Google Business short names are no longer showing on Google Business Profiles. And Google AdSense launched new triggers for vignette ads. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.Sponsor: Ahrefs 0:00 - Introduction1:38 - Google Search Ranking Volatility Gets Heated Again February 10th1:59 - Bing Webmaster Tools Rolls Out AI Performance Report (With New Design)2:40 - Google AI Overviews Tests Contextual Overlay Link Cards3:00 - Grokipedia Seeing Decline In Google Search Visibility3:37 - Google Ads New AI Mode Shopping Ad & Veo 3 Is In Asset Studio4:13  - Google AI Mode Launches UCP-Powered Checkout4:40 - Where Are Those New Google Search Console Features?5:11 - Google Releases Early Preview Of WebMCP5:56 - OpenAI ChatGPT Ads Go Live With User Ad Controls6:34 - OpenAI Wants Advertisers To Prompt To Create Ads & Skip Agencies7:17 - Google Ads Performance Max A/B Experiments In The Wild7:31 - Google Ads Recommended Experiments7:45 - Google Ads Product Eligibility View Across Campaigns7:57 - Google Business Short Names Being Removed From Business Profiles8:27 - Google AdSense Adds New Triggers For Vignette Ads9:00 - Conclusion 

Today we covered the new Google AI Mode retail ad units, Veo 3 in Google Ads Asset Studio, plus UCP rolling out in AI Mode.  OpenAI wants advertisers to prompt to create ads, bypassing agencies.  Google released an early preview of WebMCP for agentic connections. 0:00 - Introduction0:28 - Google AI Mode new retail ad units & Veo 3 in Asset Studio4:41 - Google is rolling out UCP in AI Mode5:34 - OpenAI mode wants you to create ads by prompting8:37 - Google released an early preview of WebMCP9:38 - 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, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered the public beta launch of the new Bing AI Performance report within Bing Webmaster Tools.  Google has clarified the crawler size limits once again.  Google launched the results about you feature. Google Ads is pushing AI Max tools within in-app ads. 0:00 - Introduction0:50 - Bing AI performance reports now live3:04 - Google clarifies crawler file size limits again4:29 - Google pushes AI Max tool with in-app ads6:07 - Google results about you feature7:41 - 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, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered ChatGPT Ads going live. There is more Google ranking volatility.  Grokipedia is dropping in the Google search results.  And Google Ads PMax A/B experiments rolling out. Google is now testing citation icons on the bottom of the AI Mode responses.0:00 - Introduction0:25 - ChatGPT Ads go live with user controls2:07 - Google ranking volatility heats up2:29 - Grokipedia see Google visibility decline3:37 - Google Ads Performance Max A/B experiments4:48 - Google AI Mode bottom citations7:05 - 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, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered  the new Google Discover core update in February 2026. Google earnings release with ad revenue numbers. Google Ads added diagnostics hub for data connections.0:00 - Introduction0:38 - Google Discover core update in February3:29 - Google Earnings and ad revenue6:12 - Google Ads diagnostics hub for data connections6:59 - 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, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

This week, we covered the first core update of 2026, the February 2026 Discover core update. Meanwhile, there is an ongoing super-heated and volatile Google search rankings. Google has nothing to share about the recent unconfirmed ranking updates. Google said its search algorithms, spam detection, spam policies did not fundamentally change with AI Search. Google spoke about its top crawling challenges in 2025. Google posts more details on its file limits for Googlebot crawling. I posted the monthly Google webmaster report in February. Bing announced the global roll out of what it calls multi-turn search. ChatGPT readies its ads with ad code in the results. Google is showing a lot of ads in the local pack now. Mike Ryan did a report on invalid clicks across the Google Ad Network. Google Ads is replacing its contact support form with an AI agent. Google Ads has a new multi-party approval process for enhanced security. Google AdSense has new reporting for browser, hosting app and operating system breakdowns. OpenAI prepared ads in ChatGPT with ad code. Microsoft Advertising tests magazine answer card formats. Microsoft announced the Publisher Content Marketplace for compensating publishers for the use of its content in AI. Plus, Google announced earnings, it was its biggest quarter yet. 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 - Introduction0:57 - February 2026 Google Discover Core Update Rolling Out - Local Impact3:02 - Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Big Time Starting On February 2nd3:22 - Google Hit Self-Promotional Listicles In Recent Unconfirmed Updates?4:13 - Google On Recent Google Search Ranking Volatility - No Insights To Share4:40 - Google: Search Algorithms, Spam Detections & Policies Don't Fundamentally Change With AI Search5:22 - Google's Top Crawling Challenges In 20255:47 - Google AI Overviews Bug Removes Links & Citations6:21 - Googlebot File Limit Is 15MB But 64MB For PDF & 2MB For Other File Types6:58 - February 2026 Google Webmaster Report7:12 - Bing Multi-Turn Search Rolls Out Worldwide7:47 - Bing Unshipping Frankenstein Recipes In Search8:18 - ChatGPT With Top Stories & More Visual Knowledge Panels8:34 - Google Vastly Increases Local Pack Ads Placement9:03 - Google Ad Network Invalid Clicks Report: Fraud vs Accidental9:33 - Google Ads Replacing Support Form With AI Agent10:06 - Google Ads Multi-Party Approval Aims To Stop Hijacking Ads Accounts10:45 - Google AdSense Reports Gain Browser, Hosting App & Operating System11:05 - OpenAI Prepares ChatGPT Code To Allow Ads?11:23 - Microsoft Advertising Tests Magazine Answer Card Ad Format11:54 - Microsoft Publisher Content Marketplace - Pay For AI To License Content12:11 - Google Ad Revenue Up 14% - Google's Biggest Revenue & Ad Revenue Yet12:40 - Conclusion 

Today we covered the intense Google search ranking volatility. Also, how Lily Ray documented that tons of self-serving listicles are being hit hard in the search results, and Glenn Gabe thinks it is a reviews update.  Googlebot listed more of its file size limits. Microsoft announced the Publisher Content Marketplace to compensate publishers for AI use of its content.0:00 - Introduction0:40 - Google slams self-serving listicles4:13 - Super heated Google search ranking volatility5:46 - Googlebot file limit 6:38 - Microsoft Publisher Content Marketplace8:09 - 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, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered Google on if algorithm or policy changes happened because of AI Search. Google also spoke about the top crawling challenges of 2025.  ChatGPT is now showing top stories and visual knowledge panels.  Google stop preselecting PMax in Shopping campaign setups. And I went off on Bing’s multi-turn search feature.0:00 - Introduction1:24 - Google algorithm and policy changes with AI Search3:58 - Google’s top crawling challenges of 20255:53 - ChatGPT gets more visual in responses7:57 - Google stop preselecting PMax in Shopping Campaign setups8:46 - Multi-turn search in Bing10:17 - 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, Mordy Oberstein o SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.

Today we covered how Google’s John Mueller hinted (I mean commented) that AI visibility reports might come to Google Search Console. Google won’t share any insight into why there is a lot of Google volatility and there was volatility late last week into the weekend. Google is testing third-party endorsements on search ads. OpenAI is prepping the ChatGPT code base to serve ads. Google seems to be showing more ads on the local pack.0:00 - Introduction1:58 - Google AI visibility reports may be coming3:09 - Google won’t share insights into Google volatility 3:51 - Google search ranking volatility into the weekend4:43 - Google Ads with third-party endorsement test7:34 - OpenAI preps ChatGPT’s source code for ads8:35 - Google serving more ads in local packs10:11 - 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.