Google SEO
Search Engine Land is your premier source for Google SEO news, strategies, and in-depth content.
You’ll find a variety of up-to-date and authoritative resources, including the latest news, tactic-rich tutorials, and the latest data to help you optimize your website, work smarter, and make data-driven decisions that boost your organic search performance.
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Google’s search algorithms evolve constantly, and staying ahead of these updates is key to maintaining and improving your website’s rankings. Whether it’s changes to core web vitals, guides to E-E-A-T, or advancements in AI-driven search like generative AI features in Google Search, understanding these shifts can give you a competitive edge.
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Google adds guidance on third-party SEO tools, services, advice and updates hiring an SEO doc
Google added in topics about generative AI optimization, how third-party tools are not endorsed by Google and more.
Google introduces Search profiles within Google Discover
These are enhanced publisher landing pages, where you can follow the publisher, see the publishers latest articles, videos and social posts all in one place.
Google Search Console AI performance reports and controls to block your content in AI responses
These features are rolling out to subset of website owners in the UK and will expand it to more in the future.
Google May 2026 core update rollout is now complete
The second Google core update of 2026 was a big one, causing a lot of search ranking volatility over the rollout.
Matt McGee on the Wild West days of SEO
Matt was also the former Editor-in-Chief at Search Engine Land, so this interview is full of great SEO topics.
Vanessa Fox on the birth of Google Search Console
From the super early days of Google through using AI today for SEO - we covered a lot in this interview.
Google AI Overviews & AI Mode gain preferred sources, plus new perspectives carousel and highly cited labels
Google says these are "new ways to help you find high-quality content and firsthand perspectives."
Google Search Console links report showing old data after breaking
Google Search Console's link report broke last Thursday so Google decided to show old data from weeks ago, while it is being fixed.
Google May 2026 core update rolling out now
This is the second Google core update of 2026, following the March 2026 core update.
Google’s new intelligent Search box – its biggest change to the search box in 25 years
This new search box aims to gives searchers easier access to AI search capabilities, with longer prompts and more AI options.
Google publishes guide on optimizing for generative AI features
This new guide talks about the differences, if any, between SEO, AEO, GEO and so on and touches on commodity content, AI agents and much more.
Google confirms spam policies apply to AI Overviews and AI Mode
Google clarified that spam tactics aimed at influencing AI-generated answers in Search can violate its existing spam policies.
Google Discover performance reporting bug in Search Console
You may notice a decrease in clicks and impressions between May 7th and May 8th, it is a reporting bug only.
Google to no longer support FAQ rich results
FAQ rich results will no longer show in search and the Search Console features will go away.
Google AdSense removes browser back button trigger for vignette ads
This is due to the new Google search penalty for back button hijacking.
Google updates links within AI Overviews & AI Mode
Google says these updates make it "easy for you to connect with authentic voices and explore useful information across the web."
Google expands UCP checkout to main search shopping results
UCP-powered checkout initially went live only in AI Mode but it now seems to be available for some retailers in Search.
Web Bot Auth, Google’s new experimental method to validate authentic bots
This is just a limited test now for some AI agents hosted on Google's infrastructure but it may roll out more widely sometime in the future.
Google fixes Search Console’s year-long data logging issue – well, kind of…
The data going forward should be correct but the 50 weeks or so of data in the past will not be fixed.
Google Preferred Sources now works for all languages
Preferred Sources was supported globally but English only, now it works for all languages.
Google spam reports with personally identifying information won’t be used and processed
This is a change from what Google announced only a week ago.
Google Search Console job data logging issue
Google is actively working on the issue, but it just a data logging and reporting issue.
Google adds Read more links best practices
This was added to the search developer documentation.
Google AI Mode in Chrome now lets you search deeper with fewer tabs
Google Chrome now has a new side-by-side mode, search across tabs, and multi-input tools.
Google spam reports can trigger manual actions, may be shared with site owners
Google said whatever you write in the spam report will be shared with the site owner to provide them with context for the manual action.
Google Search to penalize back button hijacking schemes
You have until June 15, 2026 to remove the back button code before Google begins to take action.
‘Google Zero’ misses the real problem: Your next visitor isn’t human
The real shift is machine-driven discovery, where AI agents research and decide before humans ever visit your website.
Google explains how crawling works in 2026
Google went through crawling, fetching, and the bytes it processes.
Google March 2026 core update rolling out now
This is the first Google core update of 2026 and follows the March 2026 spam update and the February 2026 Discover update.
Google Search Live expands globally where AI Mode is available
Google credits its new audio and voice models in Gemini 3.1 Flash Live for the expansion.
Google March 2026 spam update done rolling out
The March 2026 spam update rolled out in less than a day. Google called it a normal spam update that impacted all languages and locations.
Google releases March 2026 spam update
Google says this is a standard spam update. It’s rolling out across all languages and locations and may take only a few days.
Google’s undocumented method to disavow a whole TLD
Google does not document it because it is not something the company recommends.
Google AI Mode updates recipe results to better connect people with recipe creators
These changes are based on feedback from recipe bloggers - but will it be enough?
Google removes accessibility section from JavaScript SEO section
This change was made because the advice was "out of date" and Google handles JavaScript fine.
New Google help document says frequent crawling is a good sign
Google has a new help document on how Google's crawlers work.
Google uses both schema.org markup and og:image meta tag for thumbnails in Google Search and Discover
Google clarified this within its Google image best practices and Google Discover documentation.
Google patent hints it could replace your landing pages with AI versions
This is only a patent, not something implemented in Google Search. Here’s how SEOs are reacting to the AI-generated landing pages patent.
Google February 2026 Discover core update is now complete
After a 21-day rollout, the Discover-only shift favors U.S. publishers, boosts local expertise, and reduces clickbait.
Google fixed a serving issue with search results
This seems like it was a brief outage over night.