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 Discover now less aligned with search rankings
This seems like a change to what content Google prioritizes for the Google Discover feed.
Google confirms it releases smaller, unannounced core updates
Plus, a major Google core update is coming soon, which could bring significant ranking changes as it rolls out.
Google Search Console performance reports adds weekly and monthly views
This lets you drive deeper giving you more granular data in the Search Console reports.
Google Search Console Insights integrating social channels
This is currently an experiment and rolling out to a limited number of sites.
Google Search Console tests “AI-powered configuration” to create dynamic reports
You can type what data you want to see on a report and Google will instantly create it for you.
Google Discover pushing users into AI Mode
When you read an article from Discover, Google wants you to switch to AI Mode. This also applies to any page you open in Google's Android app.
Google home page search bar upload feature goes directly to AI Mode results
It does feel like AI Mode will be Google's default search experience sometime in the future.
Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Pro expanding to more searchers
Gemini 3 is available in 120 countries in English, after launching in the U.S. just a couple of weeks ago.
Google tests pushing searchers from AI Overviews with follow up questions to AI Mode
This brings AI Mode more directly into Google Search and sadly, will likely result in fewer clicks to websites.
Google Search Console Index Coverage report delayed
This is just a reporting issue and indexing is working as expected.
Google: SEM and SEO will need to coevolve with search since SEO is not dead
Gary Illyes from Google also admitted "the change is hard to accept nonetheless."
Google Search to route complex queries to Gemini 3
Plus, Google's Jonathon Heard said Google is thinking about breaking AI Mode and AI Overview details in Search Console in the future.
Google Search Console adds branded queries filter
You can filter your performance reports and there are new insights reports - this is a gradual rollout.
Google releases Gemini 3 – it already powers AI Mode
Google said Gemini 3 is the "most intelligent model, that combines all of Gemini’s capabilities together so you can bring any idea to life."
Google can book your flights, hotels and dinner reservations using AI
Plus, Google added new travel AI tools with Canvas and ways to find deals.
Google Search Console rolls out custom annotations for performance reports
After many months of testing, the feature is finally live.
Google releases AI shopping updates for the holidays
Google's holiday AI updates include new AI Mode responses, Gemini shopping, agentic calling, and agentic checkout.
Google Discover fixing fake AI spam problem
After many complaints with the quality of the Google Discover feed, Google is promising a fix is in the works.
Google shipping and returns policies in Search Console or using new markup
You don't even need a Google Merchant Center account to add this information anymore.
Google’s new AI tool touts creating optimized content in a scalable way
Google recently promoted one of its new AI tools named Opal and the language used has SEOs and content creators scratching their heads.
Google to remove more search features including practice problems, nutrition facts, nearby offers and more
Google said these features "aren't being used very often and aren’t adding significant value to users."
Google adds Chrome Web Store user agent
Google added a new user agent to the Google user-triggered fetchers named Google-CWS.
Google says verify your cloud hosting provider with Search Console
If you are hosting images, videos or other content on third-party cloud services, you probably want to verify those in Search Console.
Google Business Profiles What’s happening feature expands
It is now available for multi-location restaurants, not just single-location restaurants.
Google Search Console adds Query groups
This is available in Search Console Insights and gives you a quick way to see the main topics your website is about.
Google working on fixing Search Console performance report delay
The report has been stuck on Sunday, October 19th but Google said it will catch up.
Google crawl stats report is missing a day of data
This has happened a few times before, and it is now happening again. This is a Google issue and not an issue with your site.
Google testing AI-generated descriptions for search snippets
Google Search is testing replacing your meta description with an AI-generated one and an AI-generated summary of your search snippet.
Google Search serving issue in some locales
Google confirmed a data center issue impacting serving some search results in some regions.
People Also Ask: The obvious opportunity most SEOs are missing
Boost visibility with Google’s People Also Ask boxes. Learn how PAA works, why it matters for SEO, and tips to get your content featured.
Google August 2025 spam update done rolling out
This spam update took just under 27 days to fully roll out and is now complete.
Google Search confirms it does not support the results per page parameter
This change does not seem to be a bug, but rather an intentional change to how Google serves search results.
Google adds new store widgets for your website
Google added two new options for merchants to add new Google store widgets to their websites.
Google Search Console adds achievements section
Now there is a dedicated section to see your achievements within Search Console.
Google Search rank and position tracking is a mess right now
Google removed the ability to see 100 search results per page and both third-party tracking tools and maybe even Search Console seem off since.
Google updates search quality raters guidelines adding AI Overview examples & YMYL definitions
Google told us this is a "minor update to our rater guidelines with small clarifications and a handful of new examples."
Google drops reporting on several structured data types
This impacts already deprecated structured data types, Course Info, Claim Review, Estimated Salary, Learning Video, Special Announcement and Vehicle Listing.
Google AI Mode may become the default Google Search experience “soon.”
Logan Kilpatrick, lead product manager for Google, said AI Mode will be the default experience soon. Later, Google said not to look into this message too much, implying AI Mode won't be the default.
Google Knowledge Panel: What it is and how to get featured
Want your brand to stand out in search? Learn how the Google Knowledge Panel works, who qualifies, and how to boost your chances of getting one.
Google AI Mode model improved for complex STEM questions, says Google
Just in time for school, Google updated its AI Mode model.
