Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Google says the search quality raters guidelines are not a guide to search rankings. Google Ads has this new Prospect Mode. Google tests 1st order price labels on shopping ads. Google Discover profile pages are testing short URLs. Bing is testing new sitelinks. And I posted the weekly SEO video recap.
Google says the search quality raters guidelines are not a guide to search rankings. Google Ads has this new Prospect Mode. Google tests 1st order price labels on shopping ads. Google Discover profile pages are testing short URLs. Bing is testing new sitelinks. And I posted the weekly SEO video recap.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
- Google: Search Quality Raters Guidelines Not A Guide For Search Rankings
John Mueller from Google said that the Google Search Quality Raters guidelines are not a guide for search rankings. Meaning, the content in those guidelines is not a blueprint on how to rank your website in Google Search. - New: Google Ads Prospects Mode
Google Ads has expanded New Customer Acquisition with a new feature called Prospect Mode. Prospect mode also targets brand-unaware users, Google said. Those prospects who have not searched for, engaged with, or visited your site. Some call them cold prospects. - Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google May Core Update Status, Buying AI Brand Mentions, Preferred Sources In AI Responses, Google Ads, Local & Legal
This week in search, we gave a status update on the Google May 2026 core update. Google strongly warned against buying mentions for AI or manipulating mentions for AI. Google removed the indexing lag between.... - Google 1st Order Price Labels On Shopping Ads (Again)
Over a year ago, we saw Google testing a "First order" label on shopping ads within search. Now, we are seeing Google test a variation of that named "1st order price" on those same ads. It basically tells the customer that if this is their first order with this retailer, it is a special discounted price. - Google Discover Publisher Profile Pages Tests Short URLs
Google is testing short URLs with @handles for the Google Discover publisher profile pages. Instead of those long URLs that go on forever, Google is testing a format that uses the publisher's handle. - Bing Tests New Sitelinks On Ads
Microsoft Bing is testing a new style of sitelinks for the search ads. These sitelinks differ in that they are narrower, use a smaller font, have a border and when you hover over them, they change from a blue font to a bold black font. - Old Google Photo From Google Ski Retreat In Squaw Valley In 2000
Here is an old photo from Google's Paul Buchheit from 2000, where Googlers went on a ski retreat in Squaw Valley, California. Paul Buchheit said on X, Don't just start a company, Start a cult.