Search Engine Roundtable Podcast

Hosted by Barry Schwartz

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823

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-US

About the show

This podcast includes weekly search news recaps and vlogs that Barry Schwartz of the Search Engine Roundtable produces. It covers SEO, SEM, organic and paid search topics, mostly around Google but also on Microsoft Bing and other search engines. It is a quick way to catch up on the most important SEO and SEM topics of the week.

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60 recent

August 21, 202611 min

Google Unleashed The August 2026 Spam Update, Gemini 3.7 Powers AI Mode, Google and Microsoft Ads News and More

Google has released its third spam update of the 2026 year, the August 2026 spam update this week and finished rolling out Friday morning at 4:50am. Google Search’s AI Mode is now being powered sometimes by the new Gemini 3.7 Flash. Google’s John Mueller says it does not roll out updates prior to the announcement. He also explained why Google announces some search updates and not others. The Google Performance report for generative AI features had an impressions data logging bug. Google also may have a bug with favicons disappearing from the search results. Google Search will eventually support the new HTTP QUERY method. Google is pausing the AI-generated images in AI Overviews. Google is hiring a product manager for content automation. Google seems to be showing fewer video carousels in search. Google has updated the Preferred Sources button for the better. Google is bringing back Google Posts impression data. Google Business Profiles seems to be revamping the Q&A feature, maybe. Google Trends has new explore maps and regional breakdowns. Google Ads is testing enhanced matching setting in customer match. Google Ads and AI Max have new experimentation and planning features such as A/B test capabilities, brand and location parameters options and new Performance Planner predictions. Google Ads is testing a supersized review star layout. Google Ads can find sitelinks options for you. Google released the Google Ads API version 25.1. Google Local Services Ads new pre-badge ads and expansion of verticals. Microsoft Advertising is rolling out AI Max globally. Microsoft Ads Max CPC will no longer be available when creating new non-portfolio campaigns after October 1, 2026. Bing is testing larger images in the sponsored results. OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT Ads to 31 European markets. Apple added thousands of new IP addresses for Applebot to crawl from. More at Search Engine Roundtable . Sponsor: Yahoo Scout is an AI answer engine built for people who need answers. Ask about news, local recommendations, entertainment, technology, and more to get clear, trustworthy responses with transparent, cited sources and helpful visuals. Backed by 30 years of Yahoo Search expertise, Yahoo Scout makes it easier to find, understand, and act on information. Try it today at Scout.com . 0:00 - Introduction 0:54 - Google August 2026 Spam Update Has Been Unleashed 1:38 - Google August 2026 Spam Update Has Finished Rolling Out 2:13 - Google Search Using Gemini 3.7 Flash In AI Mode 2:56 - Google: We Do Not Roll Out Updates Prior To The Announcement 3:10 - Why Google Announces Some Search Updates But Not All 3:23 - Google Performance Reports Drop In Impressions/Clicks ~August 12 4:11 - Spike In Complaints On Favicons Disappearing From Google Search 4:29 - Google Search Will Eventually Support HTTP QUERY Method 4:52 - Google AI Overviews With AI-Generated Images In The Wild (Test Paused) 5:23 - Google Hiring A Product Manager For Content Automation 5:48 - Google Search Video Carousel Showing Less Often 6:22 - Google Preferred Source Button Improved For Publishers 6:53 - Google Bringing Back Google Posts Insights (People Viewed) 7:11 - Google Business Profiles Testing Revamped Q&A Feature 7:32 - Google Trends Gains Explore Maps & Regional Breakdown 7:56 - Google Ads Enhanced Matching In Customer Match 8:23 - Google Ads & AI Max New Experimentation & Planning Features 8:40 - Google Ads Tests New Review Layout With Supersized Star 8:49- Google Ads Can Find Sitelinks For You 9:02 - Google Ads API Version 25.1 Now Available 9:11 - Google Local Service Ads Pre-Badge Ads & Expansion Of Verticals 9:45 - Microsoft Advertising Rolling Out AI Max Globally 10:00 - Microsoft Advertising Max CPC Won't Be Available For New Campaigns On Oct 1 10:20 - Bing Testing Large Images In Sponsored Results 10:30 - ChatGPT Ads Expanding To 31 European Countries 10:47 - Apple Adds Thousands Of New IP Addresses For Applebot To Crawl From 11:05 - Conclusion

August 20, 202611 min

It's New 8/20: Which Google updates it announces, Favicons disappearing, Microsoft Ads AI Max rollout and Enhanced Matching in Google Ads

Today we covered Microsoft Advertising is rolling out AI Max globally. Google Ads is testing enhanced matching in customer match settings. John Mueller of Google explaining which Google updates they decide to announce and not announce. Favicons seem to be disappearing from Google Search. 0:00 - Introduction 1:42 - Microsoft Advertising is rolling out AI Max to all 3:56 - Google Ads Enhanced Matching in Customer Match 7:01 - When Google announces Google Search updates 8:16 - Favicons disappearing from Google Search 9:55 - Google Ads Enhanced Matching documentation live 11:22 - Conclusion 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.

August 19, 20269 min

It's New 8/19: Google 2026 spam update, Google branded searches and ChatGPT Ads in Europe

Today we covered that Google unleashed the August 2026 spam update and no, the volatility we saw prior was not this spam update. Google updates Branded searches conversion measurements. OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT Ads to 31 European regions. 0:00 - Introduction 1:26 - Google August 2026 spam update 2:26 - Google does not wait to announce updates 4:42 - Google updates Branded searches conversion measurements 6:23 - OpenAI expanding ChatGPT Ads to European markets 9:27 - Conclusion 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.

August 18, 20268 min

It's New 8/18: Google Performance reports bug, AI-generated AI Overviews paused & PMax video AI

Today we covered a new bug with the Google Search Console Performance reports Generative AI feature data logging. Google paused the AI-generated images from showing up in AI Overviews. Google Ads will use generative-AI to resize your video ads for Performance Max campaigns. 0:00 - Introduction 1:13 - Google Performance Report Data Bug 2:17 - Google pauses AI-generated images test in AI Overviews 4:47 - Google Ads to use generative-AI to resize PMax videos 7:44 - Conclusion 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.

August 17, 202617 min

It's New 8/17: August 17th Is Here, Google Ads Language Targeting update and Gemini 3.7 Flash

Today we covered the August 17th Google update is here, today is August 17th. Google Ads language targeting changes are coming next month. Google AI Max timeline is also here. Google Merchant Center for Agencies has a new limit. Google Search can now use Gemini 3.7 Flash. Google is hiring a product manager for content automation. Google seems to be testing AI-generated images in AI Overviews for recipes. 0:00 - Introduction 2:50 - Google Ads August 17th Day Is Here 5:14 - Google Ads language targeting changes 8:32 - Google Merchant Center for Agency account limit 10:25 - Google AI Max timeline set 11:55 - Gemini 3.7 Flash in Google Search 13:01 - Google Hiring PM for Content Automation 13:40 - Google AI Overviews with AI generated recipe images 16:46 - Conclusion 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.

August 14, 202613 min

Google AI Home Page Test, AI Local Pack Slop, Google Poaching Advertisers & Meta Building A Search Engine

This week, we of course had more Google search ranking volatility, this time on the 12th. Google is testing new AI buttons on its home page, which makes you wonder. Google Search Console expanded its generative AI reporting tools again. Google AI Overviews for local results show AI slop. Google is creating AI-generated images in AI Overviews. Google can show spammy Google-selected canonical in Search Console. Don’t misconfigure your Cloudflare account, it can cause major issues for your SEO. Some SEOs are taking over expired X accounts of Googlers. Google Business Profiles now disallows repeated bilingual names and transliterated scripts. You can now report owner responses to reviews in Google. Google is still stealing advertiser accounts from agencies. Google Ads will drop the manual targeting setting in September. Google Ads is testing advertiser names and favicons at the top of ads. Google Ads and Google Analytics gain new AI features. Google Merchant Center performance reporting updates are coming August 24th. Microsoft Advertising has a new bulk edit and appeal for disapproved assets. ChatGPT Ads is testing AI-generated descriptive headlines. ChatGPT is making it harder to find sources in the interface. Google amends its lawsuit against SerpAPI citing licensed content. META/Facebook is crawling the web, maybe building an AI search engine. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable . Sponsor: This video is sponsored by Ahrefs . Did you know there's a free version of Ahrefs? It has six tools - Site Explorer, Site Audit, Web Analytics, Social Media Manager, AI Content Helper, and SEO Toolbar. All free, no card required, no expiration date. Go to ahrefs.com/free and start working on your website's visibility. 0:00 - Introduction 1:00 - Google Search Ranking Volatility Spikes On August 12-13 1:28 - Google Home Page Create Images, Ask About Files & Brainstorm Buttons 2:23 - Google Search Console Generative AI Performance Report Expands To More 2:48 - Google AI Overview Local Results Pulling From Low-Quality Listicles 3:39 - Google AI Overviews With AI-Generated Images In The Wild 4:23 - Spammy Google Selected Canonical In Search Console 5:07 - Misconfiguring Cloudflare Can Hurt Your SEO Badly 6:02 - Googlebot Say They Are Coming From California But Might Not 7:07 - SEOs Taking Over Expired Google X Accounts 7:39 - Google Local Disallows Repeated Bilingual Names & Transliterations 8:08 - Google Local Report Owner Response 8:30 - Google Still Aggressively Poaching Agency Ads Accounts 9:33 - Google Ads Language Targeting Update Coming In September 10:09 - Google Ads Sponsored Results Tests Advertiser Name & Favicon Summary 10:33 - Google Ads & Google Analytics Gain New AI Features 10:52 - Google Merchant Center Performance Reporting Update Coming August 24th 11:18 - Microsoft Advertising Bulk Edit/Appeal Disapproved Assets 11:39 - ChatGPT Ads With AI Descriptive Heading 11:51 - OpenAI Makes The ChatGPT Sources Less Visible 12:20 - Google Amends Lawsuit Against SerpApi Over Licensed Content 13:03 - Meta/Facebook Crawling Web & May Be Building Search Engine 13:26 - Conclusion

August 13, 202612 min

It's New 8/13: Google rank volatility, ChatGPT sources harder to find and easier Google Search Profiles

Today we covered Google ranking volatility hitting yesterday. Be careful with your Cloudflare setting, it can hurt your SEO. OpenAI makes the sources in ChatGPT responses less visible. Google makes the subscriber count requirement for Search Profiles lower. 0:00 - Introduction 1:00 - Google search ranking volatility 1:53 - Don’t misconfigure your Cloudflare account 3:54 - ChatGPT sources are now less visible 8:27 - Google Search Profiles subscriber count requirement lower 9:50 - Anu’s 🐳 story 11:37 - Conclusion 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.

August 12, 202613 min

It's New 8/12: Google amends SerpApi lawsuit, self-promotional listicles local AI Overviews and Google Ads news

Today we covered how Google amended its lawsuit against SerpApi now citing licenses content protection and safeguards. Google Merchant Center performance reporting update is coming. Google added a campaign data import validation report in Google Analytics. New Google Ads help document named About Local customer optimization within Performance Max campaign for store goals. 0:00 - Introduction 3:10 - Google amends SerpApi lawsuit - licensed content 5:04 - Google local AI Overviews filled with self-serving listicles 6:36 - Google Merchant Center performance report update coming 9:00 - Google Analytics adds campaign data import validation 10:04 - Google Ads new help document for local customer optimization within PMax campaigns 12:00 - Conclusion 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.

August 11, 202612 min

It's New 8/11: Google AI reports live, new AI features in Ads & Analytics, Google Ads top summaries & expired X accounts snapped up

Today we covered how it seems the Google Search Console generative AI performance reports are fully rolled out. Google Ads and Google Analytics added AI Overviews at the top of the pages, new AI data dashboard tools, and a new benchmarking AI feature. Google Ads is testing site names and favicons at the top of the sponsored results ad grouping section. And scammers are snapping up expired X accounts from Googlers. 0:00 - Introduction 1:40 - Google AI Performance reports rolling out to all 3:05 - Google Ads & Analytics new AI features 7:09 - Google Ads testing name and favicon summaries at top of ad group 10:17 - Expired X accounts being manipulated 12:07 - Conclusion 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.

August 10, 202612 min

It's New 8/10: META AI search coming, AI Google home page, strong ad labels & ChatGPT Ads updates

Today we covered how Google updated its home page to add some AI buttons right under the search bar. Google Ads is rolling out the strong match labels in the wild. The Google Ads with AI labels on local pack and Discover. META/Facebook is crawling the web and may be building an AI search engine. ChatGPT Ads rolled out oCPC, AAM and a new product carousel. Google Business Profiles won’t let you use bilingual names or scrip transliterations repeated in your business name. 0:00 - Introduction 1:10 - Google Home Page with AI buttons 3:45 - Google Ads strong match label in the wild 6:23 - Google AI labels on Discover and Local Pack 7:51 - META crawling the web, AI search coming? 9:34 - ChatGPT Ads oCPC, AAM, new product carousel and more 11:58 - Google Business Profiles bilingual names policy 12:35 - Conclusion 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.