I recently explored Google’s updated guidelines for site moves, specifically about handling all domain variants using their Change of Address tool. This update aims to clarify the process of moving your site from one domain to another, ensuring a smooth transition for all domain variations.
Google’s advice is straightforward: enter every domain variant in their Change of Address tool during a site migration. They emphasize this in their documentation to prevent potential indexing issues.
Google’s Note: They encourage submitting requests for each subdomain and the www and non-www variants of your previous domain. For instance, ensure you submit en.example.com, www.example.com, and example.com if you’re moving to new-example.net, even if these variants aren’t actively used. It’s crucial to have them verified in the Search Console for a seamless migration.
Understanding domain variants is key. These include subdomains and different TLDs, allowing for a comprehensive transition from your old site to the new one without hiccups.
Why It Matters: Proper domain migration ensures that all site variants migrate without issues, which Google confirms as the best practice for SEO. Following Google’s guidelines can significantly mitigate the stress associated with site migrations.
For any SEO practitioner or site owner, site moves can be daunting. However, adhering to these detailed steps can make the transition less overwhelming. The Change of Address tool is designed to expedite this process, so making the most of it is essential.
I recently discovered that Google has updated its guidelines on optimizing for AI Search, and they’ve made it clear that LLMS.txt files on your site won’t impact your search rankings. It’s a relief to know that Google Search doesn’t actually utilize these files.
The portion of Google’s update that caught my attention explains that there’s no need to create new machine-readable files, such as AI text or Markdown files, to appear in Google Search, even with generative AI. Google will still discover, crawl, and index a variety of files, but these won’t receive special treatment.
Google also mentioned that maintaining LLMS.txt files for other services is perfectly fine and won’t influence your visibility in Google Search. In short, these files neither harm nor enhance your standing in search rankings.
For those interested, here is a valuable section screenshot along with more resources on the topic:
Expressing why I care about this, there’s ongoing confusion around how Google handles such files. Remember, having them on your site won’t help but also won’t hurt your SEO efforts.
Have you ever been curious about how many sites use a specific type of structured data? Now, you have the chance to find out.
I recently discovered that Schema.org is now sharing aggregated usage statistics for its terms across the public web. This means you can see exactly how many domains are using a particular schema or structured data element.
According to a Schema.org announcement, they are excited to offer a new dataset providing these statistics. Updated monthly, the data is aggregated at the domain level and categorized into popularity range buckets, which helps to filter daily noise while emphasizing meaningful adoption trends for researchers and tool developers.
What’s the appearance like? Take a look at a snapshot of two Schema.org pages, featuring author schema and event schema, displaying the usage statistics prominently at the top:
Delving deeper into the data. Schema.org has further detailed the usage statistics. Here’s a brief overview:
Schema.org term frequencies are evaluated within Google’s public web crawling infrastructure. The aggregation occurs at the domain level (e.g., example.com), not page by page. If you use the same term on 100 pages, it still only counts as one domain using it.
Rather than displaying exact numbers, which can fluctuate daily, websites are categorized into range buckets (e.g., “10K – 100K” domains). This approach stabilizes the data and respects website privacy.
The raw data files can be accessed on GitHub under the Google Public Stats dataset. Both JSON and CSV formats are available, alongside a JSON summary format offering aggregated bucket distributions, all updated monthly.
Term Type: Specifies whether the term is a Type (e.g., “Person” or “Event”) or a Property (e.g., “price” or “telephone”).
URI: Shows the official URI of the term, such as http://schema.org/Person.
Domain Count Bucket: The range of unique domains utilizing the term, for instance, 100K - 1M domains.
If you’re interested, here’s a peek at GitHub:
Why is this important? Well, besides my love for data, understanding the popularity of a specific schema element might just convince your development team to incorporate that schema code on your site.
When I heard that Google had added a new help document to its search developer documentation, I knew I needed to dive in. This new document, “Google Search’s guidance on using third-party SEO tools, services, and advice,” provides updated insights into the world of SEO, especially revolving around the hot topic of generative AI optimization.
Google also revamped its “Do you need an SEO?” guide, adding fresh content around generative AI topics. The intent behind these updates, as stated by Google, is to highlight what to consider when evaluating third-party tools and to simplify existing documentation. They want us to be cautious about trusting these tools and advice without proper verification.
Reading through Google’s new guidance, I found some valuable advice on thoughtfully evaluating third-party SEO services. Here’s how they suggest approaching it:
Evaluate external SEO advice against Google’s official guidelines, think critically about third-party tools, and always verify the claims made by these services.
Evaluate and verify external SEO advice against official Google guidelines
Think critically about using third-party SEO tools and services
Assisting in sitemap generation
Establishing indexing directives
Offering to generate “SEO-optimized” content for you
Providing advice to improve the ranking of existing content
Promising improvements for AI experiences and search formats (“AEO” or “GEO” tools)
While Google doesn’t endorse any third-party tools, they emphasized using Google Search Console for credible data directly from Google Search. We need to be wary of tools claiming to guarantee success since they lack access to Google’s internal ranking data.
With the updated “Do you need an SEO?” document, Google has also covered topics like Optimizing for generative AI. It includes essential reminders that if an SEO uses a third-party tool, one should not assume it’s approved by Google, and during audits, access to Search Console should be limited initially.
In essence, before making any site changes based on third-party audits, it’s crucial to cross-reference their advice with Google’s official resources, especially when it comes to AI optimization strategies.
If your SEO offers an audit, scrutinize what’s involved and avoid granting write access to Search Console at first.
Understanding these updates helps us not only in improving our own SEO strategies but also in promoting ethical and effective use of tools.
The document updates come as a reminder for us to regularly check Google’s official documentation. Staying informed about new guidelines ensures that we’re always on the right path in our SEO journey.
Hey there, have you heard about Google’s latest feature within Google Discover? They’ve just launched Search profiles in the U.S., and it’s a game-changer for publishers like me. These profiles act as enhanced landing pages where my audience can not only follow me but also see a collection of my latest articles, videos, and social media posts all in one convenient spot.
Google has been working on this for quite some time, refining and testing it over several months. They’ve even made some tweaks, such as adding shortnames, which make it even easier to share these profiles.
“Search profiles give publishers and creators a central place to showcase their latest articles, videos, and social posts. People can easily follow sources from their profile, so they’re more likely to see that content on Discover, found on the home screen of the Google app.”
It’s described as a “new way for publishers and creators to shape their presence on Search. Search profiles are a dedicated, shareable space to highlight content across platforms and help audiences find accurate, up-to-date information about sources on Search.”
What it looks like: Curious to see it in action? Here’s a video demonstration:
Managing Your Search Profile: If you’re a publisher or creator with a significant following on a major social or video platform, you’re in luck! You’ll be able to claim your Search profile, personalize it with an avatar, bio, and links to your website and social media platforms.
Once you claim your profile, it might even create a Knowledge Panel for you, or enhance your existing one with updated details and a direct link to your profile.
If you’re interested in setting up your own Search profile, check out this guide for creating a profile, claiming an existing one, and managing it.
Availability: Currently, this feature is available in the U.S. for users and publishers who meet a certain follower threshold. Here’s what you need:
TikTok: 300,000 followers
YouTube: 100,000 subscribers
Instagram: 100,000 followers
X: 100,000 followers
Why This Matters: As a publisher, I’m always looking for ways to get more visibility. Google’s new feature allows us to increase our reach not just on Google platforms but across our entire digital presence. It’s an exciting time, though one has to ponder whether this will be enough in the fast-paced world where AI continues to evolve.
As someone who eagerly follows Google’s updates, I was thrilled to learn about the latest developments in Google Search Console. Recently, Google has started to roll out new Search Generative AI performance reports. These reports, along with a feature to block your content in AI responses, are designed to give website owners more control.
Currently, these features are being introduced to a select group of website owners in the UK, but there are plans to expand access in the near future. This gradual rollout allows us to get accustomed to these changes before they become widely available.
Exploring the Search Generative AI Performance Report
The new AI performance report in Google Search Console is something I’ve been anticipating. Although it doesn’t cover everything, it does provide some important insights into how our content is performing within AI responses, AI Mode, and AI Overviews on Google Search. The report includes data on impressions, pages, countries, devices, and dates. However, a notable omission is click data, so we’re left guessing about the exact number of searchers clicking through to our sites from AI responses.
Google stated:
– We’re rolling out new insights for website owners regarding their pages’ appearances in generative AI Search features. These insights include impressions metrics and information on which pages appear in AI responses and in which countries. We’re working closely with website owners to determine what insights would be most helpful and will expand the metrics available over time.
Additionally, Google shared more details about the metrics we can expect:
– Impressions: Frequency of your site’s URLs appearing in generative AI features in Search and Discover.
– Pages: Identifying URLs that appeared within AI features.
– Countries: Understanding visibility on a country basis.
– Devices: Identifying the devices used to view your website. Available for Search results.
– Dates: Monitoring performance with hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly granularity.
I inquired about click data from a Google representative, who mentioned that they are exploring additional metrics that will help inform our strategies in the future.
Initially, this report is available to a subset of users in the UK, with plans to expand globally in the future.
Another exciting feature Google introduced is the ability to block your content from appearing in AI search features like AI Overviews, AI Mode, or AI Discover. Google described this as a “new toggle” within Google Search Console, allowing us to decide whether or not our site should be part of these AI search features.
Google notes that opting out will prevent your site from receiving traffic or impressions from these features. Importantly, this control won’t affect your ranking in standard search results outside of generative AI Search features, so there’s no risk of negatively impacting core web search visibility.
Again, like the performance report, this toggle is currently available to a subset of UK website owners, with plans to widen access as they complete further testing. Google had promised these controls after facing some backlash from the EU, and it’s promising to see them starting to roll out now.
One study even showed that 1/3rd of SEOs are willing to block Google from showcasing their content in AI search features.
Why It Matters
As site owners and publishers, many of us have been asking for control over how and if our content appears in Google’s AI features. Now, we have just that. Although it’s initially limited, I’m hopeful these features will eventually be available to all.
Moreover, we’ve been requesting AI Search reporting from Google from day one. With Google’s announcement following Bing’s release of its own AI performance report, we’re taking a significant step forward. While Google’s report currently targets UK site owners and lacks click data, it holds promise for a global rollout soon.
From the super early days of Google through using AI today for SEO – we covered a lot in this interview.
Vanessa Fox was the individual who was instrumental in what we call Google Search Console today. I sat down with Vanessa Fox for a one-on-one interview to discuss the early days of Google, how Search Console came about, and the industry’s evolution to what it is now.
We spoke about what it was like to work at Google in the early days, how XML Sitemaps turned into Webmaster Tools, which then evolved into Search Console, and what it was like collaborating with Matt Cutts. We also delved into the story of how she sold her Google stock options too early and her journey from Google to writing at Search Engine Land, this site.
Vanessa shared insights into the early days of SEO misconceptions, her Panda SEO audits and recoveries, and the fascinating ways AI is transforming search and SEO.
On a recent Thursday, I logged into Google Search Console expecting the usual link report, only to discover a significant issue—it had broken. For some, it displayed zero links, while others saw their reported links drop by nearly 90% from the previous week.
Google acknowledged the problem and decided to revert to older data temporarily as they worked on a fix. This means the link data you’re seeing might be weeks old.
Google’s Response: John Mueller of Google mentioned, “Thanks for the heads-up, Barry. We’ll take a look to see if there’s anything unexpected happening (given the long weekends, it might take a bit of time).”
By Saturday, the links seemed to reappear, but as Mueller explained, they had merely switched back to previous data as a temporary measure. “They’re working on resolving the actual issue and in the meantime switched back to the data from the week before.”
Old Data: If you check your link report now, it displays old information. This is crucial to keep in mind if you’re using this data for reports to clients or stakeholders.
The Bug’s Impact: Many folks noticed either zero links or a drastic drop exceeding 85%. Here’s a screenshot highlighting the problem:
OK, this takes the cake. Hahaha. Yeah, something is very off with the links reporting in GSC. pic.twitter.com/KIYmFPm1fX— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) May 21, 2026
Why It Matters: For those relying on this link data for generating reports, the inaccuracy can be problematic. Data pulled on that Thursday might not be reliable.
While Google is addressing the issue, be prepared to work with data that’s temporarily outdated.
I recently came across Google’s fresh guide on optimizing for its generative AI features, highlighting key tools like AI Mode and AI Overviews. This guide compiles insights from previous Google communications into a comprehensive help document titled Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search.
Inside the Guide: This document delves into multiple essential topics, which include:
– SEO’s continued relevance for AI search, adhering to Google’s SEO best practices.
– Creating valuable, non-commodity content for your audience.
– Offering a unique perspective
– Developing content that is helpful, reliable, and prioritizes users
– Organizing content effectively for reader assistance
– Incorporating high-quality images and videos
– Focusing on user needs, avoiding unnecessary complexity
– Ensuring AI tools comply with Google’s guidelines
– Maintaining a clear, technical site structure:
– Meeting technical search requirements
– Adhering to best practices for web crawling
– Emphasizing human-readable semantic HTML
– Following Google’s guidelines for JavaScript
– Providing an excellent page experience
– Reducing duplicate content
– Focusing on optimizing local business and e-commerce details.
– Dispelling myths around AI optimization:
– No need for LLMS.txt files
– Avoidance of special markup
– Refraining from ‘chunking’ content
– No content rewrites for AI systems required
– Avoid seeking inauthentic mentions
– Not overly focusing on structured data
– Exploring agentic experiences and what steps to take next.
Why It Matters to Me: This guide is a comprehensive resource that summarizes Google’s past advice across various platforms and events. It’s invaluable for understanding how to align my site with Google’s expectations for AI-powered search engines.
Recently, I discovered that Google has updated its search spam policies, explicitly stating that these rules also apply to generative AI responses within Google Search. This update clarifies that using spammy tactics to get your site or brand featured in AI Overviews, AI Mode, or other AI-based responses now classifies as spam. Google warns that it will take action against such practices.
What changed. Google revamped a key line in their policy:
“In the context of Google Search, spam refers to techniques used to deceive users or manipulate our Search systems into featuring content prominently, such as attempting to manipulate Search systems into ranking content highly or attempting to manipulate generative Al responses in Google Search.”
Originally, it said:
“In the context of Google Search, spam refers to techniques used to deceive users or manipulate our Search systems into ranking content highly.”
I came across a visual representation of this policy addition:
Why I care. I’ve noticed there’s a lot of advice circulating about optimizing for AI search engines. Some strategies might conflict with Google’s updated spam policies. It’s important for me, and anyone else trying to optimize their presence in AI responses, to carefully review these policies and ensure compliance, avoiding any spam techniques that could harm visibility on Google.
