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Category: Google

How AI is Transforming Google Search Engagement
Google Search is currently experiencing what I see as an ‘expansionary moment,’ powered by the dynamics of AI technology. The search experience I rely on has transformed through longer queries, follow-up questions, and the increasing use of voice and images. This was highlighted during Alphabet’s recent earnings call, where executives shared these evolving trends.

In other words: Google’s search interface is becoming increasingly AI-driven, facilitating interactions within its system. This isn’t about replacing old queries—instead, we’re witnessing a new era of digital exploration.

Why we care. The integration of AI into Google Search is not just a trial. For me, it’s a structural transformation altering how we discover, interact with, and navigate the web.

By the numbers: Alphabet’s Q4 advertising revenue reached $82.284 billion, marking a 13.5% increase from $72.461 billion in 2024.
- Google Search & other: $63.073 billion (up 16.7%)
- YouTube: $11.383 billion (up 8.7%)
- Google Network: $7.828 billion (down 1.5%)
For the 2025 fiscal year, Alphabet’s advertising revenue climbed to $294.691 billion, a growth of 11.4% from the previous year.
- Google Search & other: $224.532 billion (up 13.4%)
- YouTube: $40.367 billion (up 11.7%)
- Google Network: $29.792 billion (down 1.9%)
AI Overviews and AI Mode are now core to Search. Sundar Pichai, Alphabet/Google’s CEO, emphasized how central AI has become to Google’s search products, with over 250 AI-related product launches in just the last quarter.

Google has recently upgraded its AI Overviews to the Gemini 3 model, a move that connects AI Overviews more seamlessly with conversational search experiences.
- “We have also made the search experience more cohesive, ensuring the transition from an AI overview to a conversation in AI mode is completely seamless,” Pichai noted.
AI is driving more Google Search usage. As Google puts it, AI-driven search is expanding the ways people use search rather than replacing traditional searches.
- “Search saw more usage in Q4 than ever before, as AI continues to drive an expansionary moment,” Pichai emphasized.
- “Once people start using these new experiences, they use them more,” he added.
Changing search behavior. AI Mode is making searches longer, more conversational, and multimodal. “Queries in AI mode are three times longer than traditional searches,” said Pichai.

Not only are queries longer, but sessions are also becoming more conversational, often leading to follow-up questions.
- “We are also seeing sessions become more conversational, with a significant portion of queries in AI Mode now leading to a follow-up question,” he said.
- “Nearly one in six AI mode queries are now non-text, using voice or images,” Pichai shared.
Google’s visual search capabilities continue expanding with “Circle to Search” available on over 580 million Android devices.
- “We haven’t seen any evidence of cannibalization,” Pichai said about the coexistence of Google Search and the Gemini app.
- “The combination of all of that, I think, creates an expansionary moment,” he concluded.
Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
February 5, 2026
Google Ads Boosts Security with Multi-Party Approval Feature

I recently discovered an exciting update from Google Ads that promises to enhance the security of high-risk account changes. They have silently introduced a multi-party approval feature that ensures a second administrator must approve specific actions before they are finalized. This step adds a critical layer of protection against unauthorized or malicious changes, enhancing the overall safety of our accounts.

This new feature is particularly important as our ad accounts grow larger and carry more value. A single unauthorized change can quickly disrupt campaigns and even affect our billing. By requiring approval from another administrator, this feature effectively reduces such risks without hindering our regular campaign management processes.

For agencies and large teams like mine, this tool becomes invaluable. It helps us avoid costly mistakes and significantly bolsters our account security. I appreciate how Google is responding to the increasing necessity for robust access control.

Here’s how it works: when I, as an admin, initiate a sensitive change, Google Ads automatically sends an approval request to other eligible admins. This request is delivered as an in-product notification, requiring an action within 20 days—either approval or denial—otherwise, it simply expires, and the change will not be implemented.

Moreover, tracking the status of these requests is hassle-free. Each change request is tagged as Complete, Denied, or Expired, allowing my team to easily monitor and review our account changes.

To manage these approval requests, we can head over to the Access and security section within the Admin menu. It’s quite straightforward and keeps us in the loop with all ongoing requests.

This update points to a growing concern about account security, especially for advertisers managing large teams with multiple user permissions. With reports of expensive hacks escalating, this added security is a much-welcomed relief for us.

In the end, although multi-party approval may add a bit of friction to the process, it’s definitely a good kind. It grants us more control over who can make vital changes to our accounts, thus protecting them from unauthorized access. In my opinion, it’s a prudent step towards safer, more secure ad management.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

February 4, 2026
Google Search Antitrust Appeal: What It Means for Competition

The ongoing battle over default search deals caught my attention recently as critics argue these arrangements exclude competitors and restrict choice for users, advertisers, and rival companies.

The U.S. Justice Department, along with several states, is challenging a federal judge’s ruling regarding Google’s search antitrust case. They plan to appeal the decision made by the judge, which determined Google was illegally monopolizing search but didn’t impose significant changes like breaking up Chrome or stopping default search agreements completely.

What’s happening. Just yesterday, the DOJ and state attorneys general filed their appeals, focusing on U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta’s remedy ruling from September. Reports from Bloomberg and Reuters highlighted these developments.

Judge Mehta, back in August 2024, had found that Google unlawfully maintained its search monopoly through default search deals with companies like Apple and Samsung—deals costing Google over $20 billion every year.

Following a further remedies trial in 2025, Judge Mehta did not enforce the government’s suggestion to split up Chrome or halt payments for default search status. Instead, he required Google to rebid its default search and AI app agreements yearly.

Why we care. This appeal leaves me wondering just how much of a grip Google will retain on search placement. This control plays a crucial role in determining who gets traffic. Should stricter changes be implemented, it could alter default search settings, foster competition among search engines, and shift how we all engage with search across our devices.

Yes, but. So far, the DOJ and states haven’t revealed their exact legal strategies. The court submissions are vague about which aspects of the ruling are under fire, although Chrome and Google’s default deal with Apple are expected to be central points of contention.

What to watch. Later this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will examine the case, and I’m keen to see how it unfolds. For now, Google continues operating as usual, but its key contracts will face annual scrutiny, and the potential for harsher consequences looms.

What they’re saying. David Segal, VP of public policy at Yelp, expressed approval of the appeal. In a statement to Search Engine Land, Yelp criticized the trial court’s remedies as insufficient for reinvigorating competition in search:

“Unfortunately, the measures put forth in the trial court’s remedy decision are unlikely to restore competition — for instance, it allows for Google to continue to pay third parties for default placement in browsers and devices, which was the primary mechanism by which Google unlawfully foreclosed competition to begin with.

Internet users, online advertisers and others who rely on and seek to compete in the industry deserve a level playing field with more, higher quality, and fairer search options — and the need for a more competitive space is all the more clear as Google seeks to leverage its vast power over the web, especially search indexing and ranking, to come to dominate the GenAI space.”

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

February 4, 2026
1/3 of Publishers Plan to Block Google’s AI Features
I recently discovered that Google is considering ways to allow websites to opt out of its AI-generated search features, such as AI Mode and AI Overviews. Naturally, I was curious about how the SEO community felt about it, so I conducted a poll on X to see if site owners would actually opt out.

The results were intriguing. Out of over 350 respondents, the majority mentioned they wouldn’t opt out. However, around one-third indicated they would prefer to block or opt out of these features. Here’s how the responses broke down:

Question: Would you block Google from using your content for AI Overviews and AI Mode?
- 33.2% – Yes, I’d block Google
- 41.9% – No, I wouldn’t block
- 24.9% – I am not sure yet.
Here’s the actual poll for reference:

Would you block Google from using your content for AI Overviews and AI Mode – Google may be giving us more controls – take my poll below. https://t.co/60M3Vt0YlN
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) January 28, 2026

But how do you opt out? Right now, that remains a mystery. Google has only mentioned it is exploring possibilities, without providing a clear mechanism. Frankly, the ease or difficulty of opting out could significantly influence decisions. If it’s straightforward, more sites might choose to opt out; if not, fewer will do so.

So why does this matter? We won’t truly know how many sites will opt out until Google officially offers a way to do so. Rest assured, once they do, there will be extensive reporting on the number of sites that decide to opt out.

To give you an idea, The Press Gazette recently reported that around 79% of nearly 100 top news websites in the UK and US are already blocking at least one AI training crawler, including OpenAI’s GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and others.

My advice is simple: Once Google makes this opt-out feature available, give it a test. See firsthand what the impact of opting in or out could be.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
January 29, 2026
Streamline Ad Reviews with Google’s Instant PMax Previews

I’ve noticed something pretty exciting in Google’s recent update to Performance Max. They have introduced one-click ad previews, making it incredibly easy to review creatives directly from the asset group table. This update feels like a breath of fresh air to anyone who’s ever been bogged down by the previous clunky process.

What’s new? Now, with just a click on any image or video within the Asset Groups table, I can instantly see how my ads will look across different Performance Max placements, without needing to navigate away from the page.

Why we care. Before this, checking ad previews meant jumping through various hoops into different views or settings. Now, everything is streamlined, keeping my workflow smooth and efficient, which makes creative quality assurance and iteration a lot less of a hassle.

Between the lines. There has been consistent feedback about the transparency limitations of Performance Max. So, even these small UI changes that bring creatives to the forefront are a big deal for me and many others in the field.

The bottom line. While one-click previews aren’t a game-changer in terms of strategy, they are a real time-saver. This especially helps when I’m handling large asset libraries or frequent creative updates.

First seen. This handy update was first spotted by Paid Search marketer Bia Camargo, adding another reason to appreciate these nuanced yet impactful changes.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

January 28, 2026
Control Google’s Use of Your Content in AI Searches
I recently came across some intriguing news that Google might soon allow us to prevent our content from being used in their AI search features. Imagine having the power to opt out of AI Overviews and AI Mode!

Google is looking at ways to enable site owners to stop Google from using site content for Search AI’s generative features, like AI Mode and AI Overviews. They’re doing this in response to new guidelines from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). However, Google wants to ensure any new tools don’t disrupt the core functionality of Google Search.

What Google Has Shared. Google mentioned in a recent blog post:
- “We’re now exploring updates to our controls to let sites specifically opt out of Search generative AI features.”
They clearly state that these options shouldn’t compromise Google Search, saying:
- “Any new controls need to avoid breaking Search in a way that leads to a fragmented or confusing experience for people.”
Anticipated Timeline. It’s uncertain when these new controls will be introduced, but the idea of having more control excites many of us! Many of us—publishers, content creators, site owners—desire control over whether Google can use our content for AI features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode. These forthcoming controls, whenever they appear, will afford us the ability to better manage how Google utilizes our content.

Full Insights. Here’s the full message from Google’s blog this morning:

User behavior is evolving rapidly, and features like AI Overviews help people discover new content and explore more topics. Today, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) initiated a consultation on potential new requirements for Google Search, including the controls we offer websites to manage their content in Search AI features. This matter is complex, as it impacts how people find information and how websites get discovered in Search.

We’ve long provided publishers with a variety of controls, based on standards like robots.txt, to dictate how their content appears in Search. As tech evolves, so do our tools. We’ve added controls for Featured Snippets and image previews (relevant to AI Overviews). Recently, we unveiled Google-Extended, a new tool allowing sites to dictate how their content helps train our Gemini models.

Building on this framework and working alongside the web ecosystem, we’re exploring updates to our controls that specifically allow sites to opt out of Search generative AI features. Our mission is to protect Search’s helpfulness while giving websites the right tools to manage their content. We anticipate engaging in the CMA’s process and continuing our discussions with stakeholders.

New controls need to prevent fragmentation or confusion in Search. As AI becomes central to information discovery, new controls must remain simple and scalable for website owners.

We remain hopeful that we can provide more choice to content creators while ensuring a top-tier and innovative Search experience for users.

Why This Matters. It’s clear that more control is better than less. SEOs, publishers, and site owners have long called on Google to provide controls over how our content is used in AI features. These anticipated controls could arrive soon, so stay tuned for updates!

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
January 28, 2026
Unlock Seamless AI Conversations in Google Search

When I dive into Google Search and opt for a follow-up query, I’m seamlessly transitioned into AI Mode, ensuring my experience flows effortlessly into a conversational format. As Robby Stein, Google Search’s VP of Product, noted, this shift enhances the natural progression of our search interactions.

Globally, these AI Overviews are now powered by Gemini 3 by default, which suggests a significant enhancement in the quality of responses.

Experience the Transition to AI Mode. I remember reading about when Google started testing this transformative feature last December, and it officially confirmed the early tests in October 2025. Now, when I ask a follow-up question, I’m immediately engaged in a conversation directly in AI Mode.

Google emphasizes this transition to a conversation as more user-friendly and seamless within the Google Search experience.

But why this change? During testing phases, it became evident that users, like myself, appreciated a search experience that naturally transitioned into a conversation while maintaining context from AI Overviews, thereby making the search process more helpful.

Here’s a glimpse of how it operates:

When I hit “Show more,” AI Mode elegantly overlays the search results. I have the option to return to the original search with a simple click on the X at the screen’s top right corner. Interestingly, all source citations are stripped from this view, presenting challenges for traffic redirection to content creators.

Gemini 3 Powers AI Overviews. Google has expanded the reach of Gemini 3, making it the standard model for all AI Overviews around the globe. Robby’s message was clear: we’re integrating Gemini 3 to deliver premier AI responses directly on the search results page, especially when it proves beneficial.

This represents a shift from a recent announcement where Gemini 3 Pro was dedicated to managing complex queries in English for specific Google AI subscriptions.

Now, with Gemini 3 as the go-to model for AI Overviews worldwide, I’m curious about its global impact.

Why It Matters to Me. While Gemini 3 promises enhanced responses for AI Overviews, the pivotal change is the redirection of follow-up inquiries into AI Mode from Google Search’s AI Overviews. This shift indicates a potential decrease in clicks leading from Google Search to publisher sites, nudging searchers like me directly into AI Mode.

AI Overviews frequently feature prominently in search results, making it challenging to capture clicks from those citations. With this new follow-up experience, it seems my journey from search to source might get even more streamlined towards AI Mode rather than content creators’ sites.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

January 27, 2026
EU Focuses on Google’s AI and Search Data: What It Means for Competition

I’ve noticed the European Union is turning its gaze towards Google once more, scrutinizing how it handles its AI and search data. This could lead to changes that might open up its Android features and search data, ultimately reshaping the competitive landscape.

The European Commission is now formally outlining the ways Google must share specific Android functionalities and its search data with competitors, in line with the Digital Markets Act.

Tuesday marked the start of two official proceedings by the Commission, aimed at establishing a structured approach for Google to meet key obligations under the DMA. It’s fascinating to see these regulatory dialogues become more concrete.

Why I care. This move by the European Commission could alter the dynamics in mobile AI and search. With Google potentially needing to share its search data and Android AI capabilities, it could boost the competition from other search engines and AI services. Such changes might impact where advertisers allocate budgets, alter the availability of advertising inventory, and shift campaign dependencies away from Google’s platforms.

First focus — Android and AI interoperability. The regulators are delving into how Google must enable third-party developers to access Android hardware and software features as freely as Google’s own AI services, like Gemini.

– The objective is to allow rival AI providers the same level of integration with Android devices as Google’s native tools.

Second focus — search data sharing. The Commission aims to define how Google should provide anonymized search data including ranking, queries, clicks, and views to rival search engines under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory conditions.

– This includes specifying the types of data to be shared, how it will be anonymized, eligibility for access, and whether AI chatbot providers can use this dataset.

Between the lines. It’s not just about ticking off compliance boxes. The Commission is making it clear that AI services are under the DMA’s watchful eye, especially where data and device control could influence emerging markets.

What’s next: Within three months, the Commission plans to send Google its initial findings and recommended actions. The full proceedings should wrap up within six months, accompanied by non-confidential summaries for public input.

The backdrop. Since March 2024, Google has been required to comply with DMA obligations, having been identified as a gatekeeper in services like Search, Android, and YouTube.

Bottom line. The EU is moving from planning to action with the DMA, testing how strongly it will influence competition by overseeing Google’s AI functions and search data management.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

January 27, 2026
Google’s Vision: Decoding Intent Before You Type

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Google knew exactly what you wanted to search for even before you started typing? Well, that’s the future Google is aiming for.

Currently, Google is pushing this innovation onto our devices with small AI models that rival much larger ones in performance.

What’s happening. In a recent research paper presented at EMNLP 2025, Google researchers have introduced a groundbreaking approach. By dividing “intent understanding” into smaller, manageable steps, they have enabled small multimodal LLMs (MLLMs) to deliver results comparable to more powerful systems like Gemini 1.5 Pro. These models operate faster, at a lower cost, and crucially, they keep data processing on the device.

The paper, “Small Models, Big Results: Achieving Superior Intent Extraction through Decomposition,” details how Google deduces user intent based on their interactions with apps and websites, such as clicks, scrolling, and screen changes over time.

The future is intent extraction. Presently, most large AI models infer intent from user behavior via the cloud, leading to speed, cost, and privacy issues. By dividing the process into two straightforward steps, Google addresses these concerns effectively with on-device models.

Step one: Each interaction is individually summarized. The model records what appeared on the screen, what action the user took, and a preliminary guess of their intent.

Step two: Another model reviews these summaries, focusing solely on factual information. It dismisses guesses and formulates a concise statement outlining the user’s overall goal for their session. This targeted approach prevents the common pitfalls when smaller models are asked to process long chains of actions at once.

How the researchers measure success. Success is determined with Bi-Fact, where small models employing the step-by-step strategy consistently outperform other small-model methods, as evidenced by their F1 scores.

Models like Gemini 1.5 Flash, despite being only 8B, match the performance of the Gemini 1.5 Pro on mobile data. Errors diminish since unfounded guesses are removed, speeding up operation and reducing costs compared to large cloud-based models.

How it works. Intent is analyzed by breaking it down into distinct facts, identifying missing or fabricated details. This process reveals how and where understanding fails, offering insights into how systems misinterpret meaning and miss crucial information.

The research further shows that noisy training data impacts large end-to-end models more significantly than this structured approach. The decomposed system remains robust against the unpredictability of real user behavior.

Why we care. For Google to develop tools that suggest actions or answers before a query is entered, understanding user intent from behavioral patterns across apps, browsers, and screens is essential. This research is a major step towards that vision. Although keywords will remain important, optimizing for clear, logical user paths will take precedence over mere query inputs.

The Google Research blog post. Small models, big results: Achieving superior intent extraction through decomposition

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

January 26, 2026
Frustration Grows: Google Ads Bug Hinders Note Accessibility

I’ve recently experienced a glitch in Google Ads that’s been quite the headache. It has unexpectedly removed the option for adding notes in some accounts, making change tracking and documentation far more challenging. I know how important these notes are for keeping track of optimizations and performance shifts.

This issue was initially brought to my attention by Odi Caspi, a fellow paid search consultant. Over the past couple of weeks, the problem has surfaced sporadically, causing quite a bit of disruption. Let me share what advertisers are meant to see in their dashboard:

I find it incredibly essential to understand why we care about this issue. Account notes are an invaluable tool for agencies and in-house teams to trace changes over time. When we lose the ease of access to these notes, troubleshooting performance fluctuations becomes tougher, and our collective memory weakens.

In accounts affected by this bug, the “Add note” option simply vanishes from the popup where I usually annotate changes. It’s an intermittent issue, with the functionality sometimes working perfectly and disappearing at other times.

As for workarounds, Caspi mentions that clicking on an existing note could reveal the option to add a new one. However, this method works only if there’s already a note available within the current date range we’re examining.

Another workaround I came across, suggested by Paid Media Specialist Dids Reeve, involves opening the Notes panel from the “More” menu. It seems this option still allows for adding notes in some cases.

Looking forward, it’s frustrating not knowing when Google might officially recognize or address this bug. Until it’s resolved, I’ll need to be more vigilant about documenting significant changes using alternate methods.

The first reported instance of this glitch came from Caspi himself, who shared insights from his campaign reports on LinkedIn.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

January 23, 2026

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