Microsoft is testing the removal of site names from Bing search results, displaying URLs instead—a test Google ran about a year prior.

LinkedIn is intensifying its efforts to combat inauthentic activity and AI-generated spam, as disclosed in its latest Digital Services Act reports.

Google released new AI-powered tools for image generation and video analysis built on its Gemini platform.

Google updated its AI Max documentation to clarify that broad keywords are not treated as exact match keywords when using AI Max or disabling broad match.

Google Discover is experiencing widespread loading failures and slowness for multiple users.

Instagram is adding tags to AI-generated profiles to help users distinguish between human and artificial intelligence accounts.

John Mueller confirmed Google won't penalize a site for old outbound links that point to content that has since become low-quality or malicious.

Microsoft now requires all Copilot users to log in, though the restriction doesn't yet apply to Copilot Search answers within Bing.

Anthropic disclosed that infostealer malware is compromising Claude user sessions to drain account usage and hijack accounts.

Google is rolling out book buttons to Search and Performance Max campaigns through its Reserve with Google partner integration.

Google's John Mueller clarified that the search giant announces updates primarily to give site owners transparency and actionable guidance they can implement.

Google is updating its alcohol advertising policy on September 30, 2026, revising regional rules and expanding where such ads can run.

Google is rolling out hotel booking capabilities within its AI Mode search experience with integrated Google Pay checkout.

Google announced Ask Advisor will soon retain conversation history across Google Ads, Analytics, Merchant Center, and other marketing tools.

Google is running a fresh round of testing on swipeable category carousels within sponsored search results, a feature first spotted in October 2024.

Meta is rolling out paid AI subscription tiers as part of a broader effort to turn its AI investments into revenue.

Robby Stein, Google Search's VP of Product, asked users on X what single feature they'd most want added to AI Mode.

Bing is testing a dedicated "Shorts" tab in its search menu to filter short-form video results from platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Google is testing an alpha-stage channel priority slider in Google Ads that lets advertisers adjust how much budget Performance Max campaigns allocate to specific channels like Search, YouTube, and Display.

Cloudflare announced that EmDash, its TypeScript-based CMS positioned as a spiritual successor to WordPress, is nearing a v1.0 release after successfully migrating its own high-traffic blog to the platform.

Social Media Today reports Threads is testing embedded podcast transcripts synced to audio for in-stream playback.

Google acknowledged and is actively working to fix a bug where reviews disappear from Google Business Profiles after suspension and reinstatement, with no timeline announced.

Google cut the recommended waiting period for Maximize Conversion Value bidding from 3-4 weeks down to 1-2 conversion cycles, plus added troubleshooting docs for multiple campaign types.

Google Search Console's crawl stats report had a two-day data gap (August 15–16), which Google resolved by August 23.

Google is rolling out the ability to customize your Discover feed in real time using conversational AI to refine topic preferences.

Google expanded its Preferred Sources personalization program with a new embeddable button, natural language Discover controls, and customizable audio briefings across Search, Discover, and Google News.

Google Discover now supports conversational search to let users customize their feed in real time using natural language.

Google has rolled out Ads API v25.1 with new tracking, measurement, and asset management features.

Google's John Mueller confirmed that the company announces search updates at the same time rollout begins, not beforehand.

Google is testing a redesigned Q&A interface within Google Business Profiles that includes a dedicated dashboard button and yes/no response prompts.

Google's John Mueller clarifies the reasoning behind the company's practice of announcing search updates after they've already begun affecting rankings.

The IAB released Version 2 of its AI Transparency Framework, establishing when advertisers must disclose AI use based on whether it materially affects perceived authenticity, alongside new regional regulations.

ChatGPT users may see ads from different advertisers flickering during load, likely due to an ad server glitch.

Google will support the HTTP QUERY method once the broader web ecosystem adopts it, per Gary Illyes.

YouTube has shifted its view-counting methodology to register views at the moment a video starts playing, rather than after a predefined viewing threshold.

The Wall Street Journal reports Meta's future AI spending obligations may total nearly $700 billion—far exceeding previous disclosures.

ByteDance has partnered with the Motion Picture Association to address copyright infringement risks from AI-generated content.

Google is experimenting with a redesigned review star display in mobile sponsored results that makes ratings more prominent.

Microsoft Advertising is experimenting with larger, full-block images in Bing sponsored search results.

Google is experimenting with blue hyperlinks embedded in sponsored ad descriptions that users can click directly.

Google has refined view-through conversion tracking and billing for Demand Gen campaigns with increased emphasis on video asset optimization.

Google has lowered the subscriber and follower thresholds needed for brands and creators to get a dedicated search profile.

Google is letting users remove visible watermarks from AI-generated content while keeping invisible SynthID and C2PA metadata intact.

Anthropic's new watermarking feature in Claude is drawing complaints from users worried it will expose personal or professional use of the AI tool.

IBM is training and certifying thousands of consultants on OpenAI's technologies as part of a new enterprise partnership.

Google Merchant Center for Agencies now supports linking up to 1,000 client accounts, an increase from undocumented limits.

Google is unifying and clarifying Merchant Center performance reports starting August 24, 2026.

X has open-sourced its feed ranking algorithm and introduced tools letting users see if content moderation has suppressed their visibility.