Archive
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Google is removing the campaign-level language targeting setting from Search and AI Max for Search campaigns in late September, replacing it with automated language matching based on ad language and user signals.
Meta leveraged AI analysis to remove 750,000 teen accounts in Australia in compliance with the country's eSafety Commission ban on under-16 users.
X released expanded GitHub code and a new tool letting users check whether their posts have been shadowbanned or restricted, marking another transparency push by the platform.
Shopify has seen AI referrals jump 197%, but organic search still drives the majority of ecommerce traffic.
Effective link building requires looking beyond individual links to broader strategic considerations.
B2B organic traffic can rank well but fail to drive actual customer consideration, requiring a strategic rethink beyond click metrics.
Google experienced a notable ranking volatility spike over August 12–13, while OpenAI began hiding ChatGPT source links behind additional clicks.
A new study reveals AI sources drive just 1.1% of traffic to news publishers, suggesting minimal direct impact from AI traffic sources at present.
GSQi Blog explains how to identify and organize AI Mode queries using Google Search Console's performance data, APIs, and third-party tools like Analytics Edge and Claude.
Search Engine Land argues that recent SEO visibility gains attributed to AI are largely the result of brands paying off accumulated technical debt rather than benefiting from new opportunities.
Market volatility from SEO uncertainty can help challenger brands outrank established competitors and reclaim lost organic visibility.
Tracking tools detected a notable ranking volatility spike on August 12–13, though SERoundtable reports no confirmed Google algorithm update behind the movement.
Google has reduced the minimum follower requirement for Search Profiles from 100,000 to 35,000 on YouTube, Instagram, and X, though TikTok remains at 100,000.
OpenAI is moving the ChatGPT sources button from a visible footer position to a hidden three-dot menu, potentially reducing click-through visibility to cited sources.
Misconfigured Cloudflare and CDN settings can accidentally block Google crawlers, causing sudden ranking drops and traffic loss.
Google's Search Console sometimes designates spammy sites as the canonical URL for legitimate domains, though Google says the selection typically resolves within weeks.