Apple announced the new Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, it was a bit underwhelming. Google Ads is testing new top pages links. Google Shopping is testing linking directly to the retailer's page and not product detail overlay. Google Ads has a new Campaign Guidance with experiment power scores. Google AI Mode is testing citation counts and favicons at the bottom.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Apple Siri AI & New Apple Intelligence
  Apple had its big annual developer conference, WWDC, and as expected, they spent a lot of time showing off the new Apple Intelligence and what they are calling Siri AI. Apple says Siri AI is "an entirely new version of Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence."
• Google Ads Testing Top Pages Links
  Google seems to be testing new "top pages" links within the Google Ads sponsored listings. These look like sitelinks or those old tags but they are titled "Top pages."
• Google Shopping Results Tests Linking Directly To Merchant Site
  Google is testing directly linking to merchant/retailer web sites, instead of to product listing overlays within the Google Shopping results. Generally, when you click on a product within Google Search, Google will open a new side panel overlay window that has more details about that product.
• New Google Ads Campaign Guidance With Experiment Power Score
  Google Ads has a new feature named Campaign Guidance that will give you an "Experiment Power" score that will show advertisers "the likelihood of achieving statistically significant results, along with actionable recommendations to improve your experiments and make informed decisions," Google wrote.
• Google AI Mode Tests Citation Counts & Favicons Under Results
  Google is testing moving the results count with favicons from above the citations and links cards in the AI Mode results, to under/below the citations and links cards. I am not sure if this will make a difference either way to publishers, but Google is always testing changes.
• Outdoor Lounge Area At Google Kirkland Office
  This is a photo from the normally rainy and dark Google office in Kirkland, Seattle. Here you see blue skies and a nice looking day to use the outdoor lounge area. I found this photo on Instagram...

Other Great Search Threads:

• In case you missed it: We recently released new Google Business Profile Playbooks! Whether you run a café, hotel, tour company, or service business, we have a tailored guide to help you stand out. Plus, a General P, Google Business Profile on X
• Occasionally we get questions about whether dashes in domain names are ok for SEO (they're ok). So far, I haven't seen anyone ask the other question - HOW MANY DASHES ARE OK? Folks, the answer is apparently 61. Now you can read the link in peace., John Mueller on Bluesky
• Stop treating AI bots equally., Myriam Jessier on Bluesky
• These are 3 well-known brands that are also listed as case studies of AI content scaling tools They scaled a lot of page templates that can manipulate AI answers, like excessive "best X" content, self-promotional listicles, scaled, Lily Ray on X
• We write about these things because we see people confused about this at events and elsewhere. If you've been active in the world of SEO & whatevero for a while, none of these things are new., John Mueller on LinkedIn

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google adds new Performance Max asset testing tools
• OpenAI to expand ChatGPT ads to new markets & test multi-advertiser placements
• Google to update Local Services Ads policies in July
• The problem with AI share of voice and 3 metrics that matter more
• Google AI Brief may be the replacement keywords never had
• Stop looking for the perfect PPC budget split
• What ChatGPT Ads data reveals about your competitors

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• Apple unveils new Siri AI, dedicated app, and enhanced Apple Intelligence features in iOS 27, 9to5Mac
• Apple Unveils Xcode and Foundation Models Framework Improvements, MacRumors
• Apple will let you build workflows using AI in its new Shortcuts app, TechCrunch
• Built to benefit everyone: our plan, OpenAI
• Do your best research with NotebookLM, Google Blog
• Have a Thorny Medical Question? Your Doctor May Be Using A.I. for That., New York Times
• How to Build a Representative AI Search Prompt Library for Better AI Visibility Measurement, Aleyda Solis
• What 100 Australian eCommerce brands taught us about AI search (The High-Ticket Effect), Studio Hawk

Analytics

• New Google Business Profile integration, Google Analytics Help

Industry & Business

• Apple Says Google AI Models in New Platform Will Not Compromise User Privacy, Bloomberg
• Google and Nvidia Consider Intel as Backup Chip Manufacturer, The Information
• iOS 27’s most powerful on-device AI requires iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air, 9to5Mac
• OpenAI confidentially files for IPO, prepping Wall Street for AI debut, CNBC
• Top White House AI Advisor to Leave Post, The Information
• Wikipedia Vs. Google Search: Game On!, MediaPost

Links & Content Marketing

• 5 Content Marketing Ideas for July 2026, Practical Ecommerce
• How to Build Topical Authority in the AI Search Era (7 Steps), Backlinko

Local & Maps

• Android Auto bug leaves Google Maps in day mode at night, 9to5Google
• The New Rules of Local Search: Reviews, Community Signals, and Brand Prominence, Advanced Web Ranking

SEO

• Your Sites Receive More Traffic Than You Realize, SEO Theory
• From Traffic Loss to Entity Understanding: SEO in 2026, Rich Sanger SEO
• Google’s AI opt-out leaves publishers with a difficult choice, Digiday
• How many consecutive hyphens can you have in a domain name?, Terence Edea's Blog
• How to Level-up From SEO Tactician to Search Visibility Leader, Ahrefs
• How We Run SEO/AEO Audits With Claude & Sitebulb, Sitebulb
• Why an AI 'Death Spiral' Threatens the Internet, Bloomberg on YouTube
• Why Evergreen Content Compounds (and AI Content Doesn't), Blue Array SEO
• In 2026, Less than One Third of Google Searches Still Send a Click, SparkToro
• SEO Isn’t Simply a Content Package; It’s a Strategy, JumpFly
• US publishers tell Common Crawl to stop scraping and delete archive, Press Gazette
• What The Future of Google Looks Like, Leadership SEO

PPC

• AI Max vs. Broad Match: Which Works Best?, WordStream
• AI Ready? Google Ads Maturity Model., Avinash Kaushik
• Impression Share Insights for Better Ad Strategy, Hopskip Media
• Scale results with new asset experiments in Performance Max, Google
• Why Your PPC landing Pages Aren't Converting, PPC Hero
• Update to Gambling and Games Policy: Vietnam (June 2026), Google Advertising Policies Help
• Why Great ROAS Doesn't Always Mean Great Business, PPC Live

Search Features

• 4 ways to keep up with the FIFA World Cup 2026 using Google tools, Google Blog
• Apple Expands Visual Intelligence With Bill Splitting, Nutrition Insights, and visionOS Support, MacRumors
• Apple Reveals New AI Architecture Built Around Google Gemini Models, MacRumors
• Google's older Nest Mini and Audio are quietly checking out before the new Home speaker arrives, Android Authority
• Here's how to remove Gemini from Google Home, Android Authority
• Microsoft lets users disconnect Bing from Windows 11 search, Mashable
• See the top Google Trends searches for the 2026 NBA Finals, Google Blog

Other Search

• ChatGPT app experience updates, ChatGPT Release Notes
• Google Home upgrades weather forecasts, media on Nest Hub, 9to5Google
• Google’s June 2026 frauds and scams advisory, Google Blog

Feedback:

Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News, add as a preferred source on Google and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or just contact us the old fashion way.

Apple had its big annual developer conference, WWDC, and as expected, they spent a lot of time showing off the new Apple Intelligence and what they are calling Siri AI. Apple says Siri AI is "an entirely new version of Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence."

Siri AI is conversational, like you'd expect from an AI assistant today. But honestly, it feels like AI from a few years ago. I assume it will get better over time, but Apple continued to mention privacy over and over again when talking about Siri AI and Apple Intelligence. While other AI platforms learn off everyone's inputs and usage, Apple is more privacy centric in many areas.

Apple wrote that Siri AI is "conversational assistant with personal context understanding, broad world knowledge, and onscreen awareness, Siri AI can help users find what they need in the moment, from answering questions from the web on virtually any topic, to surfacing relevant information from a user's personal messages, emails, photos, and more. Siri AI also includes a dedicated app for users to revisit conversations across their products, an expanded Visual Intelligence experience, and integrated tools for writing. With a bold new architecture uniquely designed to protect users' privacy, Siri AI leverages the next generation of Apple Intelligence to bring state-of-the-art understanding and reasoning, along with powerful systemwide capabilities, to Apple's operating systems."

Here is the chart Apple showed over and over again called Apple Foundation Models, which runs on device and on servers using Private Cloud Compute:

Visual Intelligence also got an upgrade letting you use your Camera app with a brand-new Siri mode, allowing users to get information and take action on what's in front of them. Users can simply tap the shutter button to let Siri see what they see and receive useful responses. Siri mode in Camera also includes a rich new set of actions, including the ability to split a bill with friends using Apple Cash, get nutritional insights about a plate of food, and more.

Siri AI will be available as a beta later this year for users with a supported device set to English, and Apple will expand support for more languages.

There is a lot more about Apple Intelligence and Siri AI over here and in the Apple Newsroom - I was a bit underwhelmed. I was hoping to see more powerful Gemini features from Google. I mean, I've covered Apple's AI efforts for a while and I really was expecting more, unlike previous years. Google did post after the WWDC keynote on its blog Bringing the latest Gemini models to Apple developers.

Here are some screenshots of it in beta:

Off new Siri waitlist, downloading now pic.twitter.com/iB6RqatMg9

— Max Weinbach (@mweinbach) June 8, 2026

ChatGPT extension in Siri is really interesting pic.twitter.com/VkufgPM3nm

— Max Weinbach (@mweinbach) June 8, 2026

Ask ChatGPT does not have access to your personal data like Ask Siri does, but it's available in the Siri app pic.twitter.com/FhX17RDoKX

— Max Weinbach (@mweinbach) June 9, 2026

You can import Xcode plugins from Codex and Claude Code! pic.twitter.com/6FEQK0Lk9s

— Max Weinbach (@mweinbach) June 9, 2026

New Siri in camera with visual intelligence pic.twitter.com/HMYwjugpfI

— Max Weinbach (@mweinbach) June 8, 2026

Forum discussion at X.

Google seems to be testing new "top pages" links within the Google Ads sponsored listings. These look like sitelinks or those old tags but they are titled "Top pages."

The top pages then shows links to what Google defines as the top pages from that domain.

This was spotted by Arpan Banerjee who posted a screenshot of it on LinkedIn - here is that screenshot:

Forum discussion a LinkedIn.

Google is testing directly linking to merchant/retailer web sites, instead of to product listing overlays within the Google Shopping results. Generally, when you click on a product within Google Search, Google will open a new side panel overlay window that has more details about that product.

Google is testing that instead, it will just take you directly to that merchant's website. How agentic (not)...

This was spotted by Sachin Patel on X and also later by Brodie Clark on @serpalerts. Here is a video from Sachin showing the click from the product result going to the retailer's website:

Here are more videos of this in action from Sachin:

Google is testing blue hyperlinks for products in Shopping results.

When I click the product title, it takes me directly to the retailer's website instead of opening the product listing within Google Shopping. @rustybrick @brodieseo @gaganghotra_ pic.twitter.com/KPm0KTndcC

— Sachin Patel (@SachuPatel53124) June 8, 2026

Forum discussion at X.

Google Ads has a new feature named Campaign Guidance that will give you an "Experiment Power" score that will show advertisers "the likelihood of achieving statistically significant results, along with actionable recommendations to improve your experiments and make informed decisions," Google wrote.

This should give advertisers more confidence in the experiments they run and if they will succeed or not. Hana Kobzová, who spotted this first and wrote about it on PPC News Feed wrote, " feature offers an 'Experiment Power' score to predict the likelihood of achieving statistically significant results and provides actionable recommendations for improvements."

The "Experiment Power" scores are interesting to me, Google explained the factors involved in this score and they include:

• Campaign selection: Campaigns with sufficient volumes are necessary for a healthy experiment setup.
• Campaign variability: Campaigns with consistent performance over time lead to more reliable experiment results.
• Traffic split: Sufficient traffic volume needs to be in the experiment arm to provide conclusive results.
• Experiment duration: Experiments should run for a minimum duration based on the campaign volume and traffic to ensure reliable and conclusive results.
• Experiment type: Test settings like headlines, bidding strategy among others, require variable experiment durations and minimum performance volumes for conclusive results.

The experiment score has three categories of ranges including:

• Low: 0 - 49% power
• Medium: 50 - 79% power
• High: 80% - 99% power

How do you level-up (sorry, had to) your Experiment power score? Google says:

• Choosing campaigns with sufficient volume: Running experiments with campaigns that have a large enough volume of data (for example, conversions, spend, among others) can significantly increase the power of your experiment.
• Adjusting the experiment duration: Increasing the duration of your experiment will allow you to gather more data, resulting in higher power.
• Optimizing the traffic split: For faster results, consider using a 50/50 split between your control and treatment groups.
• Selecting alternative campaigns: Explore other campaigns with higher volume for your experiment.

Here are the listed benefits of Campaign guidance with experiment power scores:

• Run more effective experiments: Avoid inconclusive results or unnecessarily long experiment durations.
• Get actionable insights faster: Make data-driven optimizations and improve campaign performance more quickly.
• Get personalized recommendations: Adjust budgets, experiment durations, or campaign selections to increase the likelihood of conclusive results.
• Simplify experiment setup: Get clear, easy-to-understand explanations and actionable steps to run successful experiments.

This feature is available for all Performance Max experiments and Broad Match experiments in Google Search campaigns.

For more details, so this Google help document.

Forum discussion at X.

Google is testing moving the results count with favicons from above the citations and links cards in the AI Mode results, to under/below the citations and links cards. I am not sure if this will make a difference either way to publishers, but Google is always testing changes.

This test was spotted by Brodie Clark at SERP alerts and he posted some screenshots on X. Here is what the test looks like with the counts/favicons on the bottom:

Here is what it typically looks like:

Forum discussion at X.

Google added a new help document on third-party tools, services and advice, plus Google updated its hiring an SEO document. Google is testing Search profile insights and analytics. Bing has a new way to hide AI responses from Copilot. Google said it won't be making AI Mode the default search experience from Chrome.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Search Ranking Volatility This Weekend - Around June 6th
  Earlier this month, the Google May 2026 core update was completed on June 2, 2026. But the volatility has not seemed to calm down. I am seeing a lot of chatter spike up from within the SEO community over the weekend. The SEO chatter started Friday, June 5th and continued through the weekend. Meanwhile, most of the third-party Google volatility tracking tools seem somewhat calm.
• New Google Document On Third-Party SEO Tools, Services & Advice
  Google not only updated its advice on hiring an SEO document, but also created a new one named Google Search's guidance on using third-party SEO tools, services, and advice. This document drills into how to evaluate the advice you get from these sources and some tips to think critically about such SEO advice.
• Google Updates Its Hiring An SEO Doc Warning On SEO Tools & AI Optimization
  Google has updated its help document titled Do you need an SEO? Google said the changes are to help when "evaluating your SEO's recommendations and tools, along with other minor updates to the page to simplify and modernize the content." But the document also added a section for Optimizing for generative AI and making sure your SEO follows Google's guidelines around that topic.
• Google Search Profiles Insights & Analytics
  Google launched Search Profiles late last week, a way for creators and publishers to have a place on Google to highlight its content and platforms. And Google seems to be testing a new Insights section for Search profiles, where you can see how searchers are interacting with your Search profiles on Google.
• Bing Gives Searchers A Way To Disable AI Copilot Answers
  Microsoft Bing announced a new way to disable the Copilot, Microsoft AI, responses from showing up in the Bing search results. There is a new browser extension available for Chrome and Edge that you can install to toggle off showing AI responses, or you can just add -ai to the end of your query.
• Google: Google Chrome Won't Set AI Mode The Default Search Experience
  Google has confirmed that the search company has no plans on making AI Mode the default search experience within Google Chrome. This comes after Chrome Canary added a new experimental flag that redirected searches from the address bar directly to AI Mode. According to Rajan Patel, a Google VP, that was an error.
• Satyajeet Salgar Walk By In Time Magazine Google's Pichai Interview
  Earlier this month, Time Magazine interviewed Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai. And some how, just some how, Satyajeet Salgar, Director of Product and UX at Google, made it into the video. Well, kind of... He was in a filler portion of the interview...

Other Great Search Threads:

• Spotted something new in Google Business Profile! It's been a while since 'Place Page Attributes' showed up in GBP, but now for the first time, I'm seeing a 'PRIMARY' tag appearing right next to the selected Chat/Texting number, Syed M. Amir Hassan on X
• Is it new @rustybrick I'm seeing an AI Preview in the https://t.co/USsMgNeZrW search results powered by Google. It appears on mobile, but I don't see it on desktop., Saurabh Bhardwaj on X
• It appears Google is planning to convert the "follow" button to "subscribe." DiscoverCard = convert_follow_to_subscribe, Damien Andell on X
• Schema.org is publishing the Public Usage Statistics dataset via a collaboration with Google., Shameem Adhikarath on X
• Seems like it would be good to at least have the landing page crawlable. Their main site has a more differenced robots.txt file, maybe send them a note :)., John Mueller on Bluesky
• We're rolling these reports out to a subset of websites, allowing us to thoroughly test them and receive feedback before making them widely available. This enables us to thoroughly test these features to ensure they’re working at a smaller scale before , John Mueller on Bluesky
• ChatGPT surpassed 600 million MAUs for the first time., Similarweb on
• Hit by may update, BlackHatWorld
• Hmm... crazy to see Grokipedia surge with the May 2026 core update. It dropped heavily in early February but really shot up with the core update. But... that's for now. I have a feeling that will drop again (and maybe so, Glenn Gabe on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google adds guidance on third-party SEO tools, services, advice and updates hiring an SEO doc
• Google clarifies sensitive audience targeting rules for Demand Gen campaigns
• Microsoft expands Audience Ads eligibility for cryptocurrency exchanges
• The latest jobs in search marketing
• Cloudflare: Bots now make up 57% of webpage requests
• 4 ways to track AI search visibility when attribution falls short
• Delegation search: Why users outsource decisions to AI
• How TV ads create search demand '" and what to do about it

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• Anthropic Urges Global Pause in AI Development, Flags ‘Self-Improvement’ Risk, Wall Street Journal
• ‘Bots have now passed human traffic online,’ Cloudflare boss laments — says agentic traffic wasn’t expected to eclipse real people until next year, Tom's Hardware
• 'World-first' vaccine designed by artificial intelligence, BBC
• 9 Vibe Coding Examples: AI Apps You Can Use Right Now to Grow Your Website, Ahrefs
• Lockdown Mode, OpenAI
• OpenAI makes its next hardware move with Opal Electronics, Testing Catalog
• WTF is NLWeb? — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
• AI Search Runs on Two Memory Systems. The Platforms Don’t Use Them the Same Way., Duane Forrester Decodes
• OpenAI plots biggest ChatGPT overhaul since launch, Financial Times (Sub)

Analytics

• GA4 via Google Tag Manager: Step-by-Step Guide, KRM Digital Marketing
• Google Tag Gateway Now Available for Amazon CloudFront Users, PPC News Feed

Industry & Business

• European publishers seek £552m+ from Google claiming ad market abuse, Press Gazette
• Google Defeats "Negligent Digital Architecture" Claim-Starr v. Google, Eric Goldman
• Has Microsoft Lost Its Mojo (Again)?, Wired
• Nadella Rebukes Microsoft Executive’s Plan to Make Users “Addicted” to AI Agents, The Information
• OpenAI to comply with Trump AI model review order: Osborne, CNBC
• U.S. Officials Discuss Taking Financial Stakes in AI Industry, Wall Street Journal
• The Data-Center Slowdown and Google’s Gambit, Wall Street Journal
• WWDC 2026: Apple’s Secret Meeting That Led It to Take AI Seriously; iOS 27, Bloomberg

Links & Content Marketing

• 91 Best Marketing Blogs, Newsletters, Podcasts, and Videos, Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• Android Auto redesigns Google Maps alerts to be less distracting, 9to5Google
• Google Starts Rolling Out Android Auto 17.1: How To Skip the Wait and Download It Right Now, AutoEvolution

SEO

• First Preview: Google Search Console Generative AI Report Now Live, Brodie Clark Consulting
• Automated SEO: What It Is and How It Works in 2026, Ahrefs
• Google May 2026 Core Update: Reddit Up, YouTube Down, SE Ranking
• How to Optimize for AI Visibility and Prepare for Agentic Search, Moz
• Keyword strategy in SEO: What it is & how to create one, Semrush
• Google Suggest Scraper in the Age of AI Search, Grumpy Old SEO
• Site Migration SEO Mistakes: 32 Pitfalls & Fixes, Pwani

PPC

• Local Services Ads policy update (June 2026), Google Advertising Policies Help
• Microsoft Allows Audience Ads for Cryptocurrency Exchanges, PPC News Feed
• Rolling out ads in the UK, ChatGPT Release Notes
• Saying Goodbye to DSA: How to Prepare for the AI Max Switch, ZATO
• Campaign Guidance for Experiments, PPC News Feed

Search Features

• Chrome tests redirecting searches to AI Mode instead of Google Search results, Windows Report
• How to Get a Google Search Profile From Outside the US, Suganthan

Other Search

• WWDC 2026 Preview: iOS 27, Siri, AI Features, macOS 27, More Apple Will Announce, Bloomberg
• A Double Victory for Web Speed: Chrome Breaks Records Again on Speedometer 3.1 and Jetstream 3, Google Blog

Feedback:

Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News, add as a preferred source on Google and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or just contact us the old fashion way.

Earlier this month, the Google May 2026 core update was completed on June 2, 2026. But the volatility has not seemed to calm down. I am seeing a lot of chatter spike up from within the SEO community over the weekend. The SEO chatter started Friday, June 5th and continued through the weekend. Meanwhile, most of the third-party Google volatility tracking tools seem somewhat calm.

I will say that this May core update was much more volatile than the March 2026 core update. So maybe folks are feeling that a little bit after the update finished rolling out? Or maybe, Google is doing some post-core update tweaks. It is really hard to know.

As a reminder, the Google May 2026 core update was announced on May 21, 2026, and then that following weekend, we saw some significant ranking volatility, and then again, this past weekend, we saw even more volatility. But today, I am seeing even more volatility spike up - yes, on a Tuesday - June 2, 2026 right before Google said the update was done.

Now, we are seeing more volatility over the weekend following the core update being marked as done.

SEO Chatter

There is chatter within the WebmasterWorld forums and on this site - here is a sampling of that chatter:

What happened Friday about 12.00 PDT?

My traffic across all sites, including niche UK, fell off a cliff edge and are still dead. After 12 hours today I am at about 10% of average!

Anyone else?

Good question; it's the same for me. Traffic has been very low since around noon yesterday, and the shop has practically come to a standstill.

Our week-over-week Google traffic has been up most days lately (anywhere from single- to double-digit percentages). The increases are almost academic, though, when you consider that AI Overviews have lowered the baseline to a pittance.

With 2 hours of my Googleday to go my global site is at 20% of average, this makes Xmas Day look busy!

EU traffic is really crashing since yesterday.

Things are looking great. I was hit by the 2023 core update and I'm seeing a recovery. My traffic is back to 90% of what I used to get.

But my revenue is still down. I guess it is just bot traffic.

Yep traffic is up but not in the revenue, I agree, its all bot traffic. As I posted below , it quoted Cloudflare now saying over 50% of traffic is bots now earlier than had been predicted.

Google Tracking Tools

But the majority of the third-party Google tracking tools are showing little volatility, so I am not sure what is up.

Here is my interactive chart that plots all of them in one chart:

What are you all seeing?

Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.

Google not only updated its advice on hiring an SEO document, but also created a new one named Google Search's guidance on using third-party SEO tools, services, and advice. This document drills into how to evaluate the advice you get from these sources and some tips to think critically about such SEO advice.

Google said they did this "To highlight important considerations when evaluating third-party SEO tools and advice, and to simplify some sections and remove outdated examples in existing documentation."

Google wants you to be careful when listening to advice from SEO tools, services or just blanket SEO advice. Google wrote in the document, "We recommend carefully evaluating any advice you might be considering implementing against our official SEO guidance, including our guidance on optimizing for generative AI, and making your own informed decisions."

When it comes to the advice from SEO tools, Google said to ask these questions:

• Assisting in sitemap generation
• Establishing indexing directives
• Offering to generate "SEO-optimized" content for you
• Providing advice they claim will improve the ranking of your existing content
• Promising improvements for AI experiences and search formats (also known as "AEO" or "GEO" tools)

Google added:

Some of these services may be helpful in your work, while others may make claims or imply that what they do is somehow "acceptable" or "approved" by Google Search. Google doesn't evaluate third-party services, so be wary of such claims and those making them. Keep in mind that using a service or tool doesn't guarantee ranking success.

Some third-party services provide data that some users of those tools misinterpret as somehow being from Google. Third-party tools don't have access to our internal ranking data. They can't guarantee performance. Any predictions are their own and like predictions generally, may not happen.

Of course, Google also dropped a recommendation for its own SEO tool, Search Console. "Whether you use a third-party tool or not, we strongly encourage using our first-party tool, Google Search Console, which provides you with key information and data directly from Google Search itself," Google wrote.

ð Google updates guidance on third-party SEO tools, services, and advice ð'

Specifics of this in these two posts from @glenngabehttps://t.co/v0RdsxqEDZhttps://t.co/MM6xTcb42N pic.twitter.com/vcL1tBBmra

— Gagan Ghotra (@gaganghotra_) June 6, 2026

Forum discussion at X.

Google has updated its help document titled Do you need an SEO? Google said the changes are to help when "evaluating your SEO's recommendations and tools, along with other minor updates to the page to simplify and modernize the content." But the document also added a section for Optimizing for generative AI and making sure your SEO follows Google's guidelines around that topic.

The two key changes in the document are the "Optimizing for generative AI" sections and its content around SEO tools and using third-party tools for SEO. The FTC line was always there, even though some reported that as new.

Here is the new document and here is an archived version to compare.

There are tons of textual changes to the document, and it is overall a lot smaller than the original document; it is about 30% smaller now. But Google wrote:

If they have advice on optimizing for AI experiences (also known as "AEO" "GEO" services), is their advice aligned with Google Search's official guidance on optimizing for generative AI features?

This links to Google's new document on generative AI optimization. Google wants you to make sure that your SEO company is not using spammy tactics to manipulate the generative AI search responses.

Also, Google added a section on third-party tools:

If your SEO offers to do an SEO audit for you, be sure to carefully consider what's involved and only grant read access to Search Console (at this stage, don't grant them write access). An SEO audit should be about giving you realistic estimates of improvement, and an estimate of the work involved. If they guarantee you that their changes will give you first place in search results, find someone else.

If your SEO uses a third-party tool, keep in mind that Google doesn't evaluate or endorse third-party SEO tools, and these tools don't have access to Google's internal ranking data. Be wary of tools that claim to be "acceptable" or "approved" by Google Search.

In fact, that last section is in red and highlighted.

Here are some nice screenshot highlights from Glenn:

Second, there's a new page for "Google Search's guidance on using third-party SEO tools, services, and advice" which contains information about AEO/GEO as well. I still believe we will see a spam update that wipes out sites gaming AI Search... We might also see new manual actions'... pic.twitter.com/tIrwxOQOSg

— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) June 6, 2026

Google also made a new document on third-party tools, services and advice.

Forum discussion at X.

Google launched Search Profiles late last week, a way for creators and publishers to have a place on Google to highlight its content and platforms. And Google seems to be testing a new Insights section for Search profiles, where you can see how searchers are interacting with your Search profiles on Google.

As a reminder, "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," Google explained.

Jane Manchun Wong shared a screenshot on X of the Search Profiles Insights beta screens that show your Search profiles:

• Top five posts on Search ranked by most clicks
• Clicks: The number of visits to your content from Google
• Impressions: The number of times your content appeared on Google
• Top Countries: Where your clicks are coming from

Here is Jane Manchun Wong's screenshot:

I do not know how to see these yet but I did ask. My Google Search Profile is at profile.google.com/@rustybrick - if you want to follow.

Forum discussion at X.

Update: When I log in to creators.profile.com, I can now see my Insights:

I am now seeing my Google Search profile Insights now - more details at https://t.co/AVRVE9HIB4 pic.twitter.com/1LIDh3lNqp

— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) June 9, 2026

Microsoft Bing announced a new way to disable the Copilot, Microsoft AI, responses from showing up in the Bing search results. There is a new browser extension available for Chrome and Edge that you can install to toggle off showing AI responses, or you can just add -ai to the end of your query.

Jordi Ribas, the President, Head of Search at Microsoft, wrote on X about this saying, "We just shipped a preview extension in Bing that lets you toggle AI chat-like features on or off with just one click."

"It's a simple but important step we're taking to ensure that our users always feel confident they have a choice in the search experience we're providing," he added.

Here is a screenshot of this extension:

You don't need to use the extension, you can also append -ai to your query to do the same thing. For example, here is a normal query without the -ai:

Now the same query with the -ai:

Jordi Ribas added:

AI is doing powerful things for search, but research tells us that not everyone wants to use AI for everything all the time. With this extension, you decide which experience is right for you in the moment. I'm proud of the AI experiences we're building in Bing - I've also always taken pride in listening to our users to create products that truly work for them.

DuckDuckGo recently saw a huge surge in usage because it does not include AI-generated responses in its search results. I guess Microsoft wants to have it both ways?

Here is the Chrome extension and here is the Edge extension.

Some are asking, why build an extension to do this, why not just have a toggle or a setting in your account. Here is how Michael Schechter from Microsoft responded to that:

We're looking to better understand what people are looking for with features like this. The extension lets the most interested users show us the right path forward.

— Michael Schechter (@mikeschechter) June 7, 2026

Looking for feedback from dedicated users (which is why it's in preview) to figure out how to best integrate such functionality more generally into the product

— Michael Schechter (@mikeschechter) June 5, 2026

Forum discussion at X.

Google has confirmed that the search company has no plans on making AI Mode the default search experience within Google Chrome. This comes after Chrome Canary added a new experimental flag that redirected searches from the address bar directly to AI Mode. According to Rajan Patel, a Google VP, that was an error.

First to spot this was Windows Report on Friday, which originally reported:

Chrome Canary has a new experimental flag that redirects searches from the address bar directly to AI Mode threads. I confirmed it works. When enabled, search queries typed into the omnibox open an AI Mode conversation instead of the standard Google Search results page.

Generally, this is a sign of what is coming to the stable release of Google's popular web browser, Chrome.

But no, this was an error. Vice President, Search Engineering at Google, Rajan Patel told Glenn Gabe on X that this was an error, he wrote, "this was an error."

He then added, "We're not planning to make AI Mode the default for Chrome searches."

So no, Chrome won't default searches to go directly to AI Mode:

Hey Glenn-- this was an error. We're not planning to make AI Mode the default for Chrome searches.

— Rajan Patel (@rajanpatel) June 5, 2026

I was about to cover this news on Friday, but I am glad I waited - it just didn't feel to me that this was part of Google's long term plan.

Forum discussion at X.

Google is rolling out Search profiles that you can manage and follow. Google Business Profiles will soon be connectable to Google Analytics. Microsoft Advertising will be making changes to UTM auto-tagging. Google added passkey and security agent help documentation. Google is asking searches if the business is offering rewards in exchange for a review. And I posted the weekly SEO video recap from Boston.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Search Profiles: Publisher Profile Pages Officially Live
  After tons and tons of testing and tweaking, Google is officially announcing what it calls Search profiles and what I called Discover publisher pages. Google said Search profiles provide "a central place to showcase their latest articles, videos and social posts."
• Coming Soon: Connecting Google Business Profile To Google Analytics
  Google will soon allow you to connect your Google Business Profile with Google Analytics. Google sent out an email to some businesses saying this is coming soon, within the next "few weeks."
• Microsoft Advertising To Update UTM Analytics Auto-Tagging Sep. 2
  Microsoft emailed advertisers notifying them that Microsoft Advertising will update UTM auto-tagging beginning on September 2, 2026. Microsoft added that no action is required on your part, as the updated tags will be applied automatically.
• Google Passkey & Security Agent Added To Account Security and Safety Doc
  With the rise of Google Ads accounts being hijacked, Google has updated its Account security and safety help document with more details on passkeys and the security agent feature. This is in addition to a number of changes Google made recently around ad account security.
• Google Dialog: Does This Business Offer Rewards In Exchange For Reviews
  About five months ago (I missed it), Google began asking searchers if the business location they are visited offers rewards in exchange for reviews. The prompt that comes up in the app asks, "Does this business offer rewards in exchange for reviews?"
• Video: Google May Core Update Done, AI Performance Reports & Controls, Google Ads, ChatGPT Ads, Microsoft Scout & Tools
  This week, I recorded from Boston - sorry for the appearance. We covered the Google May 2026 core update rolling out. Google Search Console released to a few new AI performance reports and new AI controls. Bing...
• Cleaning A Waymo
  Here is a photo from the Google offices in Mountain View, California - the GooglePlex. There is this guy cleaning a Waymo inside and out. There is a video of this on Instagram if you want to watch it...

Other Great Search Threads:

• AI Mode shows a "Get more features update your settings", Sachin Patel on X
• Bing is now comparing add-on features of Edge with Chrome, which are only provided by Edge. Before, we had seen many variations while searching Google or Google Chrome on Edge, Khushal Bherwani on X
• Had a great time sitting down with @kimmonismus to talk product and the evolution of Google Search. Thanks for the convo!, Robby Stein on X
• Technically, Google has never mentioned these as "Key impacts and focal points" specific for the Google May 2026 core update - or am I wrong, Barry Schwartz on Bluesky
• We are fully dedicated to deepening your understanding of grounding and AI visibility. I invite you to explore this insightful technical blog on WebIQ written by my colleague Knut Risvik!, Krishna Madhavan on LinkedIn

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google introduces Search profiles within Google Discover
• Why so much SEO work no longer drives growth
• Your #1 competitive advantage in Google Ads: Customer Match
• AI in the wild: Confident, wrong, and weirdly expensive
• Google's expanded candidate set and the selection crisis

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• Bringing Gemma 4 12B to your Laptop: Unlocking Local, Agentic Workflows with Google AI Edge, Google Developers Blog
• Apple approves Poke as the first AI agent on its Messages for Business platform, TechCrunch
• ChatGPT Is Asking for Reddit by Name Before It Answers, Foundation Inc
• Dreaming: Better memory for a more helpful ChatGPT, OpenAI
• Google DeepMind CEO Says AGI Is Coming Fast: 'We Don't Have Long to Prepare', Decrypt
• Study Finds AI Systems Crediting Brand Trademarks to Rival Companies, AIMCLEAR
• When AI builds itself, Anthropic

Analytics

• Google Tag Gateway vs. Google Tag Manager: The Difference, KP Playbook

Industry & Business

• An Interview with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella About Finding Core Competencies, Stratechery by Ben Thompson
• Google and Intersect to build Meitner Energy Center in Texas, Google Blog
• Meet this year’s Doodle for Google winner, Google Blog
• Will Hayter interview: The civil servant trying to regulate Google, Press Gazette

Links & Content Marketing

• B2B brand strategy: How to build a brand that earns trust at scale, Hallam
• The 8-Step Checklist for Every New Link Building Campaign, The Upper Ranks

Local & Maps

• 5 Android Auto mistakes you're probably making - and how to fix them, ZDNET

SEO

• AI SEO Has Brands Astroturfing Reddit; Outcomes Obsession Fuels Principal Media, AdExchanger
• Google‘s AI search optimization guide: what to do next, Semrush
• What is Generative User Interface Optimization? GUIO!, Hobo

PPC

• AI Max is Coming to Google Shopping: Strategy & Testing Checklist, Smarter Ecommerce
• Can These ChatGPT Ads Make You Love A.I.?, New York Times
• Google Ads Terms of Service Update July 2026: What Advertisers Need to Know About Automation Responsibility, ZATO
• Updates to Restricted targeting in Personalized advertising (June 2026), Google Advertising Policies Help

Search Features

• Google Wallet and Pay are getting even better, Google Blog

Feedback:

Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News, add as a preferred source on Google and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or just contact us the old fashion way.

This week, I recorded from Boston - sorry for the appearance. We covered the Google May 2026 core update rolling out. Google Search Console released to a few new AI performance reports and new AI controls. Bing Webmaster Tools will release more AI reporting tools very soon. A Microsoft executive had a slide that admitted AI search reduces clicks and website visits. Google officially released publisher profile pages to some, they are called Search profiles. I posted the monthly Google Webmaster Report for June. Google Ads has a new leads management screen and tool. Google Ads has new branded searches controls for AI Max. Google Ads has a new invalid activity credit report. Google started to test healthcare ads in AI Mode. Google Ads updated its terms of service. Google Merchant Center expanded attribute rules to automatically found products. Google AdSense now lets you share your full IP address with buyers. Google Business Profiles can be connected to Google Analytics soon. ChatGPT has new multi-advertiser placements for ads and a bunch of new Ad Manager updates. Microsoft announced Web IQ and Microsoft Scout. And I created a new Google volatility tracker aggregator tool. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.

Sponsor: BruceClay one of the founding fathers of the SEO space, doing search marketing optimization since 1996. Bruce Clay is big into SEO training, check out seotraining.com to learn more and check them out at bruceclay.com. Also, check out their new product, Prewriter.ai - this tool empowers writers to write better and more efficiently, so check it out.

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Search Topics of Discussion:

• 0:00 - Introduction
• 0:53 - Google May 2026 Core Update Has Completed Rolling Out
• 1:15 - Google May 2026 Core Update Volatility Hits Hard Again June 2nd
• 2:05 - Google Search Console AI Performance Report & AI Blocking Controls (Limited)
• 4:33 - Microsoft: Bing Webmaster Tools AI Reporting To Gain New Features Soon
• 4:56 - Microsoft: AI Summarizes Results, Reducing Clicks & Website Visits
• 5:32 - Google Search Profiles: Publisher Profile Pages Officially Live
• 6:30 - June 2026 Google Webmaster Report
• 6:38 - Google Hosted Forms Leads Screen In Google Ads
• 7:03 - Google Ads New Branded Searches Controls For AI Max
• 7:23 - Google Ads Invalid Activity Credit Report - New Help Document
• 7:48 - Google Begins Limited Test Of Healthcare Ads In AI Mode
• 8:12 - Google Ads Terms of Service Updated For AI Changes After 8 Years
• 8:32 - Merchant Center Expands Attribute Rules To Automatically Found Products
• 8:55 - Google AdSense New Full IP Address Sharing
• 9:26 - Coming Soon: Connecting Google Business Profile To Google Analytics
• 9:46 - ChatGPT Multi-Advertiser Placements & Ads Manager Updates
• 10:44 - Yahoo Scout Slighted By Microsoft Scout? And More on Microsoft Web IQ.
• 11:30 - New SER Volatility Aggregator Chart & Backend Update
• 11:58 - Conclusion

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