Going offline for Passover tonight through Saturday night, don't expect new stories tomorrow or Friday.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Programming Note: Offline For Passover Thursday & Friday
  This is a programming note that I am completely offline for the Passover holiday Thursday and Friday. I am likely not going to schedule any stories, I apologize (still in recovery mode)...
• Google Ask Maps Fully Available In US and India
  Earlier this month, Google rolled out the "Ask Maps" feature. Now, Google said it is "available to everyone in the U.S. and India."
• Google Explains Googlebot Crawling, Fetching & Byte Limits
  Google posted a new blog post named Inside Googlebot: demystifying crawling, fetching, and the bytes we process alongside episode 105 of the Search Off the Record segment named Google crawlers behind the scenes.
• Microsoft Advertising Merchant Center Enables Store & Domain Name Updates
  You can now update your store's name and / or domain name directly in Merchant Center within Microsoft Advertising.

Other Great Search Threads:

• ICYMI last week - Google is testing review count filters in the Google Maps App - This means your review count in relation to your competition could become much more important. h/t to @realTimKahlert for this find, Joy Hawkins on X
• How did we go from using URL shorteners for making it easier & faster to link to stuff, to using them to display an interstitial that makes everything harder & slower?, John Mueller on Bluesky
• I think it might help the sites if we could be more direct though - whoever set up your site should read up on caching, and your hoster should upgrade the servers from 128kb RAM, or perhaps, switch servers / hosters if you want more content indexed + acce, John Mueller on Bluesky
• It's important to be clear about uncertainty in metrics, regardless of whether it's for SEO or anything else. And, it's critical to make room & set expectations for those you work with, that expressing uncertainty is a good thing., John Mueller on Bluesky

Search Engine Land Stories:

• 20 practical ways to use AI in SEO
• 'Google Zero' misses the real problem: Your next visitor isn't human
• How to reduce cost-per-hire with LinkedIn recruitment campaigns
• SMX Now: Learn how brands must adapt for AI-driven search
• YouTube adds AI creator matching and ad formats to its partnerships platform
• AI search engines cite Reddit, YouTube, and LinkedIn most: Study
• Google Gemini may adapt AI answers to match user tone: Report
• Google expands Merchant Center loyalty features to 14 countries and AI surfaces
• Google explains how crawling works in 2026
• 59% of SEO jobs are now senior-level roles: Study
• Technical SEO for generative search: Optimizing for AI agents
• The push layer returns: Why 'publish and wait' is half a strategy
• ChatGPT enables location sharing for more precise local responses

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• How developers can use Veo 3.1 Lite for AI video generation, Google Blog
• We Need To Have a Conversation About Garbage AI Content, Moz

Analytics

• A Guide to the Analytics Section in Google Merchant Center, JumpFly Digital Marketing Blog

Industry & Business

• Here’s how to change your Google Account username (and change your Gmail address), Google Blog
• Lawyers Seeks $147 Million Fee in Google Privacy Button Case, Bloomberg
• OpenAI closes funding round at an $852 billion valuation, CNBC

Links & Content Marketing

• The content optimization hierarchy: How AI-driven search redefines content strategy, Oncrawl

Local & Maps

• ChatGPT now available via CarPlay with iOS 26.4, AppleInsider
• Google Review Guidelines 2026 Update, SearchLab Digital
• Google widely rolls out 'Ask Maps' feature [Gallery], 9to5Google
• The scammers extorting small businesses with fake Google reviews, The Times

SEO

• 6 Steps to Boost Your E-E-A-T Factor This Year, Bruce Clay
• Introducing llms.txt to Shopify: Give AI a map to your best products, Yoast
• New Location for the Google Crawlers' IP Range Files, Google Search Central Blog
• SEO for Service Businesses: An Essential Guide for Local Success, Wix
• UK publisher Future's shares plummet as changes in Google search traffic hit margins, Reuters
• What AI Userbot Traffic Actually Reveals About Your Website, SISTRIX

PPC

• Google Expands Creator Partnerships With AI Matching, PPC News Feed
• AI Alters Search Behaviors Without Eliminating Search Advertising, PPC News Feed
• How to Fix & Prevent Automation Drift (Part 3), Hopskip Media
• What insights does the smec platform offer, that Google hides?, Smarter Ecommerce
• Why LSA and Google Ads Cannibalize Each Other (And How to Fix It), PPC Hero

Search Features

• Apple Tests Siri Feature That Handles Multiple Commands at Once, Bloomberg
• Gemini app rolls out new glow on Android, moves Temporary chat, 9to5Google
• Google Home updates include Gemini in Spanish, better controls, 9to5Google

Feedback:

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