Google May Let Sites Opt Out Of AI Search Features
Google says it’s exploring new controls that would let websites opt out of AI search features specifically, as the UK CMA opened a regulatory consultation.
About
Matt G. Southern, Senior News Writer, has been with Search Engine Journal since 2013. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, Matt specializes in gathering details, checking facts, and making complex subjects easy to understand. In addition to writing articles, Matt oversees strategy development for SEJ’s news department.
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Google AI Overviews Now Powered By Gemini 3
Google is making Gemini 3 the default model for AI Overviews and adding a direct path to ask follow-up questions in AI Mode.
Sam Altman Says OpenAI “Screwed Up” GPT-5.2 Writing Quality
Sam Altman said OpenAI prioritized coding and reasoning in GPT-5.2 and “screwed up” writing quality. He says future GPT-5.x versions will address the gap.
Why Google Gemini Has No Ads Yet: ‘Trust In Your Assistant’
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis says Google doesn’t have any current plans for ads in Gemini, as OpenAI moves toward ChatGPT advertising.
SEO Pulse: Google’s AI Mode Gets Personal, AI Bots Blocked, Domains Matter in Search
This week’s SEO Pulse breaks down how Gmail-powered AI answers, crawler access decisions, and free subdomains are shaping who gets surfaced in search.
TikTok US Deal Closes After Years Of Regulatory Uncertainty
TikTok’s US spinoff to Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX has closed after a White House official said the US and China finalized the deal.
Google Launches Personal Intelligence In AI Mode
Google’s Personal Intelligence connects Gmail and Google Photos to AI Mode, delivering personalized responses for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
56% Of CEOs Report No Revenue Gains From AI: PwC Survey
A survey of 4,000+ CEOs from 95 countries finds 56% haven’t seen revenue or cost benefits from AI.
YouTube CEO Announces AI Creation Tools, In-App Shopping For 2026
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan previews 2026 priorities: AI tools for Shorts creation, text-to-game features, in-app shopping checkout, and image posts in Shorts.
OpenAI Search Crawler Passes 55% Coverage In Hostinger Study
Hostinger analyzed 66.7B bot requests across 5M+ hosted sites and found AI training crawlers are blocked more often, while OpenAI’s search bot expands.
Google’s Mueller: Free Subdomain Hosting Makes SEO Harder
Google’s John Mueller explains why free subdomain hosting services attract spam and make it harder for legitimate sites to gain search visibility.
19 WordPress Alternatives: From Simple Builders To Enterprise CMS
WordPress no longer your default choice? Get a clear breakdown of when Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Shopify, Ghost, Drupal, and others are the smarter move.
SEO Pulse: UCP Debate, Trends Gets Gemini, Health AIO Concerns
This week’s SEO Pulse highlights the implications of Google handling more of the journey, from discovery to checkout, inside its own ecosystem.
Google Health AI Overviews Cite YouTube More Than Any Hospital Site
A study of 50,807 German health queries finds Google AI Overviews cite YouTube most, as Google pulls some health summaries after a Guardian report.
Survey: Publishers Expect Search Traffic To Fall Over 40%
A Reuters Institute survey finds publishers expect search traffic to drop over 40% in three years as AI answer engines expand.
YouTube Expands Monetization For Some Controversial Issues
YouTube is updating advertiser-friendly guidelines so some non-graphic videos on “controversial issues” may be eligible for full monetization.
Google: AI Mode Checkout Can’t Raise Prices
Google responds to “personalized upselling” criticism tied to its AI Mode checkout, saying upselling means premium options, not higher prices.
Apple Selects Google’s Gemini For New AI-Powered Siri
Apple and Google announce a multi-year AI partnership. Gemini models and cloud tech will underpin Apple Foundation Models and a more personalized Siri.
Google’s UCP Checkout Brings New Tradeoffs For Retailers
Google’s AI Mode checkout aims to reduce friction, but retailers question what it means for brand control, cross-sells, and customer data.
Google Announces AI Mode Checkout Protocol, Business Agent
Google announced checkout capabilities in AI Mode and a new Business Agent feature that puts branded AI chat on Search results. Available to U.S. retailers.
SEO Pulse: Core Update Favors Niche Expertise, AIO Health Inaccuracies & AI Slop
This week’s SEO Pulse highlights the tensions emerging as search engines tighten quality standards for sites while defending their own AI outputs.
Google: AI Overviews Show Less When Users Don’t Engage
Google’s Robby Stein explains why AI Overviews appear for some searches but not others, describing an engagement-based system.
Google Gemini Gains Share As ChatGPT Declines In Similarweb Data
Similarweb’s January Global AI Tracker shows ChatGPT at 64.5% of gen AI chatbot site visits, while Gemini reached 21.5% and writing tools fell.
Most Major News Publishers Block AI Training & Retrieval Bots
BuzzStream analyzed robots.txt files for 100 top news sites. 79% block training bots, but 71% also block retrieval bots that affect AI citations.
Google’s Mueller Weighs In On SEO vs GEO Debate
Google’s John Mueller says businesses relying on referral traffic should consider the ‘full picture’ of AI and prioritize based on actual usage data.
Google’s Mueller Explains ‘Page Indexed Without Content’ Error
Google’s John Mueller says “Page Indexed without content” errors typically indicate server or CDN blocking of Googlebot, not JavaScript issues. Here’s what to check.
The Guardian: Google AI Overviews Gave Misleading Health Advice
A Guardian investigation says health experts found misleading information in Google’s AI Overviews for some medical searches. Google disputes the findings.
Microsoft CEO, Google Engineer Deflect AI Quality Complaints
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella urges moving beyond “slop vs sophistication,” while Google engineer Jaana Dogan frames AI criticism as burnout.
December Core Update: More Brands Win “Best Of” Queries
Early analysis of Google’s December core update points to gains for specialized sites over generalists. News publishers saw heavy volatility across surfaces.
The 7 Best Landing Page Builders For 2026
When conversions matter, these landing page builders give you the flexibility and optimization features to capture more customers.