We hope you are in good health. Here are some of the major SEO news updates of the week that you need to know:
Search Related News and Updates from Major Search Engine
Google’s AI Mode SEO: 5 Quality Signals Robby Stein Says Still Matter
In an interview, Google Search VP Robby Stein says AI Mode is built on the same long-standing search quality systems—aimed at reducing hallucinations by grounding answers in trusted, helpful sources. He highlights five practical “AI Mode” quality signals: directly answering the question, high quality, fast loading, originality, and citing sources—plus the idea that user engagement (clicks/value/return visits) still reinforces what ranks.
Google’s Danny Sullivan: “SEO for AI” Is Still the Same SEO (Here’s What to Tell Clients)
Google’s Danny Sullivan says when clients ask for “AI SEO,” the right framing is that the fundamentals haven’t changed—AI search experiences are built on the same core SEO principles, so continuing proven work is the best long-term strategy. He warns that chasing “AI-specific” tactics can overcomplicate things, and notes that modern CMS platforms have made many technical basics easier, letting teams focus more on creating genuinely helpful content.
Bing Tests “Search With an Image” and “Make an Image” Options Inside the Search Bar
Microsoft is testing a new Bing search bar UI where clicking a plus (+) lets users either upload an image to search or trigger an image-generation option (“make an image”). The feature was spotted via shared screenshots, and the post questions whether adding generative image creation directly in the search bar is necessary.
Google Updates JavaScript SEO Guidance: Keep Canonicals Consistent Before & After Rendering
Google updated its JavaScript SEO docs to clarify that canonicalization can be evaluated twice—once on raw HTML and again after JavaScript rendering—so mismatched canonicals can send conflicting signals and lead to unexpected indexing. The key guidance: set the canonical in the initial HTML to match what JS will render, or if JS must set it, omit the canonical from the raw HTML and ensure only one canonical exists after rendering.
Google Warns Staggered Site Migrations Create “Messy” SEO Signals (Mueller)
Google’s John Mueller says a normal domain move is usually fine—even if a few URLs lag—because the homepage redirect helps Google interpret the migration correctly. But if you intentionally move only parts of a site (e.g., homepage on the new domain while product/category pages stay on the old), Google won’t see it as a clean “full site move,” making tracking difficult and leaving Google “a hard time understanding” both sites until you complete the move.
Google: A noindex Tag Can Stop Rendering—So Your JavaScript May Never Run
Google updated its JavaScript SEO docs to clarify that when Googlebot encounters a noindex directive, it may skip rendering and JavaScript execution entirely. That means if you ship noindex in the initial HTML and rely on JavaScript to remove/replace it later, Google may never see the “fixed” version—so if a page might need indexing, don’t include noindex in the original response.
PPC Related News and Updates from Major Search Engine
Microsoft Tests Underlined Text in Bing Ads Description Snippets
Bing is testing underlining the text within search ad snippets/descriptions, even though the underlines aren’t separate hyperlinks—clicking anywhere in the ad still goes to the same landing page. The test appears aimed at changing how ads scan visually, and was spotted via screenshots shared on X.
