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: Links, Site Moves & Technical SEO Don’t Fix Quality Issues
Google clarified that improving links, moving a site, or fixing technical SEO won’t solve problems caused by poor content quality. John Mueller emphasized that ranking issues tied to “quality” require improving the overall value and relevance of the site’s content—not just technical or structural changes.
Google AI Mode Tests Different Colored Map Pins
Google is experimenting with a new AI Mode feature in Search that displays embedded maps using multiple colored pins—red, blue, yellow, and possibly orange—each representing different categories or meanings. The update includes a color key legend to help users interpret the map results. This test highlights Google’s ongoing push to make AI-powered search results more interactive and visually informative, especially when users explore local or location-based queries.
Google Search Adds Price Tracking Graph For Each Retailer
Google has introduced a new feature where, upon clicking a product in Search, users may now see a price-history chart showing how the item’s price has changed over time across different retailers. This visual tool allows shoppers to compare price trends per retailer and can help them decide when it’s a good time to buy or wait.
Google Tests Clickable Paperclip Icon in Search Snippets
Google is experimenting with a new paperclip-style icon that appears in search result snippets; clicking either the paperclip or the snippet leads users to the webpage. The icon may be tied to the company’s broader use of paperclip symbols for AI Mode and other features, though the specific purpose of this test remains unclear.
Google Announces an Update for Voice Search
Google revealed a major upgrade to its voice-search technology, introducing a system called Speech‑to‑Retrieval (S2R) that directly links spoken queries to relevant documents—bypassing the traditional step of converting speech into text. This change promises faster, more accurate voice results by using dual-neural-network encoders—one for audio, one for text—mapping them into a shared vector space to find semantic-matches between spoken queries and written content.
PPC Related News and Updates from Major Search Engine
Google Local Search Ads in Google Maps Now Supports Sitelinks
Google has fully launched the ability for local search ads in Maps to include sitelinks—clickable sub-links that appear beneath a promoted pin in the Maps interface. These sitelinks can be used from both Search and Performance Max campaigns, and require at least two sitelinks for both desktop and mobile for them to show.
Google Ads Experiments With “New Customer Value” Setting
Google Ads is testing a setting that allows advertisers to assign a higher value to new customers (and/or bid more aggressively for new-versus-returning customers) in their campaigns. While still labeled as an experiment, this “New Customer Value” mode aligns with Google’s broader customer lifecycle goals framework.
