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 Rolls Out June 2026 Spam Update Globally
Google has started rolling out its June 2026 spam update, which applies globally and across all languages. The rollout may take a few days, and websites seeing ranking or traffic changes should review Google’s spam policies, as recovery after spam-related updates can take months.
Google Warns Against Creating Markdown Versions for AI SEO
Google’s John Mueller and Martin Splitt cautioned that creating separate markdown versions of websites for AI crawlers can add unnecessary complexity and duplicate publishing work. They suggested that site owners should focus on improving their existing HTML pages instead of maintaining parallel AI-focused content versions, which can be harder to debug if something breaks.
Google Says X-Frame-Options Can Matter for SEO
Google’s John Mueller said X-Frame-Options, or CSP frame-ancestors, is the security header most likely to have a direct SEO effect because it can stop other sites from embedding your content in iframes. The article also notes that while most security headers are not direct ranking factors, they still support SEO indirectly by reducing risks like hacking, malicious scripts, and loss of user trust.
Google Warns Site Move Outcomes Cannot Be Fully Predicted
Google’s John Mueller advised against moving from a country-code domain like .ca to .com purely for branding if the site is already global. He warned that site moves are major SEO projects, and even when handled correctly, the final outcome cannot be fully known in advance.
Google Explains New Search Generative AI Controls
Google has published detailed documentation explaining how site owners can control whether their content appears in Search generative AI features, including AI Overviews, AI Mode, and generative AI features in Discover. The control is currently available only for supported UK sites, offers include/exclude/inherit options, and Google says exclusion is not used as a ranking or inclusion signal for other parts of Search.
PPC Related News and Updates from Major Search Engine
Google Tests “Strongest Match” Labels on Search Ads
Google is testing new “Strongest match” and “Strong match” labels on select Search ads in the U.S. to help users identify ads that appear highly relevant to their queries. The label is based on Google’s existing ad quality and relevance signals, but Google has not yet explained the exact criteria, reporting options, or whether it may affect click behavior.
Google Launches Ask Ad Manager AI Agent for Publishers
Google has launched Ask Ad Manager, a Gemini-powered AI assistant built into Google Ad Manager to help publishers troubleshoot ad delivery issues, generate reports, analyze performance, and navigate the platform through conversational prompts. The tool is rolling out in beta, but publishers are advised to validate its reports and recommendations since generative AI responses are still experimental.
Google Adds More Details on Broad Search for Local Services Ads
Google has expanded its help documentation for Local Services Ads to explain how the “broad search” setting works, how advertisers can disable it, and how to identify leads generated from broad category searches. The update clarifies that opting out may reduce leads because ads will stop showing for general category queries like “plumber near me” or “dentist near me,” with added notes for legal, food and beverage, and multi-vertical advertisers.
