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 Recommends 304 Responses to Conserve Crawl Resources
Google has updated its crawl budget guidance to recommend supporting HTTP 304 (Not Modified) responses for pages that have not changed since Google’s last crawl. This allows Googlebot to reuse the cached version instead of downloading the page again, helping reduce server bandwidth and resources while allowing crawlers to focus on other pages.
Google Search Console Shows AI Mode Queries in Performance Reports
Google’s John Mueller explained how AI Mode queries are handled in Search Console’s Performance reports. He clarified that follow-up questions within an AI Mode conversation can be recorded as separate search queries, with their associated impressions, clicks, and position data contributing to Search Console reporting.
Google Updates Guidance to Help Businesses Identify Fraudulent Calls and Texts
Google has updated its Google Business Profile guidance on fraudulent calls and texts, adding new examples and clearer instructions for identifying legitimate communications. The updated guidance explains how businesses can verify official WhatsApp and RCS messages using Google’s verified account names and blue checkmarks, while reminding businesses not to share sensitive information or respond to suspicious messages.
Bing Webmaster Tools to Retire SOAP and POX APIs
Microsoft is retiring the SOAP and POX/HTTP APIs for Bing Webmaster Tools on August 31, 2026. Users relying on these legacy APIs are advised to migrate to the JSON/HTTP (REST) APIs to avoid service interruptions. Microsoft says the available API functionality, API keys, quotas, rate limits, and permissions will remain unchanged after the migration.
PPC Related News and Updates from Major Platforms
Microsoft Advertising Expands AI Visibility and Performance Max Insights
Microsoft Advertising has introduced several updates, including expanded AI Visibility insights, new Performance Max experiment options, and improvements to the Ad Preview Hub. The updates give advertisers more visibility into how their content appears in AI-driven experiences, help measure the impact of Performance Max campaigns, and make it easier to preview creatives across different ad placements.
Google Updates Government Documents and Services Ads Policy
Google will update its Government Documents and Services advertising policy on October 5, 2026. Under the revised requirements, authorized providers must have their domain officially linked and explicitly authorized by the relevant government entity, promote only the specific authorized service, and target the geographic regions covered by that authorization.
Google Ads Tests Security Restrictions for Free Email Accounts
Google Ads is testing a new security requirement that would restrict users with free email addresses such as Gmail or Yahoo from performing certain sensitive actions on advertiser accounts. Users can still manage routine campaign activities, but actions such as account linking and user access changes may require an authorized corporate email address.
Google Tests ‘Deal Ends’ Annotation for Product Listing Ads
Google is testing a new “Deal Ends” annotation for Product Listing Ads that adds urgency badges such as “3 days left” or “5 hours left” below product prices. The feature uses existing sale price and expiration-date data to highlight time-sensitive discounts, with eligibility based on discount levels, price history, and deal expiration dates.
Social Media Related News and Updates from Major Platforms
Snapchat Stops Recommending Fully AI-Generated Videos on Spotlight
Snapchat has announced that wholly AI-generated videos will no longer be eligible for recommendation on Spotlight. The platform says the change is intended to prioritize authentic, human-created content and give greater visibility to original perspectives, personal storytelling, and content created by real people.
