Podcast
Search Engine Roundtable Podcast
Hosted by Barry Schwartz · EN
This podcast includes weekly search news recaps and vlogs that Barry Schwartz of the Search Engine Roundtable produces. It covers SEO, SEM, organic and paid search topics, mostly around Google but also on Microsoft Bing and other search engines.
It is a quick way to catch up on the most important SEO and SEM topics of the week.
108episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
It's New 5/21: Big Google Ads News From Google Marketing Live and more
May 2100:15:46Tap to summarizeToday we covered much of the Google Marketing Live news about changes with Google Ads. This includes new ad formats for AI Mode, conversational discovery ads and highlighted answers. Google Shopping ads coming to AI Mode, Business Agents for Leads also coming and expanding Direct Offers. Google also combined Ads Advisor and Analytics Advisor into Ask Advisor. 0:00 - Introduction0:24 - Google Marketing Live Ad News15:28 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.
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It's New 5/20: Intelligence Search Box, Google AI Mode Gemini 3.5 Flash & All The I/O Search News
May 2000:12:58Tap to summarizeToday we covered all the big search news out of Google I/O, including the new intelligent search box, the seamless AI Overview to AI Mode feature expanding, Gemini 3.5 Flash powering AI Mode, information agents in search, agentic booking updates, coding in Google Search, personal intelligence expanding, Universal Cart, and so much more. Microsoft Advertising announced its monthly releases, and they include updates to the import center, cross-account portfolio bidding, bidding strategy reports and more. 0:00 - Introduction1:02 - Google I/O Search News10:15 - Microsoft Advertising import center, cross-account bidding and bidding report0:00 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.
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It's New 5/19: Google I/O Search Volatility, Markdown Files & Microsoft Clarity AI Citations
May 1900:04:38Tap to summarizeToday we covered Google search ranking volatility heating up before Google I/O. Google added markdown files to the help docs but John Mueller of Google said it is not used by Google Search. Microsoft Clarity adding AI citations reporting to its analytics package. And just some ranting. 0:00 - Introduction0:20 - Google has some big ranking volatility on I/O day1:30 - Google added markdown files to its help docs but Search doesn’t use it2:52 - Microsoft Clarity added a new AI citations report4:09 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.
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It's New 5/18: Google on how to optimize for AI answers, spam policies apply to generative AI and primary conversions for enhanced positions
May 1800:13:34Tap to summarizeToday we covered Google’s new guidance on how to optimize for generative AI answers. Google also updated its spam policies to note those policies apply to AI responses. Google Ads primary conversion actions not used for optimization may be used to enhance predictions. Google is moving offline conversion imports out of the Google Ads API. I asked the SEO community, pre-Google I/O, if Google AI Mode will replace Google Search - most say no.0:00 - Introduction1:17 - Google advice on how to optimize for AI answers4:55 - Google spam policies apply to AI responses5:29 - Google Ads primary conversion actions for enhanced predictions9:50 - Offline conversions moving out of Google Ads API11:05 - Google I/O Poll: AI Mode won’t replace Google Search12:40 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.
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Google Ranking Volatility Heated, Discover Data Goes Missing, FAQ Rich Results Totally Gone & Google Ads AI Dashboards
May 1500:09:24Tap to summarizeThis week in search I covered, yep, heated Google search ranking volatility kicking in the middle of this week. Google updated its spam policies to say it also applies to Google’s AI responses in Search. Google Discover performance report is missing data from May 7th and May 8th. Google Search drops FAQ rich results from the search results completely. Bing Webmaster Tools does not distinguish between http and https. A new study says schema does not influence AI citations. Google Discover publisher pages are testing new links and featured posts. Google Ads teases new AI-powered dashboards. Google Ads search terms report shows the best approximation of a user’s intent. Google Ads posts a help document on site visits assets. Google Ads to automatically link your YouTube channels. Google Ads API version 24.1 is now out. Google Merchant Center tests Merchant Advisor. Google Merchant Center has new out-of-stock options. Google Merchant Center for Agencies is now globally available. Google Analytics has a new AI assistant traffic to track ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.This episode is brought to you by Yahoo Scout. Yahoo Scout is a new AI-powered answer engine that brings together AI summaries with something the search community cares about—real links to real sources, designed to be transparent. Built on Yahoo’s long history as a trusted guide to the internet, Yahoo Scout helps users get clear answers, with the ability to explore beyond. You can try it now at scout.com.0:00 - Introduction0:57 - Google Search Ranking Volatility Heated May 13th & 14th1:53 - Google: Spam Policies Apply To AI Responses (AI Overviews & AI Mode)2:36 - Google Discover Performance Report Missing Data May 7 & May 82:55 - Google Search Drops FAQ Rich Results In Search & Search Console3:42 - PSA: Bing Webmaster Tools Does Not Distinguish Between http and https4:12 - Study: Adding Schema Did Not Improve AI Citations On Google, ChatGPT & More4:47 - Google Discover Publisher Pages To Get Links & Featured Posts5:04 - Google Ads Teases New Dashboards Powered By Gemini5:29 - Google Ads Search Terms Report Shows Best Approximation Of User's Intent6:27 - Google Ads Posts Site Visits Assets Documentation6:49 - Google Ads To Automatically Link YouTube Channels7:14 - Google Ads API Version 24.1 Now Available7:34 - Google Merchant Center Tests Merchant Advisor8:05 - Google Merchant Center Gains More Out-of-Stock Options8:27 - Google Merchant Center For Agencies Now Available Globally8:42 - Google Analytics AI Assistant Traffic: Tracks ChatGPT, Gemini & Claude Traffic9:15 - Conclusion
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It's New 5/14: Google ranking volatility, GA4 tracks AI traffic, risky AI content & ATV ads
May 1400:08:58Tap to summarizeToday we covered the new Google search ranking volatility getting heated. Google Analytics has a new AI assistant traffic that tracks popular AI engines like Gemini, ChatGPT and Claude. Lily Ray wrote a great piece about the risks of using AI to scale your content. Google vehicle ads now support ATVs and non-motorized vehicles. 0:00 - Introduction0:53 - Google search ranking volatility heats up2:36 - Google Analytics new AI assistant traffic report4:33 - AI content at scale risks6:16 - Google vehicle ads supports ATVs and more7:19 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.
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It's New 5/13: Google Ads Gemini dashboards, Google Discover reporting bugs, Google Ads, schema AI citations
May 1300:10:48Tap to summarizeToday we covered the Google Discover performance report had a reporting bug between May 7 and May 8. Google Ads teased new Gemini-powered dashboards. Google Ads search term report shows the best approximation of the user’s intent, not the keyword. Google is beta testing Merchant Advisor in Google Merchant Center. A study from Ahrefs says schema does not help you with placement in AI engines.0:00 - Introduction1:30 - Google Ads Gemini Dashboards4:08 - Google Ads search term report best approximation of user’s intent6:05 - Google Merchant Advisor (Beta)7:29 - Google Discover performance report bug8:11 - Study says schema doesn’t help with AI citations9:53 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.
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It's New 5/12: Google Merchant Center for Agencies, Google Ads YouTube Link, Bing Webmaster Tools HTTP/S & More
May 1200:09:16Tap to summarizeToday we covered how Google opened Google Merchant Center for Agencies to all. Google Ads will automatically link to your YouTube account starting on June 10th. Bing Webmaster Tools does not support HTTP vs HTTPS individually. Google is testing dark/light URLs in the search snippets.0:00 - Introduction0:52 - Google Merchant Center for Agencies globally available2:30 - Google Ads will automatically link your YouTube channel3:58 - Bing Webmaster Tools does not support HTTP vs HTTPS individually5:00 - Google tests dark/light URLs in the search snippets7:58 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.
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It's New 5/11: FAQ rich results gone, Google site reputation abuse adjustments, AdSense backs down & Google Ads new features
May 1100:13:23Tap to summarizeToday we covered that Google FAQ rich results are now gone from the Google search results fully. Google may adjust the site reputation abuse penalty for EU news sites. Google AdSense won’t use the browser back button as an additional trigger when the search penalty goes live. Google Ads announced journey-aware bidding, smart bidding exploration, and budget pacing.0:00 - Introduction1:02 - Google drops FAQ rich results support4:15 - Google may adjust site rep abuse for EU news sites 7:35 - AdSense backs down on back button over search penalty 9:45 - Google Ads journey-aware bidding, smart bidding exploration, budget pacing 11:40 - ConclusionA daily recap video summarizing a few of the top search marketing headlines covered at the Search Engine Roundtable.This recap is called It's New - A quick, daily dose of the latest in SEO with Anu Adegbola of Search Engine Land, Mordy Oberstein of SE Ranking and Greg Finn of Cypress North (and Marketing O’Clock) and Barry Schwartz.
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Google AI Systems Black Box, Links In AI, UCP Checkout Expands, ChatGPT Ad Manager, Ask.com Shutters & More
May 800:12:27Tap to summarizeThis week in search we covered more heated Google ranking volatility this morning, it seems big - so stay tuned. We also covered how Google spoke about how they try to isolate their AI systems because they tend to be a black box and hard to debug. Google improves links within AI Mode and AI Overviews. Google expands UCP-powered checkout to the mains search results. Google Search Console kind of fixed its 50 week data reporting bug. Google may have to adjust its site reputation abuse policy for EU news sites. Google AdSense will drop the back button trigger for vignette ads due to the upcoming search penalty. Google has a new way to authenticate bots named Web Bot Auth. Google is testing a “Fresh updates” label in the search results. Bing spoke about search indexing versus grounding indexing. Bing said its 1 billion monthly active users are humans, not bots. Google Ads to expand smart bidding exploration and budgeting pacing to Shopping campaigns. Google Ads will require passkeys for certain sensitive actions. Google Ads has a new use AI to add products feature. Google Ads AI Max content and title exclusions are going to the account level. Google Ads updated its data retention policy. Google Ads call recording will be on by default. OpenAI officially launched its ChatGPT Ad Manager tool. ChatGPT Ads click-through rates aren’t that bad. Google Business Profiles suspensions spike over user restrictions. Bing Places for Business is finally mobile friendly. Ask.com has shut down its search engine after almost 30 years. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.Sponsor: Ahrefs - Have you seen Ahrefs' new Agent A - a tool that gives you the reports and insights you need, right as you need them. Agent A lets you build your own reporting tools through this AI powered platform, and you don’t need to know any coding or data analysis information. So if you want to know which of my blog posts have the most untapped potential for more traffic, just ask it and it will use Ahrefs’ deep integration and powerful AI tools to dynamically built the report for you. It is slick and fun, so check it out at ahrefs.com/agent-a.0:00 - Introduction1:06 - Google Search Ranking Volatility Heated Today - May 8th1:43 - Google On AI Overviews & AI Mode Being Isolated Systems (Or Not)2:45 - Google Improves Links Within AI Mode & AI Overviews In 5 Ways4:08 - Google Expands UCP Checkout To Main Search Results4:28 - Google Search Console Fixed The 50 Week Data Logging Issue5:10 - Google May Adjust Its Site Reputation Abuse Policy For EU News Sites6:21 - Google AdSense Vignette Ads Drops Back Button Trigger Over Hijack Penalty6:48 - Google Web Bot Auth: Validate Authentic Bots7:07 - Google Tests Fresh Updates Label For Search Snippets7:16 - Microsoft Bing On Search Indexing vs. Grounding Indexing8:09 - Bing: 1 Billion Monthly Users Are Human, Not Agents8:26 - Google Ads To Expand Smart Bidding Exploration & Budget Pacing8:44 - Google Ads To Require Passkey For Certain Sensitive Actions After July 158:53 - Google Ads Adds Use AI To Add Products9:15 - Google Ads AI Max Content & Titles Exclusions On Account Level Coming9:53 - Google Ads Data Retention Policy Updated10:15 - Google Ads Call Recording To Default To Yes On July 1st10:30 - Official: OpenAI Beta Self-Serve Ads Manager For ChatGPT Ads11:00 - Similarweb Data: ChatGPT Ads Click-Through Rates11:21 - Google Business Profile Suspensions Spike Over User Account Restrictions11:36 - Bing Places For Business Finally Mobile Friendly11:47 - Ask.com Shut Down After Almost 30 Years12:13 - Conclusion
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