SEO 101 Ep 517: Getting Ready for 2026 with Google Core Updates, LLMs Txt, and Search Console Experiments

Host: Scott Van Achte (StepForth Web Marketing)
Date: December 11, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of SEO 101 is hosted solo by Scott Van Achte, who provides a practical, entry-level exploration of current and emerging SEO trends. Scott covers the latest Google core update activity, new Search Console experiments, the ongoing debate over LLMs.txt files, a fresh study on AI Mode’s effect on click-through rates, and an important clarification regarding structured markup for ecommerce sites using JavaScript.

Key Topics and Insights

1. Google Core Update News

• Recent Volatility (02:25–03:10):

  • Significant search ranking fluctuations around December 3rd and 4th, with plenty of chatter but no official word from Google.
  • Usual story: speculation in the SEO community, not much clarity.
  • “There was an update, but we don’t know anything, which is kind of typical for a lot of these Google updates.” (Scott Van Achte, 02:48)

• New Major Core Update (03:16–04:32):

  • John Mueller (Google) hinted at an incoming core update during a Search Central Live event on Dec 9.
  • Within two days (by Dec 11th), a new core update started rolling out.
  • Typical advice:
    • Don’t panic or make changes until the update is finished.
    • Core updates often take up to 3 weeks, but “every time Google says it’ll take about three weeks, it ends up dragging into four or five weeks, even longer.” (Scott Van Achte, 04:17)
    • Wait and watch before reacting to any ranking changes.

• Unannounced Mini Core Updates (04:33–06:30):

  • Google has updated its Search Developer documentation, confirming that minor, unannounced core algorithm updates happen regularly.
  • Quote from documentation:
    • “You don’t necessarily have to wait for a core update to see the effect of your improvements. We’re continually making updates... including smaller core updates.”
  • Message: Ongoing improvements (not just big updates) can affect rankings.
  • “Core updates are happening right now. They’re happening all the time.” (Scott Van Achte, 06:07)
  • Focus on consistent content improvement over chasing every fluctuation.

2. Google Search Console Experiments

• Unified Web and Social Analytics (07:08–09:25):

  • Limited experiment: Search Console is rolling out an Insights update that allows some users to see unified performance data for both websites and associated social media channels.
  • Features:
    • Additional traffic sources (image search, video, Discover, News).
    • Social channel performance (top/trending pages & queries, audience locations).
  • Very limited availability; automatic association of channels.
  • “If anyone out there has set it up, I would love to hear about it… share some screenshots and stories... I have not been able to see it yet.” (Scott Van Achte, 09:03)

• AI-Powered Configuration (09:26–12:23):

  • New experimental feature: Ask questions in plain English, let AI in Search Console build custom reports.
  • Streamlines the process:
    • Automatically selects relevant metrics, applies filters, and sets up comparisons.
  • Limitations:
    • Only works with Search Performance reports (not Discover/News).
    • No support for sorting tables or exporting data (yet).
    • Caution: Always double-check AI’s suggestions for accuracy.
  • “You can ask complex questions and to be able to do that in Search Console… is going to make things much easier for a lot of people.” (Scott Van Achte, 11:38)

3. LLMs.txt Controversy

• Google’s Messaging vs. Actions (16:40–18:05):
  • John Mueller stated Google neither uses LLMs.txt nor recommends it:
    • “Google won’t use it and that it can be useless. He has suggested that if you do use it you should no index it.”
  • Google briefly published an LLMs.txt on developers.google.com, then removed it.
  • Recommendation:
    • No urgency to set it up now, but “it doesn’t hurt to set it up and go for it.… Maybe it'll be a big deal someday, I don’t know. But right now it’s minor.” (Scott Van Achte, 17:37)

4. Study: AI Mode’s Impact on Clicks (SegaPixel)

• First Study on Transactional Queries (18:06–22:32):
  • Previous studies focused on informational SERPs; this one analyzed transactional queries.
  • Key Highlights:
    • 69% of users in AI mode visited a website; AI summaries didn’t “kill” high-value clicks.
    • Only ~20% of users felt ready to make a decision based solely on an AI summary.
    • 89% of participants clicked more than one business, and users checked an average of 3.7 results per session.
    • 16% made a decision without scrolling, but 84% explored citations below the fold.
    • Photos vs Reviews: Only 21% looked at photos, but 74% read reviews—“reviews are everything.”
  • Contextualizing the findings:
    • Informational clicks are dropping due to AI answers, but transactional intent still generates site visits.
    • Businesses reliant on info queries may lose out; transactional sites less so.

5. Structured Markup and JavaScript for Shopping

• Google Shopping Crawler Limitations (22:33–25:22):
  • Update: Don’t generate shopping-related structured data client-side via JavaScript—it may not be seen by Google Shopping’s fast, feed-based bots.
  • Regular Googlebot (for organic search): still processes JS, so this isn’t an issue unless you're specifically targeting Shopping.
  • Shopify’s server-side template system ensures structured data is properly rendered.
  • “It’s only an issue if you’re generating it client side. And I don’t know of any systems that naturally do that… but… something to look into.” (Scott Van Achte, 24:50)
  • Recommendation: Double-check how your site generates product structured data if you're doing ecommerce.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Core Update Anxiety:
  “Do not react or panic until it is done. If you see rankings fluctuate for the worst, don’t worry about it yet... Wait to act until approximately three weeks...” (Scott Van Achte, 04:04)

• On Smaller Core Updates:
  “We just say Google’s doing an update, and they don’t really say anything. They're calling them core updates. So they're just like small tweaks...” (Scott Van Achte, 05:12)

• On LLMs.txt:
  “My sort of view… is that it doesn’t really do anything currently and most people are saying you don’t need to worry about it.” (Scott Van Achte, 17:17)

• On AI Click Study:
  “89% of the participants clicked on more than one business and on average participants checked 3.7 results per session. So that’s not terrible and actually more than I would have expected.” (Scott Van Achte, 19:49)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Topic | |------------|-------------------------------------------| | 02:11–06:30| Google Core Updates (Major + Small) | | 07:08–12:23| Search Console Experiments incl. AI | | 16:40–18:05| LLMs.txt Debate & Google’s Flip-Flop | | 18:06–22:32| SegaPixel Study: AI Mode & Clicks | | 22:33–25:22| Structured Data, JavaScript & E-commerce |

Takeaways

• Stay calm with core updates—monitor, don’t react immediately.
• Site improvements can pay off even outside announced updates.
• New Search Console features are on the horizon, including AI-driven reporting and social analytics integration—watch for rollouts.
• LLMs.txt isn’t critical yet, but keep an eye out in 2026.
• AI answers may reduce low-value traffic, but don’t signal the end of transactional clicks.
• Ecommerce SEOs: ensure your product structured data is built server-side for Google Shopping compliance.

Connect & Continue the Conversation

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• Connect with Ross on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/websitemarketer

(Summary provided in the instructive, friendly, and pragmatic tone of host Scott Van Achte.)