Industry News

Catch up on interesting new discussion and industry news.

    Yahoo! Scout - Yahoo's Official Return To Search With AI

    rustybrick
    by rustybrick
    Jan 28, 2026
    After three years of Yahoo dropping hints at its return to search, Yahoo has announced Yahoo! Scout - its new AI search engine feature that is embedded within Yahoo Search, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports and so on - as well as at scout.yahoo.com.

    Google Search - Add Splash Of Color With Color Picker

    rustybrick
    by rustybrick
    Jan 28, 2026
    Google is testing the ability to add color to your search results page with a color palette picker. There is this palette icon at the top of the results that when clicked on says "Add a splash of color to the top of Search," and "Pick color."

    Bad News: Google AI Overviews Follow-Up Questions Go Directly To AI Mode

    rustybrick
    by rustybrick
    Jan 28, 2026
    Google made it official, now Google Search AI Overviews will let you do a follow up question after clicking on the "Show more" button and that follow up question will take you directly into AI Mode. This will no doubt lead to less clicks to your website and more traffic into Google AI Mode.

    Gemini 3 Powering Google AI Overviews Globally

    rustybrick
    by rustybrick
    Jan 28, 2026
    Google AI Overviews are now being powered by Gemini 3 globally, by default. Robby Stein, VP of Product, Google Search announced, "We're making Gemini 3 the new default model for AI Overviews globally, so you get a best-in-class AI response right on the search results page, for questions where it's helpful."

    Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance Report Beta

    rustybrick
    by rustybrick
    Jan 28, 2026
    Bing is testing a new report within Bing Webmaster Tools named AI Performance. AI Performance shows you how many citations you are getting from Microsoft Copilot and partners. But while it shows you citations (i.e. impressions), it does not show you clicks from those Bing AI experiences.

    Google Exploring Ways To Allow Sites To Opt Out Of AI Overviews & AI Mode

    rustybrick
    by rustybrick
    Jan 28, 2026
    Google just announced it is looking into ways to allow websites to specifically opt out of Google using its content in the Search generative AI features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode. This comes based on UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) new requirements for Google Search.

    Daily Search Forum Recap: January 27, 2026

    rustybrick
    by rustybrick
    Jan 27, 2026
    Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today...

    Google Posts Tips To Write Better Review Replies

    rustybrick
    by rustybrick
    Jan 27, 2026
    Google has updated its tips to get more reviews help documentation with a new section on tips to write better review replies. This section includes how to make your replies positive and relevant and a section on giving helpful responses to negative reviews.

    Google Search Ranking Volatility Remains Super Heated

    rustybrick
    by rustybrick
    Jan 27, 2026
    The Google Search rankings continue to be super volatile and heated even through today. This started back throughout most of January and it has really heated up even more so since January 21st or so.

    Google Ads Data Exclusions For PMax Campaigns Rolling Out

    rustybrick
    by rustybrick
    Jan 27, 2026
    Back in October, we saw signs of the ability to use data exclusions on Google Ads Performance Max (PMax) campaigns. Well, now it seems to be rolling out to many advertisers on Google Ads.