Google launched the May core update, redesigned Search around AI at I/O, released its first AI Mode usage data, and sent mixed signals on llms.txt.

The post Google Launches Core Update Amid I/O AI Search Overhaul – SEO Pulse appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

WordPress 7.0 exposes AI API keys worth thousands of dollars. Security researcher says there "will be an absolute rush by hackers to steal" them.

The post Security Researcher: WordPress 7.0 Could Trigger Rush To Steal AI API Keys appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google began rolling out the May 2026 core update, the second broad core update this year. It may take up to two weeks to complete.

The post Google Confirms May 2026 Core Update Is Now Rolling Out appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

WordPress 7.0 may be the most consequential CMS release to date, with changes that extend far beyond the platform's new AI features.

The post WordPress 7.0 Is A Winner: Here’s What You Need To Know appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google's John Mueller says markdown pages can help developer documentation, but most sites should focus on current SEO needs before agentic traffic.

The post Mueller Explains Why Google Uses Markdown On Dev Docs appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

WordPress 7.0 was expected to focus on real-time collaboration, but native AI integration may define the release and the platform's future.

The post WordPress 7.0 Launches With Native AI Integration appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google unveils Conversational Discovery ads and Highlighted Answers in AI Mode, signaling how advertising may evolve inside conversational, AI-powered Search experiences.

The post Google Expands AI Mode With New Ad Placements For Advertisers appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google released first-party data on how people use AI Mode in the U.S. after one year.

The post Google Reveals First AI Mode Usage Numbers After One Year appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google Search says llms.txt isn't needed for AI features, while Lighthouse now checks the file for agentic browsing readiness in an experimental audit.

The post Google’s llms.txt Guidance Depends On Which Product You Ask appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

YouTube introduced Gemini Omni AI remixing and Ask YouTube conversational search, raising new questions around discovery, creator tools, and future measurement challenges.

The post YouTube Brings Conversational Search And Gemini Omni To Creators appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google introduced Universal Cart at Google I/O, a new intelligent shopping cart and agentic hub for shopping on Google.

The post Google Announces New Universal Cart At I/O appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google expands SynthID verification to Search, allowing users to check whether content was AI generated.

The post Google Brings AI Content Verification To Search appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google made Gemini 3.5 Flash the default model in AI Mode, redesigned the Search box, and announced Search agents coming this summer.

The post Google’s New Search Box Hands Queries To AI Agents, I/O Reveals appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google's FAQ removal and new Ahrefs research challenge schema's value for SERP visibility and AI citations.

The post SERP FAQ Removal & New Data Challenge Schema’s AI Search Value appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google's new AI Search guide says AEO and GEO are still SEO and names tactics site owners can ignore, including llms.txt, chunking, and special schema.

The post Google’s New AI Search Guide Calls AEO And GEO ‘Still SEO’ appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google adds AI assistant traffic to GA4, FAQ rich results are gone, Ahrefs tests schema, and Condé Nast plans around near-zero search forecasts.

The post GA4 Tracks AI Assistant Traffic, FAQ Results Gone – SEO Pulse appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google Analytics now separates AI assistant traffic from referrals with a new default channel group for recognized chatbot referrers like ChatGPT and Gemini.

The post Google Analytics Adds AI Assistant As Default Channel Group appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

A Liquid Web rebrand of StellarWP plugins triggered backlash after users reported missing pages, login issues, and license confusion.

The post Liquid Web WordPress Plugin Rebrand Triggers Backlash appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google quietly updated Search Terms reporting for AI Mode, AI Overviews, Lens, and autocomplete. Here’s why advertisers may be concerned about interpreted queries.

The post Google Quietly Alters Search Terms Reporting For AI Queries In Google Ads appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch told teams to plan as if search traffic will be zero after three years of forecasts that underestimated actual declines.

The post Condé Nast CEO: Plan As If Search Traffic Will Be Zero appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google's ALDRIFT framework "opens exciting avenues" toward AI answers that do more than sound plausible.

The post Google ALDRIFT: AI Answers That Do More Than Sound Plausible appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

An Ahrefs report tested whether adding schema markup to pages already cited by AI improved their citation rates.

The post Schema Markup Didn’t Move AI Citations In Ahrefs Test appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google deprecated FAQ rich results, completing a removal that started years ago. FAQ rich results were already restricted for most sites.

The post Google Drops FAQ Rich Results From Search appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google adds subscription labels and inline links to AI Search. Amsive maps core update winners and losers. Plus Mueller on vibe coding and Preferred Sources.

The post Google Core Update Reshuffles Winners, AI Search Expands Links – SEO Pulse appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

WordPress delays rollout of real-time collaboration. Co-founder Mullenweg cites WPE lawsuit as a distraction hampering progress.

The post WordPress 7.0 Will Ship Without Real-Time Collaboration appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

AI tools can build websites fast, but Mueller says they won't set up your canonicals, sitemaps, or robots.txt unless you tell them to.

The post Google’s Mueller On Why AI-Built Websites Miss SEO Basics appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google Ads introduces Journey-aware Bidding, Smart Bidding Exploration expansion, and new budget pacing updates for Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns.

The post Google Ads Rolls Out Journey-Aware Bidding And New Pacing Controls For Advertisers appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Y Combinator general partner Aaron Epstein was joined by Raphael Schaad, founder of Cron that was sold to Notion, to discuss common mistakes made with AI designed websites. They identified seven common mistakes vibe coders made with their websites that should be avoided. Positive And Negatives The podcast started out by acknowledging that being able to vibe code a website is a positive thing that doesn’t have to turn out poorly just because they’re not a designer. Then they started visiting vibe coded websites and encountering multiple issues that fit into the following seven categories. 1. Generic Design Trends The […]

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Google's John Mueller answers if Preferred Sources overrides ranking signals. Could it be a "trust button" signal?

The post Google Quality Signals And Preferred Sources appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google addressed growing concerns around repetitive AI-generated ads, advertiser controls, and how brands can maintain differentiation at scale.

The post Google Shares How Brands Should Use AI Creative To Stand Out appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Microsoft's Bing team published a framework describing how grounding for AI-generated answers differs from traditional search across five measurement areas.

The post Bing Reveals What Grounding Means For AI Search Visibility appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google is adding subscription labels, inline links, discussion previews, and desktop link previews to its AI Search experiences.

The post Google’s AI Search Now Shows More Links: What SEOs Need to Know appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

WordPress is losing market share, with over 10% of sites abandoned. Astro is downloaded 2.5 million times a week.

The post WordPress Loses Marketshare. Is Astro Eroding Their User Base? appeared first on Search Engine Journal.