A couple of years ago, we covered a report by the NY Times on the ongoing issues with review scams and blackmail. Well, the issue is not gone, despite Google responding to that report. From what I am told, it is still relatively common and our own Bill Hartzer was recently threatened and blackmailed with this over SMS.

Over 6 months ago, a Google search representative said we should all expect more core updates, more often.

Google is now showing price tracking widgets at the top of the feed.

Brand authority and conversions don’t need separate content strategies. Mordy Oberstein explains how to align both in this week’s Ask An SEO.

Google posted a new document on the topic of its AdSense for Search Restricted Access Features (RAFs). Google said, “Starting on August 25, 2025, certain AdSense for Search features have limitations depending on an account’s status within the Search Partner Network.”

Microsoft is testing italicizing the URLs in the Bing Search results.

Google’s srsltid parameter is showing on blog and homepage URLs, affecting reporting and analytics, but not affecting rankings. The post Google’s ‘srsltid’ Parameter Appears In Organic URLs, Creating Confusion appeared first on Search Engine Journal .

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today…

Kevin Indig explores how query fan-out drives AI Mode and why classic “one query, one answer” SEO no longer cuts it. The post Query Fan-Out appeared first on Search Engine Journal .

Google updated its service areas business guidelines help document to add “Do not add countries or states as a service area.” Google also updated numerous parts of the document.