Search Engine Journal

New Google Spam Policy Targets Back Button Hijacking via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Matt G. Southern — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:43:40 +0000

Google added back button hijacking to its malicious practices spam policy. Enforcement starts June 15, 2026. Sites have two months to remove offending code.

The post New Google Spam Policy Targets Back Button Hijacking appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

The Dangerous Seduction Of Click-Chasing

Barry Adams — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:30:13 +0000

News publishers chasing SEO-driven clicks often sacrifice audience trust, and pay the price when rankings collapse.

The post The Dangerous Seduction Of Click-Chasing appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

How To Measure PPC Performance When AI Controls The Auction via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Brooke Osmundson — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:00:22 +0000

Measure PPC performance in 2026 with AI-driven auctions, smarter attribution, profit-based metrics, and reporting frameworks built for Google Ads automation and AI search.

The post How To Measure PPC Performance When AI Controls The Auction appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google’s Task-Based Agentic Search Is Disrupting SEO Today, Not Tomorrow via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Roger Montti — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:13:11 +0000

A recent announcement by Google signals the start of a massive change in how the internet and search work.

The post Google’s Task-Based Agentic Search Is Disrupting SEO Today, Not Tomorrow appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

How AI Chooses Which Brands To Recommend: From Relational Knowledge To Topical Presence via @sejournal, @Dixon_Jones

Dixon Jones — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:00:20 +0000

Research on language models reveals how brands win or lose in AI-generated recommendations based on association strength.

The post How AI Chooses Which Brands To Recommend: From Relational Knowledge To Topical Presence appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

How AI Agents See Your Website (And How To Build For Them) via @sejournal, @slobodanmanic

Slobodan Manic — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:00:14 +0000

Websites built with semantic HTML, accessible patterns, and visible server-rendered content are better positioned for the agentic web.

The post How AI Agents See Your Website (And How To Build For Them) appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

What Pichai’s Interview Reveals About Google’s Search Direction via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Matt G. Southern — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 12:00:21 +0000

Sundar Pichai outlines search as an “agent manager,” signaling a shift from link-based results to task completion and multi-step workflows.

The post What Pichai’s Interview Reveals About Google’s Search Direction appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

What I Learned About The Future Of Search And AI From Sundar Pichai’s Latest Interview via @sejournal, @marie_haynes

Marie Haynes — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:30:47 +0000

Explore key takeaways from Sundar Pichai on agentic systems, robotics, and the future of AI-driven search and productivity.

The post What I Learned About The Future Of Search And AI From Sundar Pichai’s Latest Interview appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Core Update Done, GSC Bug Fixed, Mueller On Gurus – SEO Pulse via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Matt G. Southern — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:30:00 +0000

Google's March core update finished rolling out. A Search Console bug inflated impressions for nearly a year. Pichai warns AI will break software security.

The post Core Update Done, GSC Bug Fixed, Mueller On Gurus – SEO Pulse appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google’s Push For Data Strength Is Really A Push For Better Bidding via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Brooke Osmundson — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:30:42 +0000

Google is doubling down on Data Strength as conversion signals become more critical to bidding, performance, and how campaigns are optimized.

The post Google’s Push For Data Strength Is Really A Push For Better Bidding appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google Answers If Outbound Links Pass “Poor Signals” via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Roger Montti — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:52:01 +0000

Google's Mueller answers whether links pass negative signals and says unhelpful links may be ignored.

The post Google Answers If Outbound Links Pass “Poor Signals” appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google March Core Update Left 4 Losers For Every Winner In Germany via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Matt G. Southern — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 05:15:41 +0000

SISTRIX analyzed German search results after the March core update and found uneven visibility shifts across categories, with some site types hit harder than others.

The post Google March Core Update Left 4 Losers For Every Winner In Germany appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

What 400 Sites Reveal About Organic Traffic Gains via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Matt G. Southern — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 04:15:37 +0000

An analysis of 400+ websites found five characteristics associated with estimated organic traffic gains.

The post What 400 Sites Reveal About Organic Traffic Gains appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Don’t Go Chasing AI Yet: A Framework for Prioritizing SEO vs. AI Search via @sejournal, @hethr_campbell

Heather Campbell — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 22:10:34 +0000

Discover the essential questions to consider before investing in AI visibility over traditional SEO in our informative webinar.

The post Don’t Go Chasing AI Yet: A Framework for Prioritizing SEO vs. AI Search appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Your Owned Content Is Losing To A Stranger’s Reddit Comment via @sejournal, @DuaneForrester

Duane Forrester — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:30:50 +0000

AI recommendations increasingly rely on Reddit and community signals, reshaping how brands earn visibility, trust, and influence in the AI-driven discovery layer.

The post Your Owned Content Is Losing To A Stranger’s Reddit Comment appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Why Your New SEO Vendor Can’t Build on a Broken Foundation via @sejournal, @TaylorDanRW

Dan Taylor — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:30:40 +0000

Why inherited technical debt, content quality, and link history limit early SEO gains despite new expertise.

The post Why Your New SEO Vendor Can’t Build on a Broken Foundation appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google’s CEO Predicts Search Will Become An AI Agent Manager via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Roger Montti — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:12:57 +0000

Google's CEO says that informational queries will become agentic search and that search itself will be an agent manager.

The post Google’s CEO Predicts Search Will Become An AI Agent Manager appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Breaking Content & SEO Silos To Build Entity Authority in AI Search

Lang Ploszek — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 05:00:49 +0000

Discover the importance of AI search in modern marketing. Learn how to close the gap between content and SEO teams for success.

The post Breaking Content & SEO Silos To Build Entity Authority in AI Search appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

OpenAI, Meta, ByteDance Lead AI Bot Traffic In Publishing via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Matt G. Southern — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 04:20:50 +0000

Akamai breaks down which AI bots are hitting publishing, who operates them, and why fetcher bots may pose a more immediate risk.

The post OpenAI, Meta, ByteDance Lead AI Bot Traffic In Publishing appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google Confirms March 2026 Core Update Is Complete via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Matt G. Southern — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:33:15 +0000

Google's March core update finished rolling out. Here's what to know about the rollout and when to check your data.

The post Google Confirms March 2026 Core Update Is Complete appeared first on Search Engine Journal.