Google & SEO

Google Disables &num=100

Google has disabled the &num=100 parameter in search URLs which many SEO tools use to pull ranking data. This has resulted in a significant change to Google Search Console data with impressions declining dramatically. 

Previously, when a full 100-result page was requested, Google would log every result on that page as an impression in Search Console, including the low-ranked listings, even if no real user ever saw them. This inflated impression counts by counting bot traffic as if it were a user seeing the listing on the SERP.

Why this matters

This change has raised questions about the idea of ‘The Great Decoupling’ where impressions were increasing but clicks weren’t following. It’s now looking like a lot of these impressions may have come from bots or SEO tools scraping search results as opposed to organic traffic. With the parameter gone, impression data should now reflect more accurately what users see in the search results. 

What to expect

• Impression baselines from before September 2025 might not be reliable
• Impression drop is more pronounced on desktop where scraping was most common
• Page rankings outside the top 10 are now less likely to show meaningful visibility

Next steps

• Review Google Search Console data from early September to account for the shift
• Reevaluate CTR and position metrics if reporting includes YoY comparisons
• Educate clients that recent impression drops are likely technical and not performance related

Google AI Mode set to become default search ‘soon’ 

Google leaders Sundar Pichai and Liz Reid have recently confirmed that AI Mode will soon replace the current search experience as the default. It’s already live in 180 countries, with ads due to roll in before Q4.

What to expect:

1. A combination of AI answers and traditional results, with the ability to ask further questions related to the topic within the SERPs.
2. Ads appearing as text and shopping placements with expansive product details.
3. Source pages shown before AI answers (giving more credit to the experts).
4. Websites and ads surfaced within AI responses to drive traffic to more information on the websites and sources.
5. An option to switch back to classic results for those who prefer it.

Why it matters:
This change will force brands to think less about keywords individually and more about becoming trusted voices in their subject matter. In a nutshell, if you’re not seen as a reliable source, AI won’t reward your content. Search is shifting from discovery to instant delivery, where visibility and value primarily lives inside the AI-generated answer itself. Google is no longer about “10 blue links”, its a conversation with Google, raising big questions about how smaller sites adapt. Likely, it will push businesses toward deeper, expert-led content to secure citations and remain visible in their sectors.

Google avoids breakup but must end exclusive search default deals

A U.S. judge has ruled that Google will not be broken up or forced to divest its Chrome browser or Android operating system, rejecting the Justice Department’s demand that Google sell Chrome. However, the tech giant will be barred from having exclusive default search deals and must share search data with their rivals.

These orders are temporary, lasting six years with potential oversight by a technical committee, and Google has the right to appeal the ruling.

Financial markets have reacted positively to the ruling, with shares in Alphabet, Google’s parent company, surging by more than 7%. However, the decision has also drawn criticism from some, including the founder of Google competitor DuckDuckGo, who argues that the order is not sufficient to curb Google’s dominant position.

Read more here

Google releases August 2025 Spam Update

Yesterday, Google announced and began rolling out its 2025 spam update at approximately 9:00 am PDT. This is the first spam-related algorithm update in about eight months. The rollout has been described as “normal”, which is applied globally across all languages and locations and is expected to take a few weeks to roll out.

Why this matters

This spam update follows Google’s June 2025 core update, marking Google’s continued efforts to refine search integrity. Historically, spam updates have brought volatility. Past updates in December 2024 and June 2024 had a significant impact, with December being particularly disruptive.

What to monitor

Search Engine Journal has reported that “Google hasn’t yet specified any targeted behaviours for this update, so it’s best to stay aligned with established quality and spam policies”.

“Expect ranking changes and traffic volatility while the update rolls out. Avoid reactive changes during the rollout window”.

What to watch

• Search Console trends: Track Impressions, clicks, average positions, and note any shifts from the start date of the update (August 26th).
• Pattern detection: Look for drops across clusters (e.g page types or query segments), not just individual URLS.
• Competitor movement: Identify if rank shifts are widespread across your industry or niche.

Recommended actions

As always, the likes of SEL & SEJ have advised to “Avoid Knee Jerk Reactions” within the rollout window, as rank changes are expected and can often be temporary.

AI Mode is officially rolling out in the UK

Google has finally confirmed that its AI mode is now rolling out in the UK, having already been live in the US for a few months.

Instead of a list of search results showing links to other websites in blue type, users who choose “AI Mode” will be given an answer written in a conversational style, containing far fewer links to other pages.

While AI Mode continues to be optional, users can still use traditional search.

What does this mean for search strategies?

It means:

• GSC doesn’t yet separate clicks from AI Mode from overall site clicks, making attribution harder than before
• Traditional position 1 or top 10 rankings will lose their impact
• Increased personalisation – users on AI mode will likely receive different results for the same query
• Informational content will see a decline in traffic as queries are answered on the SERPs
• Using PR and earned media will be key in showing up in LLMs and AI overviews

YouTube Shorts introduces AI tools for photo to video

YouTube Shorts has introduced new creation tools to enhance video making. The Photo to video feature turns pictures into animated videos, available now in select countries.

New generative effects transform doodles and selfies with AI-powered visuals. The AI playground offers tools for generating videos, images, and music, accessible in certain regions. All AI creations include SynthID watermarks and labels to ensure transparency.

Google has been testing a zoom functionality on images that feature in search results

Users in the industry have spotted that Google is testing a zoom effect on images that feature in the search result snippets. This looks to occur when you move your mouse cursor over the images.

Barry Schwartz has posted a screen recording example of this in action on X. Check out the video here.

Google announce second Core Update of 2025

Google announced its second Core Update of 2025. This follows the March Core Update, which we noticed that the sites that were hit most were those producing a lot of content programatically via AI.

SEO tracking tools are already detecting fluctuations, even if many site owners haven’t yet noticed changes. This update is expected to roll out over three weeks, longer than the typical two-week period. It’s still too early to see the full impact of this Core Update, however, it’s likely to negatively impact websites with low-quality content.

At Embryo, we’ll continue to monitor the impact on our clients and the wider industry.

Google updated guidelines for sites with explicit content

Google has released updated guidelines for sites with explicit content and what to do if your site is flagged incorrectly.

The update includes:

• Revised guidelines for how explicit content is handled in Search, and covers how SafeSearch works and best practices for websites who do host this type of content.
• Changes to ranking algorithms to target sites that host explicit videos but block Googlebot from accessing the files, and these sites may see a “significant drop in rankings.”

They’ve also updated guidelines around what to do if your site is incorrectly flagged, which can sometimes happen for sites that are subtly suggestive such as lingerie websites or sex education sites. 

Google Marketing Live: GA4 and performance monitoring

Google has just finished its ‘Google Marketing Live,’ and here is what we learned about GA4 and campaign measurements.

Cross-channel insights in GA4 are getting an upgrade, making it easier to track performance across platforms.

The minimum spend for incrementality testing will be reduced from $100K to $5k

A new Bayesian-based testing model means you can run tests in as little as 7 days.

Data Manager will consolidate first-party data from BigQuery, HubSpot, Salesforce, and Shopify, and a new API will facilitate smoother integrations.

They have introduced “Google Analytics experts” for in-depth analysis and strategic advice, and a “Marketing Advisor”, an AI agency assistant that offers step-by-step guidance.

And the big one, a unified view of impressions across both Google platforms and third-party data. This allows you to bridge the gap when understanding the full funnel.

Meet AI Mode – Google’s new expanded search feature

At the annual I/O developer conference, Google announced that it is upgrading its AI features, adding features like AI mode and AI overview.

What is AI Mode?
AI Mode is a new system powered by query fan-out. It breaks down big questions into smaller ones and runs multiple searches simultaneously to give more tailored, helpful results.

It’s designed to do more than answer questions. It can now help with shopping, too, surfacing personalised results like “Oasis tickets within 100 miles of Manchester” (we wish!). You’ll also see features like image results, visual try-ons, and sale alerts.

What does this mean for your website?
AI is quickly becoming the norm, which means optimising your website is more important than ever. Make sure it’s focused on your customers, aligned with search intent, and your content is delivering real value.

New study finds users only read a third of Google’s AI Overviews

A new UX study by Kevin Indig and Eric van Buskirk has revealed some interesting insights about how users interact with Google’s AI Overviews:

• Most users skim AI Overviews: The median scroll depth in AI Overviews is 30%, meaning most users don’t read more than the top third.
• Citations get few clicks: Only 19% of mobile users and 7.4% of desktop users clicked on a citation provided in the AI Overviews.
• Many turn to Reddit for social proof: When users leave the AI Overviews, a third go to Reddit, YouTube, or other forums.

This seems to confirm what many SEOs have feared: that AI Overviews mean a lower click through rate. However, the study’s sample size is small compared to Google Search’s massive scale, which means the insights can’t be used to make any definitive conclusions.

Still, the study’s insights are interesting and a reminder that online visibility is increasingly shifting from clicks to SERP visibility.

Google searches in Safari drop for the first time since 2003

It has been revealed that last month, Google searches in Apple’s Safari browser declined for the first time. Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, says, “[This] has never happened in 22 years.”

What does he think has caused this drop? AI, of course.

During the DOJ’s antitrust trial against Google, he testified, “People are using AI,” and he believes we are seeing a ‘fundamental shift’ in how people search. With AI clawing into the superiority of conventional search.  

This news is something the entire industry should sit up and pay attention to. Why? It signifies a behavioural shift in users’ search journeys that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. 

Cue admitted that Apple is exploring a new approach to its search engine – with a priority shift to AI-powered search engines. Examples mentioned were OpenAI, Perplexity, and Anthropic, although he caveated that they aren’t ready to be the defaults yet. 

He stated, “There is much greater potential. They’re attacking the problem in a different way.”

Some of you may be thinking: Doesn’t the introduction of AI overviews make Google an AI search engine? Yes, it does. In fact, 1.5 billion users each month see AI overviews. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude are barely reaching these numbers – even when combined!

So, there’s nothing to worry about yet, but definitely one to keep in mind. 

To find out more, check out the Search Engine Land article here.

YouTube are Testing AI Overviews in Search Results

Today, it’s been reported that YouTube are starting to test AI overviews within their search results, in order to highlight what they deem “the most relevant clips” for individual users; based upon their search.

We predict that this will not only impact user interactivity with watching longer videos in full, but may also cause a shift in search behaviour from within the YouTube platform. In theory, by delivering this type of snapshot video content, users will be delivered touristic and local content much quicker, as well as when carrying out product research related searches too.

YouTube will expand the rollout of their AI overviews test based upon the results of a small subset of YouTube Premium members’ feedback, in the US initially.

Google claims “EEAT Can’t be Added to Web Pages”

At a recent conference in New York, Google’s John Mueller claimed that “EEAT is not something SEOs can add to their pages.” He went on to discuss the role of EEAT and stated that adding keywords or metadata to content is, in fact, not what EEAT is about. Mueller emphasised that EEAT is more significant for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) content, such as finance or healthcare, where accuracy and trustworthiness are paramount.

Non-YMYL content, like blogs, on the other hand, should step away from EEAT signals as they are not a significant factor in Google’s ranking assessments.

So what does this mean for SEO?

Many SEOs base their strategies on hitting as many EEAT signals as possible, but Mueller’s message is that this overlooks the bigger picture. SEOs should instead focus on demonstrating real trust and expertise, not just fabricating it with imaginary industry experts and AI-generated images.

Instead, we should go back to basics: content should be high-quality, informative, and genuinely useful to the user. This is what Google truly values—not web pages that simply tick off a list of points the algorithm supposedly favours. You might think this is basic knowledge, but the recent rise of AI has led many SEOs to abandon strategies that produce content unique, targeted, and personal to the user.

Expert opinion

Cara Dudgeon, Senior Content Writer

"It’s no secret that content is rapidly evolving and that SEO content writers need to keep up with the ever-changing demands of Google. However, one thing that is consistent is that the user is paramount. Sure, EEAT is important in YMYL content, but why stop there? Think about your own purchasing habits. Reviews, expert opinions, and a trustworthy website are all extremely important conversion factors. Users are far more likely to purchase a product or sign up for something that has 1000s of reviews rather than one that doesn’t have any. So, why wouldn’t we add these features to pages? But it’s essential that these features are real and genuine to keep the trust of users that become loyal customers. Fabricating these trust signals with AI can seriously harm your business. Not just in ranking factors, but also in terms of growth and profitability. Negative reviews are just as easy to write as positive ones - make sure your users are leaving reviews for the right reasons."

AI overviews see surge in wake of March core update

We have seen a surge in AI Overviews during and since the March 2025 core update. These increases were most prevalent across the entertainment (528% increase), restaurant (387% increase), and travel (381%) sectors. AI Overviews are becoming more prominent in UK search results, now appearing for 18% of tracked keywords, up from 4% in February

If you work in those industries, there are a number of tactics you can employ to ensure that you are making the most of AI overviews. And remember, even if they don’t affect your rankings, they could impact overall organic CTR.

• Keep content up-to-date with seasonal trends
• Build out guide content that help users with their decision-making process
• Make sure that images are optimised so that they can be used within AI overviews
• Utilise structured data to leverage entity SEO, tying your business to a place, people, and specific services

Google completes March 2025 Core update rollout

Google has completed its March 2025 Core Update roll-out after two weeks of implementation across search results worldwide.

Unlike other Google core updates that tend to target specific industries, we’ve seen notable shifts in search visibility across multiple sectors with sites being affected across retail, government, forums and content publishers. 

In particular, we’re seeing an emphasis on how Google values forum content. While Reddit remains strong, other forums are seeing any previously gained visibility drop. 

We’re also seeing penalties over programmatic content, with sites creating large volumes of programmatic content experiencing significant declines. 

What now? 

Now the update has rolled out, we recommend monitoring the full impact on sites and reviewing strategies. 

As Google continues to prioritise AI-generated content in search results, sites impacted negatively by the update should focus on improving content quality with the focus on content designed for the end user, rather than search engine benefit. 

Google Search Console API will offer 24-hour hourly data

Data enthusiasts rejoice, Google has announced an important update to its Search Console API, which will allow access to hourly search performance data for the past 8 days. This builds upon the 24-hour data view that was added to the Search Console web interface in December.

The announcement was made by Daniel Waisberg from the Google Search team at the Google Search Central Live event in New York City.

Pictured: Daniel Waisberg at the event where the announcement was made. Image credit: Ray Grieselhuber via LinkedIn.

What are the potential benefits?

• Rapid issue detection – Identify sudden traffic drops or ranking changes within hours rather than days.
• Real-time content assessment – See almost immediate performance data after publishing new content.
• Custom alerts – Create automated monitoring tools that notify you when metrics fall outside expected ranges.

Since Google added the feature in January, users have had to manually export this data. Once rolled out, the API access will mean you can pull this data directly into your own tools or SEO platforms.

Google notes that the hourly data becomes visible in the system with minimal delay, but the numbers may still be adjusted as Google completes its data collection. Website owners should compare this early hourly data against the final exports from the standard Search Console reports when creating important analyses.

This update may come as welcome news for business owners and marketing teams who want the ability to be ultra-responsive to what’s happening with their site in search. Being able to see hourly patterns will offer a whole new level of granular performance data.

March 2025 core update

On March 13th, Google released their first core update of 2025, which is the first one they’ve rolled out since December 12th 2024. Google has said that “the rollout may take up to 2 weeks to complete.”

Similar to previous core updates, we’ll expect to see high volatility within the SERPs with rankings and organic traffic fluctuating. It’s worth noting that the first core update of 2024 was one of the biggest we’ve seen and took 45 days to fully roll out. Therefore, it’ll be interesting to see if this one follows the same pattern.

At the moment, Google hasn’t provided much advice on this recent core update, but the general consensus is around creating helpful content that focuses on providing value to users and not to rank in search engines. As with all updates, we’ll continue to monitor this and provide further information once it’s fully rolled out.

Embryo spoke to Eugenia Evseeva, SEO Manager at Snov.io, who said:

Expert opinion

Eugenia Evseeva, SEO Manager at Snov.io

"Google's March 2025 Core Update isn't just another algorithm tweak. It represents a fundamental change in how Google evaluates online content ecosystems. The current wave of SERP volatility is a clear sign that Google is getting better at telling the difference between shallow SEO tactics and truly valuable content. The decline of mass-produced AI content sites confirms what many of us have predicted: Google is getting really good at spotting synthetic content made for algorithms, not humans. This shift is also changing the dynamics of retail visibility, with big players losing ground to smaller, more specialized brands. The key takeaway is clear: Google is no longer falling for the usual SEO tricks and is now rewarding sites that showcase real expertise and provide genuine value. Brands need to realize that visibility isn't just about technical optimization or churning out content—it’s about offering authentic expertise, unique perspectives, and content that truly meets user needs"

Google Upgrades Existing AI Features – And Launches New Ones

Previously known as Bard, Google launched Gemini in December of 2023, with the 2.0 version of the AI model launching around one year later. Now, Google has announced that its AI overviews are also going to receive the Gemini 2.0 upgrade in America. 

Users will specifically see updates with queries related to coding and advanced mathematics, helping them to answer difficult questions. Thanks to the 2.0 version’s advanced capabilities, the response in the AI overviews is faster and of a higher quality. 

What’s more, Google is removing the requirement of a login to access AI overviews. This means that their frequency will increase, and even teens can use them.

Google has also announced that it’s launching a new shopping AI feature called Vision Match, which is available for mobile users in the United States. 

Research from the search engine suggests that people shop on Google over a billion times per day, but more than half of shoppers that were asked revealed they struggle to find a specific item of clothing they had in mind. 

As an alternative, Google has worked with its AI model to provide a solution. From now on, American users can match what they’re picturing to real-world products shown on the Search and Shopping tab.  

We spoke to James Gray, VP of Experience Marketing at Remarkable, about his opinion on the update:

Expert opinion

James Gray, VP of Experience Marketing at Remarkable

"Google’s AI Mode is more than just another search update. It marks a mega-shift in how information is discovered online. Traditional SEO is being replaced (or added to) by Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), where search engines no longer just rank content, but generate answers themselves. Visibility is no longer about ranking on page one but about becoming part of the AI’s knowledge base. AI-powered search is reducing direct clicks to websites. Users no longer need to sift through multiple results when AI Mode does the work for them. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge. Brands and content creators must rethink their approach, ensuring their content is structured for AI retrieval - leveraging multimodal search, structured data, LLMs.txt, and authoritative content to ensure they remain at the forefront of this new search paradigm. The brands that will thrive are those that adapt to this new Zero-Click Discoverability landscape, ensuring they remain at the forefront as AI transforms search forever."