May brought a flurry of updates across Google Search and Ads — from AI Mode expansion to new campaign features. Here's what brands and marketers need to know.

Google Search

Google testing AI Mode in US without opt in

In early May, Google moved onto the next phase of their AI Mode testing, opening it up to a limited pool of US users who will not need to be opted in to Search Labs — which has been required up to now.

This could be a sign that Google is quickly ramping up to a full US AI Mode release — with a UK launch likely to follow closely behind.

Alongside this development, Google announced new AI Mode features, including user query history, product cards (pulled from Shopping Graph) and place cards (pulled from Business Profiles).

For publishers…

Google pushing ahead with AI Mode is yet another reminder that AI in search is here to stay.

AI mode could have a significant impact on web traffic upon release. In order to prepare, stay informed about feature and performance updates — and be thinking about how to build visibility in AI generated search results.

You can follow current and past AI Mode news in our continuously updated coverage.

Google’s AI crawler can render JavaScript

In an interview with Kenichi Suzuki of Faber Company Japan, Google’s Martin Splitt explained that both Googlebot (their main web crawler) and Google Extended (Gemini’s crawler) have access to Google’s web rendering service.

This essentially means that both crawlers have the same rendering capabilities — and that JavaScript isn’t the hurdle for Gemini that some thought it might be.

For publishers…

With AI search steadily taking centre stage, it’s important to consider how AI-friendly your website is. However, thankfully, normal JavaScript use isn’t a cause for concern.

Whether your website relies on JavaScript elements or not, Gemini will be able to crawl your pages and cite your content in its outputs.

However, this doesn’t mean all technical SEO concerns are resolved. Here are some aspects that may still be problematic:

• Blocked resources: Robots.txt or meta tags that prevent crawling of key assets (scripts, stylesheets, etc.) can still hinder rendering.
• Client-side rendering delays: If your JavaScript-heavy content loads slowly or relies on user interactions (like scrolling or clicking) to render, crawlers may miss it.
• Infinite scroll / lazy loading: Improper implementation of lazy loading or infinite scroll may prevent content from being indexed.
• Dynamic URLs or fragment identifiers: Poor handling of dynamic routing or hash-based navigation can cause indexing issues.
• Content hidden behind logins: AI crawlers won’t access gated content, paywalls, or content requiring user authentication.
• Overuse of JavaScript: Even though it’s rendered, excessive reliance on JavaScript can still affect crawl efficiency and indexing priority.
• Structured data errors: Improper or missing schema markup can reduce the chance of content being featured or cited by Gemini.

“Scammy pages” reduced by 80% on Google’s SERPs

Google announced significant improvements in its ability to detect and suppress scam content in aearch, citing a 20-fold increase in the number of scammy pages it can now identify. The company says this has already led to an 80% reduction in such scams appearing in search results.

These gains are credited to new AI-powered systems capable of analysing massive volumes of web content, detecting coordinated scam campaigns, and identifying emerging threats.

Google making moves to replace Reddit on their SERPs?

Google has introduced a beta feature they’re calling ‘Discussions’. It serves as a space for user generated content the likes of which Reddit and other forum sites have become known for.

It encourages users to have discussions on certain topics, with comments made eligible for presentation across a range of Google properties, including Maps, YouTube and Search. They may even appear on third-party websites or apps should these be connected to Google services.

If adoption scales, Discussions has the potential to reduce visibility for platforms like Reddit by giving Google a homegrown alternative to present on its SERPs. It’s another step in Google’s broader strategy to keep users within its ecosystem — and possibly, over time, to monetise that engagement more directly.

For site owners… 

This could spell trouble for forums, Q&A sites, and even community-driven publishers that rely on search visibility. While it’s too early to predict long-term impact, it’s worth tracking closely — especially for any signs that Google may be prioritising its own Discussions content in the SERPs over third-party UGC.

Google might hide AI Overview citations and link icons

Google is still testing different linking approaches in AI Overviews — but their latest iteration might be one of the worst to date.

SEO Brodie Clark posted to social media that he has spotted AI Overviews with citations and link icons hidden from view when served.

For publishers…

This would undoubtedly impact clicks. If users can’t see or access the source links upfront, the value of being cited in an AI Overview diminishes.

That said, we think Google would likely reverse course in the face of inevitable pushback from publishers and users demanding transparency.

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

Google claim AI Overviews increase search volume — but they won’t share their data

At Google’s latest I/O event, the company revealed that AI Overviews are driving a 10% increase in search activity for the types of queries where they're shown. According to Hema Budaraju, VP of Product Management for Search, once users engage with AI Overviews, they tend to come back and perform more of these query types over time.

For publishers…

To measure this, Google clearly tracks how users interact with AI Overview queries, meaning it likely also has click-through and engagement data for results that appear around or within the module.

But when asked by SERoundtable’s Barry Schwarz whether they’d share that data — particularly whether users click through to publisher sites more or less with AI Overviews — Budaraju declined to comment, saying only that feedback would be passed on.

In short — Google won’t be offering AI Overview specific data in Search Console performance reports any time soon. But, from a technical standpoint, it seems like they’re already capable of pulling it off, so we might see some movement on this in the future.

Google CEO says web publishing is alive and well

With AI Mode poised to become a major part of Google Search, some site owners and SEOs worry this could signal the beginning of the end for web publishing.

The concern: if AI satisfies more queries directly within Google’s ecosystem, organic traffic will decline, reducing the incentive to create and publish content.

But in a conversation with The Verge's Nilay Patel, Google CEO Sundar Pichai pushed back on that narrative. He said web publishing has grown by 45% over the past two years, and that this rise is driven by human creators, not generative AI.

“I think people are producing a lot of content and I see consumers consuming a lot of content … you will see us five years from now sending a lot of traffic out to the web. I think that’s the product direction we’re committed to.”

For creators and SEOs…

There’s no doubt that AI Mode will be disruptive, but it’s premature to assume it will kill the open web.

Find out how SEO is changing in 2025 in our guide: Seo in 2025: What’s changing - and what no longer matters

Concerns like this aren’t new — similar fears followed the launch of featured snippets, Knowledge Panels, and other zero-click features. AI Mode may be more significant, but the fundamentals remain: Google’s success depends on a thriving, open web.

If quality publishing dries up:

• Search result quality would fall
• Google’s AI models would stagnate
• User trust and engagement would erode

Google may not always get it right, but it has a strong self-interest in keeping web publishing healthy. If content production slows, expect the company to adjust.

If you’re one of the many worried about how AI Mode will impact your business, you're not alone — and you're also not without options.

At TDMP, our digital strategies are deeply informed by the evolving relationship between AI, search, and SEO. We help businesses adapt to algorithmic change, protect their organic visibility, and uncover new opportunities from challenges. Learn more.

Google SEO

Google announces AI Mode reporting… sort of

With AI Mode reaching a wider US audience, John Mueller made time to announce that AI Mode reporting would be made available in Search Console.

But before you get your hopes up — neither Mueller nor Google at large offered any specifics. It may well be that their idea of “AI Mode reporting” is the same as their idea of “AI Overviews reporting” where engagement data is lumped into the general SERP performance category.

For publishers…

This means you won’t be able to see how AI Mode is impacting your website. You’ll just get a general big picture insight with zero specifics, limiting optimisation potential.

Learn more about AI reporting gaps in our guide: AI search is stealing your data: Why it matters

Google sending Business Profiles “information edit rejection notices”

If you’re active on Business Profiles, you’re likely acutely aware that Google doesn’t always approve changes to profile information.

Thankfully, Google is now sending information edit rejection notices that give you a bit of insight as to why your changes haven’t been approved — saving time (and frustration) on optimising your account and building local visibility.

Google resume gathering feedback at “creator summits”

In May, Google hosted the first (and likely not the last) creator summit of 2025, inviting 7 creators to discuss their post-update experience with search execs.

One of the invitees, Tomiko Harvey, published a write-up of the summit, reporting that the discussions led to concessions from both parties. 

Harvey accepted that her content approach was not as audience-centric as she believed, while the Search Team acknowledged that Google’s algorithms had evolved to favour larger publications.

They emphasised that this was unintentional, that they ‘wish they could flip a switch to balance things out’, but corrections can take months to implement.

For creators…

The key takeaway for small and independent publishers is that change is coming, but slowly. Google is actively gathering feedback and appears open to course-correcting.

In the meantime, creators will benefit from focusing more intentionally on audience needs, clarity, and content depth.

Google still relies on “hand crafted” ranking signals

New details from internal Google documents show that most ranking signals — aside from AI systems like RankBrain and DeepRank — are still hand-crafted. Engineers manually fine-tune thresholds using functions like sigmoids based on observed data, giving Google precise control over how signals influence rankings.

The same docs also reference a signal labeled C, described as measuring how long a user stays on a page before returning to the search results — commonly called pogosticking. While Google has long denied using this as a ranking signal, this suggests it may, in fact, play a role.

For publishers…

User behaviour on your site matters, possibly more than Google has admitted. If users quickly bounce, it could be sending a signal — whether or not it’s called “pogosticking.” Engaging content, fast load times, and clear UX aren’t just good practice; they may have a more significant indirect influence on visibility than commonly believed.

Paid media

Google is serving ads through partner AI chatbots

Google has started testing serving ads within external AI search apps like iAsk and Liner — and it seems like this option could become available to a wide range of providers.

For Google, this is an easy way to capitalise on the growing popularity of the AI chatbot market, monetising AI search share beyond their own.

For advertisers…

One potential upside is audience specificity. Many AI chatbots attract users with distinct demographic or behavioral profiles — for example, Perplexity’s audience reportedly skews educated, high-income, and highly engaged. If Google allows campaign targeting by partner app or user signals, this could give brands a powerful way to reach niche, high-value audiences in contextually rich environments.

But there are significant caveats:

• Control and transparency: If advertisers can’t choose which chatbots their ads appear in — or if disclosure is unclear — brand safety and effectiveness could be compromised.

• User experience risks: Poorly timed or intrusive ads within a chatbot conversation could feel jarring, undermining trust in both the platform and the brand.

• Attribution challenges: Conversational interfaces don’t follow the same user journey patterns as web or search ads. Without robust tracking, performance marketers may struggle to justify spend.

Google’s entry into third-party AI search ads is early-stage, but it’s one to watch if sufficeint guardrails are put in place to ensure value for both advertisers and users.

Google launching “AI Max” campaign feature suite

Google is introducing AI Max, a new set of AI-powered features aimed at enhancing standard search campaigns. The update, rolling out globally in beta later this month, brings several automation-focused tools that shift how search ads can be created, targeted, and optimised.

Key Features:

• Broader search matching: AI Max allows campaigns to match to relevant queries beyond exact keywords, using a combination of broad match and keywordless technology.
• AI-generated assets: Text assets (like headlines and descriptions) can be automatically created using information from landing pages and existing ads.
• Brand & geo controls: Advertisers can set brand preferences and geographic intent at the ad group level, offering some guardrails to the expanded automation.
• Improved reporting: A new URL parameter helps advertisers better understand which queries are driving traffic, regardless of match type.

For advertisers…

This update signals a continued push toward automation and AI-driven optimisation within Google Ads. While the tools may help surface new opportunities and streamline ad creation, they also introduce changes advertisers should prepare for:

• Less manual keyword control: Campaigns may reach a wider range of queries, but at the cost of tighter keyword-level control.
• Content consistency risks: AI-generated assets may not always align with brand tone or messaging without close monitoring.
• Need for vigilant oversight: Advertisers will need to pay attention to performance data and use the new reporting tools to ensure AI-driven decisions align with campaign goals.

As a Google Premier Partner PPC agency, TDMP can help you leverage Google’s evolving tool set responsibly, bringing down costs while increasing return on ad spend — let’s talk.

Find out how our Google Premier Partner status benefits your bottom line.

Google CEO says search ads earn the same served alongside AI Overview or not

In a recent interview, Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated that ad revenue per query on searches that include AI Overviews is currently at “baseline” levels, meaning it's roughly equal to queries without AI Overviews.

Simply put, Google is claiming that you’ll earn the same ROI on your ads whether they appear in a search with an AI Overview present or not.

The impact of AI Overviews on paid media performance is still not completely understood, so this is reassuring.

However, it’s important to know that Google is drawing these conclusions from controlled internal experiments rather than larger data sets based on organic observations of ad performance in the wild.

What's more, these tests focus on revenue only — and disregard, specific metrics like CTR, etc.

For advertisers…

On the whole, in the now… this is good news. But the long-term impact Google’s AI search features will have on user behaviour regarding sponsored content is unknown. This means everything could change over time.

Google launches Smart Bidding Exploration

Google Ads has introduced Smart Bidding Exploration, which it’s calling the biggest update to bidding in over a decade. The new feature allows advertisers to tap into less obvious but potentially high-converting search queries, beyond the usual high-ROI terms.

With flexible ROAS targets, advertisers can now explore broader intent without breaking campaign goals. According to Google, early adopters have seen 18% more unique converting search categories and a 19% boost in conversions.

Currently in global open beta, the feature complements tools like AI Max by pushing into discovery-oriented territory with the help of automated systems.

For advertisers…

While Google’s performance claims are encouraging, bidding on broader terms means giving more control to automation — so it’s worth testing cautiously and monitoring performance closely.

Smart Bidding Exploration may be a powerful tool, but advertisers should validate whether the extra volume translates into real, qualified leads — not just curiosity clicks.

Google clarifies AI Overviews ad placements

Google has clarified how ads are delivered when an overview appears in search.

Ads may appear either within the AI Overview or above/below it — but never in both positions at once. How Google determines placement depends on keyword match type and relevance.

If both exact match and broad match keywords are eligible to show above or below the AIO, Google prioritises exact match in the auction. However, to be eligible for placement within the AIO, an ad must use broad match (or keywordless targeting like in Performance Max), and be relevant to both the user’s query and the content of the AIO itself.

For advertisers…

According to Google, “people have been finding the ads within AI Overviews helpful because they can quickly connect with relevant businesses, products and services to take the next step at the exact moment they need them.”

That suggests these placements may perform well — but you can’t target them directly. Placement is determined automatically by Google’s systems, and there's currently no segmented reporting for ads that appear within AIOs.

To increase your chances of appearing in these spots, focus on:

• Broad match or keywordless targeting
   
• Smart bidding strategies
   
• High-quality ad creative and landing pages
   
• Well-maintained shopping feeds with rich product data

This is still an evolving space, so expect further changes — and keep a close eye on your campaign performance. See Google’s latest guidance for more information.

Stay current with TDMP

Search is moving faster than ever, but we can help you keep pace. Contact TDMP to ensure your strategy stays sharp, adaptive, and ahead of the curve.