Google is testing blue titles for the ads that appear at the bottom of AI Mode. Previously, these ad titles appeared in black, but Google has now switched them to blue. After seeing them in blue, I think they look good.

Here is a screenshot of this.

Here is a screenshot of the title appearing in black.

Personally, I think this is a good test. Blue is the color people associate with hyperlinks, so a blue ad title could catch the user’s attention and make the ad feel more clickable.

The post Google tests blue titles for ads at the bottom of AI Mode appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

Source:: searchenginewatch.com

Google 2026 spam update has finished rolling out. It started on September 24 and was completed on October 8, 2026, at 4:37 AM ET.

Google had already said the rollout would take about two weeks. The update applies globally and to all languages, and it targets sites that violate Google’s search spam policies.

The longest rollout is the most notable part. Previous spam updates took about two days to roll out, and this one took almost two weeks.

There was noticeable ranking volatility during the rollout, with significant movement reported around these dates:

• September 25 to 27
• September 30
• October 4 to 6

Some SEOs have said this update felt like a core update. That is their observation. Google has not called it a core update.

Since the rollout is now complete, site owners can compare their Search Console data from before and after September 24 to see if their site was affected.

Did your site see ranking changes during this update?

The post Google spam update finishes rolling out after nearly two weeks appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

Source:: searchenginewatch.com

Bing is testing a new design for its “People also ask” questions. Previously, these questions appeared in a simple, plain format, but today I saw them displayed in light blue boxes.

I was able to replicate this in multiple browsers, including both Incognito and a normal browser window, so this test may be showing for a wide group of users, or possibly everyone.

Here is a screenshot of this.

The rest of the Bing SERP looks the same as usual. Only the box design for this section has changed.

The post Bing tests new light blue box design for People also ask questions appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

Source:: searchenginewatch.com

Yahoo is testing a search box below its AI overview. This mirrors what Google does with its AI Overviews, where a box at the bottom lets users type a query and get redirected into AI Mode. In Yahoo’s version, typing a query into the box redirects users to Yahoo Scout. Yahoo also adds a “Show more” button that users click to expand the AI overview.

Below the box, Yahoo is testing a new section called “Get AI answers with Yahoo Scout,” which shows three long-tail keywords. Clicking one redirects users to a new query within Yahoo Scout.

Here is a screenshot of the box that appears below the AI overview.

Here is the new “Get AI answers with Yahoo Scout” section in the SERP.

We have seen similar approaches from other search engines. Google uses a comparable box in its AI Overviews, and Bing recently tested a follow-up box in its Copilot results. These boxes give users an easy way to continue their query inside the search engine’s AI experience.

The post Yahoo tests search box and related queries below AI overview appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

Source:: searchenginewatch.com

Bing is testing a new SERP design that removes website favicons entirely. We previously spotted this happening with sponsored ad results, but today, we noticed Bing testing this for organic results as well, with the entire SERP showing no favicons at all.

Here is a screenshot of this.

I remember Google testing something similar earlier this year, though Google later dropped that test. Favicons play an important role in search results, helping users quickly recognize a brand, so personally, I’m not a fan of this change.

The post Bing tests removing favicons from all organic SERP results appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

Source:: searchenginewatch.com