Google is now testing showing the sponsored results heading in the center of the page on desktop. Previously, it was on the side of the results page. It might be a new test or might be a bug, but I saw this for the past 2 days. I was thinking it could be a bug, but it kept showing up again and again, so it’s worth sharing here.

Here is a screenshot of how it looks.

Showing the heading centered on the page can catch user attention, but I don’t think it can impact more than that. I think this can be a bug.

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Source:: searchenginewatch.com

Google is now testing a way to show how many days are left on a sale price within sponsored results, such as “5 days left” or “3 days left.” This lets users see when a discounted shopping ad’s sale price is about to end.

We spotted this today while searching for earbuds.

Here is the screenshot of how it looks.

This could be a useful addition for websites running time-limited sales, helping drive urgency and encouraging users to convert before the deal ends. For users, it also makes it easier to spot ongoing deals and know exactly how much time is left before the sale price expires.

Image Credit: firstpageprofiles

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Source:: searchenginewatch.com

Google is using the U.S. version of its Search homepage to promote its growing collection of AI tools.

A promotional link at the bottom of the Google homepage reads, “Build, create, and do more with AI tools from Google.” Clicking it opens Google’s dedicated AI landing page, where the company highlights its AI products, features, experiments and learning resources. The link appeared on the U.S. version of Google.com during our testing.

The page promotes products including AI Mode in Google Search, Gemini, NotebookLM, Google Flow and Gemini Enterprise. It also highlights AI-powered features in Google Maps, Google Photos, Workspace and Chrome, along with Google’s AI experiments and developer tools.

Google has long used its homepage to promote its own products and services, so a footer promotion is not unusual by itself. What stands out here is the subject of the promotion: Google is using one of the web’s most recognizable entry points to direct users toward its broader AI ecosystem.

The move comes as Google continues to experiment with ways to make AI more visible on the Search homepage. In August, Google confirmed a limited test that added Create images, Ask about files and Brainstorm buttons below the search box. The shortcuts lead to AI Mode, while the core search box continues to work normally.

Google’s homepage can vary by location, language, account state and test group. The AI tools promotion was visible in the U.S. during our testing, and Google has not announced a wider rollout.

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Source:: searchenginewatch.com

YouTube says making its desktop thumbnails bigger, with fewer videos visible at once, increased engagement with longer videos. Its explanation: giving people more options can make choosing harder.

Todd Beaupré, YouTube’s senior director of growth and discovery, discussed the results with creator liaison René Ritchie in a recent interview.

Creators had worried that fewer spaces for longer videos would reduce viewing. Beaupré said YouTube shared that concern and ran numerous experiments before introducing the change. He said the resulting layout helped both long and short videos.

“Sometimes choice is overwhelming and they just don’t choose anything,” Beaupré said.

The redesign had a less enthusiastic reception among some viewers. In an April 2025 Reddit discussion, users complained about oversized thumbnails and traded browser extensions and other workarounds to restore more videos per row. One reported seeing just three videos across a 27-inch monitor.

Those complaints describe a different question from whether the layout increased total engagement. A design can lead to more viewing overall while still frustrating people who prefer to scan a denser homepage.

The interview leaves the scale of the benefit unclear. Beaupré provided no percentage increase, experiment dates or breakdown of how individual channels performed. His comments do not establish that every creator gained exposure.

For creators and brands, the practical distinction is between the space YouTube gives a video and the thumbnail they put inside it. Uploading a higher-resolution image does not give a creator control over the homepage grid.

YouTube’s current A/B testing documentation offers a way to test the part they can control. Eligible creators can compare up to three titles, thumbnails or combinations in YouTube Studio. Tests can take up to two weeks, and results are evaluated using watch time rather than click-through rate alone.

The company says titles and thumbnails should help viewers understand what they are choosing. It also cautions that limited impressions can leave a test without a clear winner. That gives creators a way to check whether a different presentation helps their own videos, while the channel-level effects of the homepage redesign remain undisclosed.

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Source:: searchenginewatch.com

Google has an AI upgrade for anyone who has ever checked the forecast, left the umbrella at home and regretted trusting their phone.

The company announced WeatherNext 3 on September 3, saying the model would begin powering weather experiences globally across Google Search, Maps and the Gemini app that day. Its most immediately useful claim: precipitation forecasts can be up to 50% more accurate when planning a day or more ahead. Google says the biggest gains will be in regions where forecasts have historically been less reliable.

“Up to” is doing some work there. The figure describes the maximum claimed improvement; it does not guarantee the same gain for every forecast or location.

The underlying change is how often the model gets fresh evidence. According to the researchers‘ paper, WeatherNext 3 takes in recent satellite observations to generate a new forecast every hour. Earlier AI forecasting systems depended on analysis data that could pass its own biases into their predictions.

For someone repeatedly refreshing a weather app as clouds gather, the useful distinction is that the forecasting model itself gets another look at the atmosphere.

There is more local detail, too. Google’s developer documentation describes several resolutions: selected surface predictions at five kilometers, other surface grids at 10 kilometers and atmospheric levels at 25 kilometers. That finest, five-kilometer detail applies to particular outputs.

The researchers also trained the model to predict readings from individual weather stations, taking account of local geographical features. They report lower temperature and dewpoint errors than competing global models, including at stations the system had not seen during training. That matters when a regional forecast has to account for places with different elevations and surroundings.

Google lists a forecasting horizon of 15 days, using 64 ensemble members—multiple possible weather outcomes that help describe uncertainty. Those alternatives help indicate how confident a forecast should be.

For everyday users, the upgrade arrives through familiar Google products. The company is also making forecast data available through BigQuery, Earth Engine and Google Cloud Storage for developers and businesses.

The real test will come when the forecast says you can leave the umbrella at home.

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Source:: searchenginewatch.com