Google Ranking Volatility Heated, Discover Data Goes Missing, FAQ Rich Results Totally Gone & Google Ads AI Dashboards

This week in search I covered, yep, heated Google search ranking volatility kicking in the middle of this week. Google updated its spam policies to say it also applies to Google’s AI responses in Search. Google Discover performance report is missing data from May 7th and May 8th. Google Search drops FAQ rich results from the search results completely. Bing Webmaster Tools does not distinguish between http and https. A new study says schema does not influence AI citations. Google Discover publisher pages are testing new links and featured posts. Google Ads teases new AI-powered dashboards. Google Ads search terms report shows the best approximation of a user’s intent. Google Ads posts a help document on site visits assets. Google Ads to automatically link your YouTube channels. Google Ads API version 24.1 is now out. Google Merchant Center tests Merchant Advisor. Google Merchant Center has new out-of-stock options. Google Merchant Center for Agencies is now globally available. Google Analytics has a new AI assistant traffic to track ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.This episode is brought to you by Yahoo Scout. Yahoo Scout is a new AI-powered answer engine that brings together AI summaries with something the search community cares about—real links to real sources, designed to be transparent. Built on Yahoo’s long history as a trusted guide to the internet, Yahoo Scout helps users get clear answers, with the ability to explore beyond. You can try it now at scout.com.0:00 - Introduction0:57 - Google Search Ranking Volatility Heated May 13th & 14th1:53 - Google: Spam Policies Apply To AI Responses (AI Overviews & AI Mode)2:36 - Google Discover Performance Report Missing Data May 7 & May 82:55 - Google Search Drops FAQ Rich Results In Search & Search Console3:42 - PSA: Bing Webmaster Tools Does Not Distinguish Between http and https4:12 - Study: Adding Schema Did Not Improve AI Citations On Google, ChatGPT & More4:47 - Google Discover Publisher Pages To Get Links & Featured Posts5:04 - Google Ads Teases New Dashboards Powered By Gemini5:29 - Google Ads Search Terms Report Shows Best Approximation Of User's Intent6:27 - Google Ads Posts Site Visits Assets Documentation6:49 - Google Ads To Automatically Link YouTube Channels7:14 - Google Ads API Version 24.1 Now Available7:34 - Google Merchant Center Tests Merchant Advisor8:05 - Google Merchant Center Gains More Out-of-Stock Options8:27 - Google Merchant Center For Agencies Now Available Globally8:42 - Google Analytics AI Assistant Traffic: Tracks ChatGPT, Gemini & Claude Traffic9:15 - Conclusion