News — Page 3
News articles on the Aergos blog — strategy, tactics, and case studies from Matt Weitzman and the Aergos team.
33 articles
Google Rankings Still Shaking After May 2026 Core Update Ends
The Google May 2026 core update was marked complete on June 2, 2026, but community chatter spiked again over the June 6th weekend with some webmasters reporting traffic drops as severe as 80-90%. Third-party tracking tools mostly stayed calm, creating a confusing disconnect for site owners trying to read the room.
Read More
Google May Core Update Done, AI Reports & ChatGPT Ads: What Happened This Week
The Google May 2026 core update has finished rolling out, and it brought another wave of volatility on June 2nd. Alongside it, Google Search Console launched new AI performance reports and blocking controls, Microsoft admitted AI search reduces clicks, and ChatGPT rolled out multi-advertiser ad placements.
Read More
Google Must Let Publishers Opt Out of AI Search Under UK Rules
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has made it official: Google must offer publishers a way to opt out of AI search features like AI Overviews and AI Mode. The toggle will live in Google Search Console and roll out globally after a UK pilot. Here's what it means for your traffic and content strategy.
Read More
Google May 2026 Core Update Finishes With a Final Volatility Spike
Google's May 2026 core update went out with a bang — a major ranking volatility spike hit on June 2, just before the rollout officially completed. Search Engine Roundtable's Barry Schwartz reported the surge and confirmed the update finished within hours of his post. Here's what it means for your site.
Read More
John Mueller: Quality Raters Guidelines Don't Drive Rankings
Google's John Mueller confirmed on Bluesky that the Search Quality Raters Guidelines are not a guide for search rankings. It's a critical distinction that trips up a lot of SEOs. Here's what Mueller actually said and what it means for how you build content.
Read More
Google May Core Update, AI Mention Manipulation Warnings, and More
Google's May 2026 core update has landed, and Google issued a strong warning against buying or manipulating brand mentions for AI. Meanwhile, ChatGPT is sending significantly more referral traffic as it shows more links. Here's the full breakdown.
Read More
Sundar Pichai Says Search Is Becoming an Agent, Not an Answer
Google CEO Sundar Pichai sat down with The Verge's Nilay Patel just after Google I/O 2026 and laid out a vision where search kicks off tasks instead of delivering links. The conversation also put a name to something publishers have feared for years: Google Zero. Here's what changed, why it matters, and what you should do about it.
Read More
Google Publishes Official Guide to Optimizing for AI Search Features
Google Search Central published a new guide on May 15, 2026, to help SEOs, developers, and site owners optimize for generative AI features in Google Search. Posted by John Mueller, the resource covers content quality, local and shopping signals, AI agent guidance, and why core SEO still matters.
Read More
Google Drops Official Guide for Generative AI Search Optimization
Google Search Central published a new guide on optimizing for generative AI features in Search, posted by John Mueller on May 15, 2026. The resource covers content quality, AEO/GEO myth-busting, AI agents, and why core SEO still matters. Here's what it means for your strategy.
Read More