Daily Search Forum Recap: August 14, 2025

08/14/25
Source: Search Engine Roundtable by barry@rustybrick.com (Barry Schwartz). Read the original article

TL;DR Summary of Daily Search Forum Recap: Key Updates from Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI

This recap highlights **Microsoft’s call for SEOs to analyze AI search click conversions**, a significant **50% Google traffic drop due to site hacking**, and the **new Google Ads Performance Max cost toggle**. Additionally, OpenAI’s ChatGPT iOS app now supports **Google Maps integration**, and Google experiments with **keyboard shortcuts for AI Overviews** in search. These updates reflect ongoing developments in search engine technology and marketing tools.

Optimixed’s Overview: Essential Search Engine and AI Updates Impacting SEO and Advertising

Microsoft Emphasizes SEO Community Role in AI Search Conversion Tracking

Fabrice Canel from Microsoft Bing highlighted that search engines have limited visibility into what happens after a user clicks on AI-generated search results. Therefore, he urged the SEO community to conduct independent studies to understand whether AI search clicks actually lead to conversions, underscoring the need for collaborative research in this evolving landscape.

Significant Traffic Drops Following Website Security Breaches

Google confirmed that websites experiencing hacking incidents and malicious content injections can suffer severe ranking penalties, as shown by a reported 50% drop in Google traffic within two weeks. Recovery from such incidents can be prolonged, highlighting the critical importance of website security for SEO performance.

Google Ads Introduces New Performance Max Cost Toggle

Google Ads has rolled out a new feature in Performance Max campaign reporting: a cost toggle that displays the share of cost per channel. This enhancement provides advertisers with clearer insights into budget distribution and channel performance within PMax campaigns, enabling more informed optimization strategies.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT iOS App Now Supports Google Maps

In a recent update, the ChatGPT app for iOS users allows the selection of Google Maps instead of Apple Maps as the default provider for local search results. This change offers users greater flexibility and potentially improved mapping experiences, reflecting OpenAI’s responsiveness to user preferences.

Google Tests Keyboard Shortcuts for AI Overview Features

Google is experimenting with adding keyboard shortcuts to navigate the overlay menu in AI Overviews within search results. Rajan Patel, VP of Engineering for Google Search, described this as an experimental feature aimed at enhancing user interaction with AI-powered search overlays.