SEO Daily News Recap for Friday, February 27, 2026
Organic SEO & Search News
Google publishes new Google Ads passkey help doc – Google has published new passkey guidance for Google Ads, helping advertisers strengthen security amid rising account hacks.
Microsoft Ads launches self-serve negative keyword lists – Advertisers can now create and manage negative keyword lists directly in Microsoft Advertising.
Google patent hints searchers will land on AI-generated pages and not web pages – To be clear, this is just a patent document and not something implemented in Google Search.
Paid Search & Platform Innovations
You can now build PPC tools in minutes with vibe coding – Learn how vibe coding can help you build custom PPC tools in minutes using simple AI prompts instead of traditional coding.
OpenAI: ChatGPT now has 900 million weekly active users – OpenAI reports the new usage milestone as paid subscriptions surge — the latest evidence that AI has become mainstream for daily use.
Google Ads text guidelines for AI Max is now rolled out – Google Ads has rolled out text guidelines for all advertisers globally in AI Max.
General Digital Marketing
The dark SEO funnel: Why traffic no longer proves SEO success – AI drives vendor discovery before Google ever sees the click. Learn how brand mentions, LLM citations, and branded search generate pipeline.
How to build a context-first AI search optimization strategy – AI-driven discovery depends on semantic depth and retrievable structure. Align language, taxonomy, and schema for modern search visibility.
Bing Search Tests 2×2 Video Grid Layout – Microsoft Bing Search is testing a new layout for videos within the search results, opting for a two-by-two grid layout instead of the traditional list view.
Dive into our detailed sections for more insights and updates.
Organic SEO & Search News
SEO Daily News and Algorithm Updates
Daily Search Forum Recap: February 27, 2026
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
The Google Discover core update from February 2026 has finished rolling out after 3 weeks. Google Ads text guidelines for AI Max is now rolled out. Microsoft Advertising launched self-service negative keyword lists. Google is testing web mentions in the retailer store pages. Bing is testing a two by two video grid layout. There are two new videos from Google, one on HTML parsing and the other on ad experiences in search. Plus…
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
Bing Search Tests 2×2 Video Grid Layout
Microsoft Bing Search is testing a new layout for videos within the search results. Instead of a list view, Bing is testing a two-by-two grid layout.
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
Google Search On HTML & Google Ads On Search Experiences
The Google Search team and the Google Ads team released two different videos this week that I thought you should all listen to, at least in the background. In short, Martin Splitt and Gary Illyes from the Google Search team spoke about how browsers parse HTML. Ginny Marvin and Ads UI Product Manager Abby Butler and Search Ads UX Lead Adam Bullock spoke about search experiences with search ads.
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
February 2026 Google Discover Core Update Done Rolling Out
Google’s February 2026 Google Discover Core Update has officially completed rolling out after just over 3 weeks. This update started on February 5, 2026, and was completed on February 27, 2026.
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
Google February 2026 Discover core update is now complete
Again, this update only impacts Google Discover within the US for English content.
Source:
Search Engine Land
Top SEO Tips For 2026
What should you prioritize for SEO in 2026? Chima Mmeje offers six tips for staying on top of SEO in 2026, including how to optimize for agentic AI, build entity clusters, and track LLM metrics to stay ahead.
Source:
moz (en-US)
SEO Tools and Data Analysis
You can now build PPC tools in minutes with vibe coding
Learn how vibe coding help you build custom PPC tools in minutes using simple AI prompts instead of traditional coding.
Source:
Search Engine Land
How to see AI search prompts inside Google Search Console
See how long-tail Google Search Console queries reveal AI-style prompts, plus a regex trick and ways to turn raw data into tracking insights.
Source:
Search Engine Land
AI and Machine Learning in SEO
OpenAI: ChatGPT now has 900 million weekly active users
OpenAI reports the new usage milestone as paid subscriptions surge — the latest evidence that AI has become mainstream for daily use.
Source:
Search Engine Land
Google patent hints searchers will land on AI-generated pages and not web pages
To be clear, this is just a patent document and not something implemented in Google Search.
Source:
Search Engine Land
How to build a context-first AI search optimization strategy
AI-driven discovery depends on semantic depth and retrievable structure. Align language, taxonomy, and schema for modern search visibility.
Source:
Search Engine Land
The Data Doppelgänger problem
AI agents, shared signals and fragmented identities are distorting marketing intelligence. Most brands do not know who is really acting.
Source:
Search Engine Land
Content Marketing and Strategy
The dark SEO funnel: Why traffic no longer proves SEO success
AI drives vendor discovery before Google ever sees the click. Learn how brand mentions, LLM citations, and branded search generate pipeline.
Source:
Search Engine Land
Career Development and Industry Trends
How to become an SEO freelancer without underpricing or burning out
Specialize, productize, and price your services strategically. Here’s how to build a freelance SEO business that scales without chaos.
Source:
Search Engine Land
User Experience and SEO Optimization
Google Testing Web Mentions In Retailer Store Pages
Google is testing adding "web mentions" to the retailer store page under the reviews section. I cannot replicate this yet, but web mentions shows what people are saying about the retailer on sites like Reddit and other social platforms, whereas reviews are reviews left on Google.
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
Paid Search & Platform Innovations
Paid Search and Advertising
Google publishes new Google Ads passkey help doc
Google has published new passkey guidance for Google Ads, helping advertisers strengthen security amid rising account hacks.
Source:
Search Engine Land
Microsoft Ads launches self-serve negative keyword lists
Advertisers can now create and manage negative keyword lists directly in Microsoft Advertising
Source:
Search Engine Land
Google Ads Text Guidelines Rolling Out Globally In AI Max
Google Ads is rolling out text guidelines for all advertisers globally in AI Max. We thought the rollout started more broadly last October, after it was announced last September, but now it is really fully rolling out.
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
Microsoft Advertising Launches Self-Service Negative Keyword Lists
Microsoft Advertising has now rolled out the self-serve negative keyword lists. This launched a couple of days ago and was announced by Navah Hopkins, the Microsoft Ads Liaison.
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
Job Postings
Job Postings
2/27/2026
Senior Director of Organic Growth (SEO, AI, History & Blogger Ecosystem)
Company Description OleOle is building the world’s first decentralized super app for football. We’re creating a global platform that combines social networking, messaging, live scores, e-commerce, crypto rewards, and in-match gambling — all built natively in Rust and integrated with the Solana blockchain. Unlike typical social networks, OleOle is focused 100% on football fans. We’re […]
Job Postings
2/27/2026
Digital Marketing Manager (SEO/SEM, Content Marketing)
About MedEquip Shop MedEquip Shop is a growing medical equipment provider with a strong presence in retail and rentals, offering a wide range of products for seniors and caregivers. We’re seeking a talented Digital Marketing Manager to help us scale our online and in-store sales and establish a larger footprint in the Houston area. We […]
Source:
In-house SEO jobs – SEOjobs.com
Job Postings
2/27/2026
SEO Director
Upgrow is seeking an organized, motivated, and creative SEO Director to lead our growing digital marketing agency in San Francisco, CA. You will oversee and manage SEO projects involving research, planning, project management, analytics, optimization, linkbuilding, and writing. This role works directly with clients and includes account management, as well as managing 2 direct reports. […]
Source:
SEO Agency Jobs – SEOjobs.com
Job Postings
2/27/2026
Head of Digital Marketing (SEO/SEM, CRM, UX)
Benefits: 401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance The Head of Digital Marketing owns the digital growth engine for Goldfish Swim School Franchising. This role leads digital strategy, performance marketing, data and analytics, and lifecycle optimization across a growing franchise system. This leader is both strategic and hands-on, capable of […]
