SEO Daily News Recap for Friday, January 16, 2026
Organic SEO & Search News
Vibe Coding Your Own SEO Tools — Whiteboard Friday – Ready to learn how to “vibe code” custom SEO tools using ChatGPT and Google Colab? Gus Pelogia shares 5 automation ideas, including entity tracking and hreflang matching, to save you time.
Discoverability in 2026: How digital PR and social search work together – Audiences form preferences before they search. Learn how authority shows up across social, search, and AI-powered answers.
Google Search To Prioritize Removing Prediction News Content In Search – Google is making changes to ranking to remove prediction content from showing up in the Google Search top stories and news sections, aiming to combat misleading information.
Paid Search & Platform Innovations
Google Ads tests A/B experiments for Shopping ad product data – Google Ads is testing A/B experiments for Shopping Ads, allowing advertisers to compare product titles/images to optimize performance.
Microsoft Advertising Announces Share Of Voice Metrics, Asset Group-Level URL Options, Customer Acquisition Goals & Much More – Microsoft Advertising introduces new features including Share of voice (SOV) metrics and customer acquisition goals to enhance advertisers’ capabilities.
Google AI Overviews cite YouTube most often for health topics: Study – Google’s AI health summaries rely on sources lacking rigorous medical review or evidence, raising concerns about the accuracy of health information provided.
General Digital Marketing
Amy Hebdon discusses the PPC decision that cost her a good client relationship – Amy Hebdon shares lessons learned from early mistakes, highlighting the importance of managing relationships alongside campaigns in digital marketing.
AI for video advertising: 5 best practices for PPC campaigns – With nearly 90% of advertisers using AI for video ads, performance now hinges on creative inputs, data signals, and effective measurement strategies.
OpenAI will begin testing ChatGPT ads in the U.S. – Advertisers may soon have a new, high-intent way to reach users through ChatGPT ads, integrating advertising directly into relevant conversations.
Dive into our detailed sections for more insights and updates.
Organic SEO & Search News
SEO Daily News and Algorithm Updates
Daily Search Forum Recap: January 16, 2026
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today…
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Search Engine Roundtable
Google AI Overview Local Pack Leading To Drops In Visibility
Over the past few weeks, Google has been showing AI Overviews for local packs, leading some businesses to see huge drops in visibility for their Google Business Profile and local listings. Some businesses are seeing 50% declines or more because of the local pack change.
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
Google Search To Prioritize Removing Prediction News Content In Search
Rajan Patel, the VP of Engineering for Search, said on X that Google is making "changes to ranking" to remove prediction content from showing up in the Google Search top stories and news sections. This comes after some sites are posting "prediction" content, predicting that some sports trades may happen, that have not happened yet, and those "stories" show up in the news section as actually having occurred.
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
Video: Google Personal Intelligence, Universal Commerce Protocol, Apple Picks Gemini & Ongoing Search Volatility
It is another week and more Google Search ranking volatility but this was a weird one. Google launched Personal Intelligence in the Gemini app and it is coming to AI Mode in Google Search. Google AI Mode new ad format…
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Search Engine Roundtable
Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 15-16
I am seeing new signs of yet more Google Search ranking volatility and a possible tweak to the ranking search algorithm. Something kicked off yesterday, January 15th, that the third-party tools picked up on. With this update, there is limited chatter, unlike the previous unconfirmed Google Search ranking update.
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Search Engine Roundtable
Technical SEO
17 Best PR Tools to Amplify Your Brand Signals (2025)
The right PR tool can help your brand get more media coverage—and streamline your workflow. Here are the top 17 of my personal favorites.
Source:
Unknown Source
SEO Tools and Data Analysis
Vibe Coding Your Own SEO Tools — Whiteboard Friday
Ready to learn how to "vibe code" custom SEO tools using ChatGPT and Google Colab? Gus Pelogia shares 5 automation ideas, including entity tracking and hreflang matching, to save you time.
Source:
moz (en-US)
AI and Machine Learning in SEO
AI – An Enablement Shift
A core concept that has helped me understand the rapid permeation of AI through society has been referring to it as an Enablement Shift vs a Paradigm Shift.
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Software Snack Bites
Google AI Overviews cite YouTube most often for health topics: Study
Google’s AI health summaries rely on sources that lack rigorous medical review or evidence, a new analysis finds.
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Search Engine Land
Content Marketing and Strategy
SEO Brand Marketing: Create a Brand Guide That Drives Search Visibility
Brand marketing is more important to SEO than ever, but most teams don’t have a documented brand guide. Here’s how to create one that improves your visibility in both search and AI results.
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General SEO – SEO Blog by Ahrefs
Discoverability in 2026: How digital PR and social search work together
Audiences form preferences before they search. Learn how authority shows up across social, search, and AI-powered answers.
Source:
Search Engine Land
Career Development and Industry Trends
Amy Hebdon discusses the PPC decision that cost her a good client relationship
Amy Hebdon shares lessons from early mistakes in her career, emphasizing the importance of managing relationships alongside campaigns.
Source:
Search Engine Land
Paid Search & Platform Innovations
Paid Search and Advertising
Google search ad clicks hit five-year high as Q4 spend rises 13% – Report
Google search and Shopping ad clicks are surging, offering advertisers a rare opportunity to reach high-intent audiences while CPCs remain stable.
Source:
Search Engine Land
OpenAI will begin testing ChatGPT ads in the U.S.
Ads in ChatGPT could give advertisers a new, high-intent way to reach users directly within relevant conversations.
Source:
Search Engine Land
Google Ads tests A/B experiments for Shopping ad product data
Google Ads is testing A/B experiments for Shopping Ads, letting advertisers compare product titles/images to see what performs better.
Source:
Search Engine Land
Google Ads makes Manual CPC easier to find
Advertisers can now access Manual CPC directly in campaign setup, making it easier to set bids without bypassing recommended options.
Source:
Search Engine Land
Limited Test: Google Ads A/B Tests Product Titles & Images For Shopping Ads
Google Ads is doing a limited test with some advertisers to allow them to run A/B tests with different product titles and images in Shopping Ads. Ginny Marvin, the Google Ads Liaison, said it is "currently being tested with a small number of merchants."
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
Google Ads Manual CPC Bidding Selection Streamlined
Google Ads has reportedly streamlined the selection capability of Manual CPC bidding during the campaign setup. Now the option can be found under the "Conversions" goal, labeled as "Manually set bids."
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
Google Ads Campaign Total Budgets Now An Open Beta
Google Ads has made the Campaign total budgets officially live as an open beta for any advertiser to sign up and use. Campaign total budgets are now available in Search, Performance Max and Shopping campaigns within Google Ads.
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
Microsoft Advertising Announces Share Of Voice Metrics, Asset Group-Level URL Options, Customer Acquisition Goals & Much More
Microsoft Advertising announced a slew of new features including new customer acquisition goals as an open beta, Share of voice (SOV) metrics, Asset group-level URL options and tracking templates, increased Search Theme limit, enhanced asset group import, Content Targeting now generally available, Location targeting improvements and Autogenerated assets in Responsive Search ads.
Source:
Search Engine Roundtable
AI for video advertising: 5 best practices for PPC campaigns
Nearly 90% of advertisers use AI for video ads. Performance now comes down to creative inputs, data signals, and measurement.
Source:
Search Engine Land
Job Postings
Job Postings
1/16/2026
SEO Strategist ~ Seer Interactive ~ $65,000-$75,000 ~ Remote (USA)
Seer Interactive is a digital marketing consultancy that harnesses compassion, data, technology, and AI to make a mark on our communities—our coworkers, our clients, our industry, and our neighbors. We relentlessly pursue (and share) the truth, bringing together millions of data points from quantitative and qualitative sources, enhanced by responsible, human-centered AI. Our purpose is […]
Source:
SEO Agency Jobs – SEOjobs.com
Job Postings
1/16/2026
Director of Strategy (Sales) ~ Foundation ~ CAD 100,000+ ~ Remote (WW)
Foundation is a remote digital marketing agency helping ambitious organisations grow through strategy-led, full-funnel marketing across channels, including paid media, creative, SEO, content, and distribution. We work with ambitious global brands who expect more than execution; they expect clear thinking, strong POVs, and measurable impact. As we continue to scale, we’re investing in dedicated leadership […]
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SEO Agency Jobs – SEOjobs.com
Job Postings
1/16/2026
Manager, SEO ~ BOLD ~ In-office (USA) ~ 15,500 – 17,500/mo. (PLN) ~ Remote (Poland, EU)
Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features. We are looking for a strong SEO leader who can drive organic growth for our domestic sites. As SEO Manager, you will lead a small SEO team, working closely to ideate and execute revenue-driving organic initiatives. This is a strategic and high‑visibility role where you’ll […]
Source:
SEO Agency Jobs – SEOjobs.com
Job Postings
1/16/2026
SEO Strategist (Contractor) ~ Web Thrive ~ $50,000-$80,000 ~ Remote (USA)
Help us grow our clients search traffic. We’re the website agency that builds exceptional websites for exceptional companies. Specialising in web design, web development, and SEOgrowth, we bring together creativity, collaboration, and cutting-edge technology to empower businesses to succeed online. If you’d like to join us on this mission, submit an application now and we’ll […]
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SEO Agency Jobs – SEOjobs.com
Job Postings
1/16/2026
Sales Account Executive (SaaS & Link Building) ~ VH-info ~ $1200-$1500 USD/m + bonus ~ Remote (EU/UK)
About the Role: We are a growing Link building agency specializing in high-authority link building for B2B SaaS and AI companies. We have a dedicated team of 15 link builders and are looking for a results-driven Sales Professional to help us double our revenue in 2026. What You Will Do: Identify and outreach to high-growth […]
Source:
SEO Agency Jobs – SEOjobs.com
Job Postings
1/16/2026
SEO Specialist ~ Healthcare Outcomes Performance ~ $60,000-$80,000 ~ Remote (USA)
Essential Functions Execute leading-edge SEO practices: on-page, off-page, and technical optimization, including metadata, schema, internal linking, and site speed. Own and optimize all aspects of local SEO, including management and enhancement of Google Business Profile for top-tier map pack rankings and NAP consistency across directories. Develop and implement GEO strategies to maximize brand visibility in […]
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In-house SEO jobs – SEOjobs.com
