Daily Search Forum Recap: January 2, 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.

Some new publishers are seeing big swings since the Google December core update. Google is testing a blue send button in the search box. Google’s John Mueller posted SEO advice on 404s and on schema. John also published his annual Mueller report on SEO memes. Google posted the New Year’s Eve and Day Doodles but the New Year’s Day Doodle was delayed. Googlers and Bingers were working on New Year’s Day. And I posted the SEO video recap…

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

John Mueller On If Schema Helps With LLMs & Google

John Mueller, who works on the Google Search team, responded to a question that asks, "Does extensive Schema markup actually help Large Language Models (LLMs) understand your entity better, or is it just for Google Rich Snippets?" He responded to the question, prefacing it that it is his point of view and "this is not official guidance."

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

Google On Why 404s Don’t Matter For SEO

Google has been saying that 404 error codes are a normal part of the web, that 404s are not a low quality signal and that they don’t use up your crawl budget. Now, John Mueller of Google explained why 404s don’t matter for SEO.

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

Google Search Testing Blue Send Button In Query Box

Google is testing a blue "Send" button in the search query box on its home page. When you type in your query, you can click "Send" to search Google for that query.

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

John Mueller Report Of SEO Memes For 2025

For the past several years now, John Mueller of Google would come out with what he calls the "Mueller Report of SEO memes." Well, here is his 2025 edition of the Mueller Report of SEO memes. It is fun to scan through, so I’ll just embed them all.

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

Some News Publishers Took A Big Hit With The Google Core Update

Now that the December 2025 core update is officially done, some are looking at the damage it caused. A number of very visible news publishers saw some significant declines in Google Search visibility with this latest core update.

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

Video: Google December Core Update Done, News Publishers Hit Hard, Frankenstein AI Recipe Horror & Happy New Year

Google completed the December 2025 core update this week and it hit some news publishers incredibly hard. I posted the annual Google algorithm update infographic. Google’s Frankenstein AI-recipes are a complete horror. Google questioned the need for ccTLDs for international SEO. Do not create multiple Business Profiles for each department listing on Google. Google AI Overviews is testing speaker icons in the US. Chrome is testing replacing the Gemini button with alternatives. Bing is testing expanding the people also ask on click. Microsoft Advertising added custom columns for advanced reporting and also added an all accounts tab…

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

Google tests blue Send button that replaces AI Mode in the search box

As you type your query, the AI Mode may disappear and show you a blue Send button in the Google Search box.

Source:
Search Engine Land

Enterprise Content Manager (SEO, Social, Creative) ~ ARC Health Partners ~ $85,000 ~ Remote (USA)

Job Description Job Title: Enterprise Content Manager Location: Remote Employment Type: Full-Time, W-2 Employee Salary: $85,000 per annum Schedule/Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST Reports To: Vice President of Business Development Job Summary ARC Health OPCO (ARC) is the newest generation of Management Service Organization (MSO) for mental healthcare. Headquartered in Independence, OH, ARC is a fast-growing, […]

Source:
In-house SEO jobs – SEOjobs.com

SEO Analyst ~ Global Channel Management ~ $46-$49/hr. ~ In-office (USA) ~ Atlanta, GA, United States

Job Description SEO Analyst needs (3) three years of experience in SEO or a related field (e.g. agency or client side) SEO Analyst requires: Strong knowledge and deep expertise in SEO best practices, content optimization techniques, tools, and analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, SEMrush, Ahrefs). Bachelors degree preferred, with a focus on marketing, communications, or […]

Source:
SEO Agency Jobs – SEOjobs.com

SEO Coordinator – Research, Analytics & AI Search Optimization ~ Idea Evolver ~ In-office (USA) ~ New York, NY, United States

Job Description Idea Evolver is seeking a driven SEO Coordinator to join our growing Owned Media & Analytics team. This is not a typical SEO role—we’re looking for someone who thrives at the intersection of research, technical SEO, and the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-powered search and chat optimization. As part of our team, you’ll dive deep […]

Source:
SEO Agency Jobs – SEOjobs.com

Digital Marketing Manager (SEO, PPC, Social) ~ Harvis, Inc. ~ Remote (USA)

Job Description At Harvis, Inc. we work to support business owners, their managers and Human Resource “departments of one” giving them a trusted HR Partner to whom they can delegate HR responsibilities. Harvis is not a temporary staffing agency. We partner with clients to help identify and hire the right employees. Harvis is engaged in […]

Source:
In-house SEO jobs – SEOjobs.com