Daily Search Forum Recap: August 14, 2025

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.

Microsoft says SEOs need to do the click studies to see if AI search clicks lead to conversions or not, search engines don’t have visibility there. A site saw Google traffic drop by 50% in two weeks after being hacked…

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

The Hidden AI Workforce: 29% of Employees Pay for Their Own AI Tools While Bosses Provide No Traini

Our survey of 1,000+ AI users reveals who’s paying, who’s resisting, and why the highest earners fear AI the most.

Source:
Unknown Source

OpenAI ChatGPT App Lets You Pick Google Maps Instead Of Apple Maps

OpenAI updated its ChatGPT iOS app to let you select Google Maps instead of Apple Maps as the maps provider for local results. I am told this is new as of the past week or so.

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

Google Traffic Drops 50% After Site Hack; Recovery Can Take Time

An SEO consultant posted on LinkedIn that one of his websites saw a 50% decline in traffic in a two week period. This was due to the site being hacked, content being injected and Google indexing that hacked content, leading to the site not ranking well in Google Search anymore.

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Search Engine Roundtable

Threads Adds Post Counter for Linked Updates

A handy addition for your longer threads.

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Social Media Today – Latest News

Edits Gets Updated Reels Insights, Safe Zone Mapping, and More

More features for Meta’s video editing app.

Source:
Unknown Source

Meta Provides More Performance Insights for Creators

Now, creators will be able to access their full content insights on the web as well as on mobile.

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Social Media Today – Latest News

TikTok Updates Community Guidelines to Address AI Misinformation

The updated terminology will enable TikTok to address more instances of concern.

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Social Media Today – Latest News

Microsoft Says SEOs Need To Study Clicks To Conversions From AI Search

Fabrice Canel from the Microsoft Bing team said that search engines, like Bing, have "limited visibility" into the conversions after the click from AI search and it is up to the SEO community to conduct those studies.

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

Google AI Overviews With Keyboard Shortcuts

Google is now experimenting with keyboard shortcuts to the overlay menu in the AI Overviews within Google Search. Rajan Patel, VP, Engineering for Google Search, said this is just an experiment.

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

How to protect your brand reputation in AI search

AI search is reshaping brand discovery. Here’s how to actively manage your presence in AI responses before they define you.

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Search Engine Land

The one question that saves product careers | Matt LeMay

🎙️ Matt LeMay shares the truth about why product teams really get laid off, the “low-impact PM death spiral” that’s killing careers, and the one question every PM should ask themselves

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Lenny’s Newsletter

How to build a paid media team in the AI age

Most hiring checklists are stuck in 2017. Here’s how to spot marketers who can outpace algorithms and rivals alike.

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Search Engine Land

YouTube Adds Custom App Promotions for Shorts

New opportunities for Shorts creators to earn money from their content.

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Social Media Today – Latest News

The Development of AI Companions Could Lead to Significant Harms

With more apps looking to introduce AI tools for romantic connection, are we sure we’ve measured the potential risk?

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Social Media Today – Latest News

WhatsApp Adds New Group Call Options

Some new tools to help you coordinate group chats.

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Social Media Today – Latest News

Meta Shares Tips on How to Improve Ad Performance with AI

Some handy notes for your holiday campaign planning.

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Social Media Today – Latest News

Google Ads adds ‘Share of Cost’ toggle to PMax reporting

The new toggle reveals exactly how PMax budgets are split across channels, unlocking scaling opportunities for advertisers.

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Search Engine Land

Google boosts iOS App campaigns with new formats, AI tools

Google’s iOS App campaign upgrades help advertisers reach more users, bid more efficiently, and measure results without sacrificing privacy.

Source:
Search Engine Land

When to restructure your Google Ads account – and how to do it right

Google Ads accounts don’t collapse overnight – they erode. Here’s how to spot the tipping point and rebuild before performance tanks.

Source:
Search Engine Land

Google Ads Cost Toggle For Share Of Cost In Performance Max

Google Ads is reportedly rolling out a new cost toggle in the Performance Max reporting to show you the share of cost for each channel within your PMax campaigns.

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

Director of SEO ~ DoFollow ~ $75,000 – $80,000 ~ Remote (WW)

Company: DoFollow Location: Remote (Worldwide) Department: Off-Page SEO / AEO Reports to: CEO & COO Type: Full-time (remote, 5 days per week) About DoFollow DoFollow is a fast-growing link-building and digital PR agency on a mission to redefine off-page SEO for the AI-powered search era. Our 15-person team spans 13 countries and embraces an inclusive, […]

Source:
SEO Agency Jobs – SEOjobs.com

Director, SEO ~ VaynerMedia ~ Remote (USA)

ABOUT VAYNERX VaynerX (https://vaynerx.com) is the most contemporary family of companies, working together to build and grow brands. Subsidiaries include VaynerMedia, Eva Nosidam Productions, The Sasha Group, Gallery Media Group, Tingley Lane Trading, VaynerSpeakers, and VaynerCommerce. ABOUT VAYNERMEDIA  VaynerMedia is a contemporary global creative and media agency with an expertise in driving relevance for clients […]

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SEO Agency Jobs – SEOjobs.com

Senior Product Manager, SEO (Remote – Canada) ~ Yelp ~ $124,000-233,000 annually (CAD) ~ Remote (Canada)

Summary For 20 years, Yelp has been synonymous with helping consumers discover and connect with great local businesses – from restaurants and nail salons to movers and plumbers. With unmatched local business information, photos, and review content, Yelp provides a one-stop local platform to discover, connect and transact with local businesses of all sizes by […]

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In-house SEO jobs – SEOjobs.com