SEO News
Google Search to redirect its country level TLDs to Google.com
Google will begin redirecting its country code top-level domain names (ccTLD) versions of its Google domain to Google.com. That means if you frequent google.fr (in France), google.ng (in Nigeria) and so on, you will be redirected to Google.com.
Why the change. Google said, “Over the years, our ability to provide a local experience has improved. In 2017, we began providing the same experience with local results for everyone using Search, whether they were using google.com or their country’s ccTLD.” “Because of this improvement, country-level domains are no longer necessary,” Google added.
Google said, “we’ll begin redirecting traffic from these ccTLDs to google.com to streamline people’s experience on Search.”
The impact. "For the most part, most searchers should not notice any difference." Though it's yet to be seen what this means for New Zealand search queries and listings, which Google already struggles to localise.
Google AI Overview-organic ranking overlap drops after core update
AI Overviews are now less likely to cite pages that rank in Google’s top 10 organic positions, according to new BrightEdge data. This change was observed following Google’s March 2025 core update.
By the numbers. The overlap between AI Overview citations and Google’s top 10 organic positions dropped from 16% to 15% following the March 2025 core update.
This appears to be a major shift in how Google is synthesizing information via its AI-generated answers. The change could pose new visibility and attribution (and even more rank tracking) challenges.
Paid News
Google Ads 2024 Safety Report Unveils AI Protections
Google has released its 2024 Ads Safety Report, and the message is clear: accountability is scaling fast thanks to AI.
With billions of ads removed and millions of accounts suspended, the report paints a picture of an advertising ecosystem under tighter scrutiny than ever.
For marketers, especially those managing significant media budgets, these shifts aren’t just background noise.
They directly impact strategy, spend efficiency, and brand safety. Here’s a closer look at the biggest takeaways and how marketers should respond.
Google Ads to show ads in the top ads position, also in the bottom ads position
Google will now allow relevant Search ads from advertisers who showed amongst top ads to also participate in the bottom ads auction. As a reminder, the definition of top ads changed about a year ago, as Google began mixing ads in various organic positions throughout the search results.
With this change, Google also reminded us that it updated its unfair ads policy (i.e. double serving) to say this is not double serving. Google added the words, “in a single ad location,” as an exception to the policy last March after Google was caught double serving ads under its old definition.
Studies & Data
Google Ad spend continues to outpace traffic volume: Report
Google search ad spending grew 9% year over year in Q1 2025, according to new data from digital marketing agency Tinuiti. Increasing costs, rather than click volume, drove most of that growth.
Google Search overall: - Google Search spending grew by 9% YoY in Q1 2025 (down slightly from 10% in Q4 2024). - Click growth was stable at 4% YoY. - Whilst average cost per click (CPC) increased by 5% YoY.
As AI scraping surges, AI search traffic fails to follow: Report
AI-powered search engines (e.g., OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Perplexity) are failing to drive meaningful traffic to publishers while their web scraping activities increase. That’s one big takeaway from a recent report from TollBit, a platform that says it helps publishers monetize their content.
CTR comparison. Google’s average search click-through rate (CTR) was 8.63%, according to the report. However, the CTR for AI search engines was 0.74% and 0.33% CTR for AI chatbots. That means AI search sends 91% fewer referrals and chatbots send 96% less than traditional search.
Guides & Recommendations
Google's New Domain Structure: What's Next For Hreflang?
There’s speculation that this domain change might connect to how Google handles international content, though Google has not confirmed such a connection.
In July, Google’s Gary Illyes hinted that they might rely less on manual hreflang tags and more on automatic language detection.
Domain extensions and SEO: What you need to know
Domain extensions have been a core part of the web since its early days.
In SEO, debates have continued for decades about how a domain extension, such as a TLD (top-level domain) or ccTLD (country-code top-level domain), affects rankings.
The discussion often concerns whether search engines like Google, Baidu, or Microsoft Bing prefer specific domain extensions when ranking websites in different countries.
Some aspects are clearly outlined in official documentation, while others rely more heavily on anecdotal evidence and testing.
Thought Pieces
200 Tips from Tech SEO Tuesdays - Nikki Halliwell - Tech SEO
Tech SEO Tuesdays started as a way to share tips and advice with others in the industry. Posted weekly on LinkedIn, Twitter, and elsewhere, the full list of technical SEO advice can be found here!
I’ve been working in SEO and marketing for 10 years and have dealt with countless website migrations and audits. I’ve certainly encountered my fair share of technical SEO issues, which is why Tech SEO Tuesdays started. There are many tips here that I wish I’d known when I started, as well as others I’ve recently discovered.
There’s always something new in SEO; that’s the beauty of it.
If you want more actionable technical SEO tips in your inbox each week, check out my newsletter: Tech SEO Tips.
I’ve been posting these each week for over 4 years, so feel free to use the links below to find tips based on when they were published.
How would a Google breakup impact SEO?
key aim of the antitrust trial is to foster greater competition in the market.
With more default search engine options available to users, Google’s dominance may continue to erode. Its market share recently dipped below 90% for the first time in a decade.
Still, given Google’s reputation for search quality, immediate shifts might remain modest unless a strong competitor, like an Apple search engine, emerges.
An Apple search engine would quickly gain market share thanks to the widespread use of Apple devices, adding complexity to an already changing space.
AI News
OpenAI Expresses Interest In Buying Chrome Browser
Nick Turley, Head of Product at ChatGPT, testified that OpenAI would be interested in acquiring the Chrome browser should a judge decide to break it off from Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
ChatGPT with ads: 'Free-user monetization' coming in 2026?
Could ChatGPT launch an advertising product within the next year? The answer seems to be yes, based on internal OpenAI documents.
OpenAI appears to forecast a billion dollars in new revenue from “free user monetization” in 2026. That figure is forecast to grow to nearly $25 billion by 2029 of OpenAI’s total $125 billion projection.
Other News
Shopify’s checkout overhaul means it’s time to migrate your Google Tags
Shopify is changing how it handles checkout. If you’re running Google Ads or Analytics, you’ll need to act soon.
Key deadlines. Shopify Plus merchants must migrate by Aug. 28, 2025. Non-Plus merchants have until Aug. 26, 2026. Missing these dates could result in a total loss of conversion tracking on your Thank You and Order Status pages.
The fix. Use the Google & YouTube app. The Google & YouTube app, developed by Google for Shopify, is now the go-to way to handle all things measurement, ads, and analytics.
DOJ unveils plan to end Google’s illegal search monopoly
The U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of states unveiled their proposed remedies today aimed at dismantling Google’s illegal monopoly in search and search advertising. These include breaking off Chrome and banning default search payments.
The remedies. They break down into five categories meant to enable and increase competition...