GEO news
What is changing in AI search. Each item is a summary with a link to the outlet that reported it.
Google AI Overviews image generation returns for some searchers
Google appears to be restoring image generation inside AI Overviews for some users, months after the feature was pulled. The capability was first announced in July and paused in August following controversy.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google pushes Gemini 4 Hydrogen into Search during November core update
Google has rolled out what it calls its biggest model update to Search so far, Gemini 4 Hydrogen, and did so in the middle of a core update.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google makes Gemini 4 Hydrogen the default model in AI Mode worldwide
Google has made Gemini 4 Hydrogen the default model in AI Mode for every user worldwide, starting today.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Google swaps in Gemini 4 Hydrogen as the default model for AI Mode
Google has made Gemini 4 Hydrogen the default model in AI Mode and the model behind its hardest AI Overviews questions, rolling it out globally to all Search users.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google tests moving AI Overview source icons to the bottom
Google is testing a version of AI Overviews that places the source icons at the very bottom of the generated answer. The icons had previously sat at the top of the overview, directly above the citations, and in this test hovering over them reveals the full list of cited sites.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google expands AI Overview definitions by default
Google is now showing AI Overviews for definition queries fully expanded by default, so the answer fills the visible portion of the results page without a click on "Show more". Web results sit below the fold and require scrolling.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google AI Overview Local Pack Dropping Action Buttons, Photos & Reviews
Google is testing a stripped-back version of the AI Overview local pack that removes action buttons, reviews, photos, addresses and opening hours. The change makes it harder for searchers to call a business, get directions or visit its website directly from the search results.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Gemini 4 Carbon arrives in Google Search AI Mode for Ultra subscribers
Google has made Gemini 4 Carbon available in AI Mode within Google Search, but only for Google AI Ultra subscribers.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google AI Mode multiturn ads go live on follow-up queries
Google's multiturn ads are now appearing in AI Mode, showing sponsored results against follow-up questions rather than only the first query in a conversation.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google says AI Mode queries arrive earlier and earn less, as paid search shifts up the funnel
Google's Shivani Mohan, vice president of data science and user experience research for Search, told advertisers on 28 October that people are now bringing much longer, more detailed questions to Google, including types of query they would never previously have thought to ask.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Google AI Mode asks searchers to 'continue with this search'
Google has begun showing a "continue with this search" prompt to people entering AI Mode, encouraging them to carry on a search they had started rather than abandon it.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google Pushes AI Mode Users To Opt In To Personal Intelligence
Google has begun showing pop-up notifications inside AI Mode that prompt searchers to switch on Personal Intelligence. The prompt reads "Supercharge Search with Personal Intelligence" and carries a blue continue button that takes users into the setup flow.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google opens Gemini Business Profile tools to Workspace accounts
Google is rolling out Gemini access to Business Profiles for companies that manage their listing through a Google Workspace account, according to a Small Business Bulletin posted by Lisa Landsman, the company's Head of Industry Engagement and SMB Success, on 5 November.
Source: Search Engine Journal
AI referral traffic is tiny but converts five times better, analysis finds
AI assistants send very little traffic to websites, but the visitors they do send convert at roughly five times the rate of ordinary search users.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Google AI Mode Adds Home Services Booking With Angi, Thumbtack and Others
Google has added home services booking to AI Mode, putting booking buttons directly into service listings that appear in its AI-generated answers. The feature is live in the United States only.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google opens UCP direct checkout to Canadian shoppers in AI Mode and Gemini
Google has extended direct checkout built on the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) to shoppers in Canada, letting them buy from eligible retailers without leaving AI Mode in Google Search or the Gemini app.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Google AI Mode Now Serves Up to Four Ads Per Query
Google is now displaying as many as four ads inside AI Mode responses for a single query, up from the one to three that users typically saw. Sachin Patel captured a screenshot of a four-ad AI Mode result, which circulated on Search Engine Watch.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
OpenAI Says ChatGPT Is At 20% Of Google Search Volume
ChatGPT now handles search-like query volume equal to roughly one fifth of Google's, according to Adam Fry, a consumer product lead at OpenAI.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google AI Mode now takes bookings and quote requests for US home services
Google has started letting home service businesses take bookings and quote requests that originate in AI Mode, working through partner platforms rather than direct integrations.
Source: Search Engine Journal
