What Google said

Should we be scared of a 404?

Watch the full episode right now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJcuRhx08ek 👻

Supporting a shared AI training control for websites

Today, we're announcing our plans to support a shared AI training control in robots.txt. This will help websites express their AI training preferences across multiple AI providers in a single step and is based on work from the AIPREF working group at the…

Build and manage Connected Apps in one place

We’re announcing new connected apps partners and a new platform for developers to build and track their apps in one place.

Should we be scared of a 404 status code?

Do 404 "Not Found" status codes trigger site wide disasters or haunt your crawl budget? Should you redirect every dead URL straight to your homepage? 👻 ...And the most terrifying question of all: where is Chicken? 🐔 Welcome back to The Non-Canonical Cabinet…

What can you actually put in a robots.txt?

Watch the full episode 2 right now - https://youtu.be/-jHONLQgE-s 🤖

See the top style searches from people in big fashion capitals.

We took a look at Google Trends to see what people in seven major fashion capitals are searching for to give them that je ne sais quoi when it comes to their sartorial s…

What can you actually put in a URL 🐔?

Watch the full episode for the whole chicken saga 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfvw43BbHy0 on @GoogleSearchCentral Can you actually put a 🐔 emoji in your domain name? What about the URL path? What about non English characters? Gary and Cherry open the…

400 publications are now partnering with us on our News AI pilot program.

People’s information habits are evolving quickly, and platforms and publishers of all sizes are navigating these changes. To help meet this moment, we’re evolving our pa…

More ways to connect with the web from Search

We’re updating AI Mode and AI Overviews to include clearer links, context about sources, and more.

An intelligent new shopping cart

Universal Cart helps make holiday shopping easier. It’s now available in the U.S. across Search and the Gemini app.

Check out this year’s buzziest Halloween trends.

Ready or not, spooky season is here. To help you prepare, we’re launching Google Frightgeist, our annual interactive website highlighting the top trending searches for H…

6 ways to trick-or-treat yourself to the ultimate Halloween with Search

Whether you need a last-minute costume or a scary movie watchlist, let Google handle heavy lifting for your Halloween prep.

PDFs in Search: Indexing, AI & Pitfalls

Should you publish your content as a PDF or stick strictly to standard HTML? Does Google treat PDF files differently when it comes to indexing, ranking, and AI search features? In this episode of Search Off the Record, Martin Splitt and John Mueller from the…

RESOLVED: September 2026 spam update

Incident began at 2026-09-24 09:15 and ended at 2026-10-08 01:00 (all times are US/Pacific).The rollout was complete as of October 8, 2026. Affected products: Ranking

New learning paths: curated YouTube playlists for Search fundamentals and Technical SEO

Over the years, the Search Central YouTube channel has published hundreds of videos across various series, from Search for Beginners and Ask Googlebot to Search Console Training and Search Off the Record. While our series structure works well for deep dives…

Wheels up: Trends and tips for 2026 holiday travel

Explore this year’s trends and tips for holiday travel — from insights on booking the lowest fare to trending destinations for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

5 ways Search can help you perfect your at-home coffee routine

Learn how Google Search can help you improve your morning cup of coffee.

Do sitemaps still matter?

Sitemaps have been a core element of web development and search engine optimization for two decades, yet Search Console warnings like "Couldn't fetch" continue to generate concern among site owners. Are XML sitemaps still necessary with modern search…

Celebrating International Translation Day: Meet 3 linguistic experts behind Google Translate

On International Translation Day, learn how members of our team bring cultural nuance to Translate to connect people globally.

Announcing web multimodal Search performance reporting in Search Console

Understanding how users find your content is crucial for any publisher or site owner. As Search evolves to include more visual and multimodal experiences, we want to ensure you have the data you need to analyze your performance.

3 new ways we're improving Search profiles for publishers

Search profile updates help publishers better highlight their content and connect with their audiences.

Search Central Live Deep Dive Europe 2026: Meet the community speakers

It's happening! We are absolutely pumped that we're just about two weeks away from Search Central Live Deep Dive Europe 2026! From September 30 to October 2, 2026, the Google Search Central team is heading to the gorgeous city of Barcelona, Spain for three…

Search Central Live India 2026: Bengaluru, We're Coming (For Real This Time)

Remember back in March when we told our Indian community to "sit tight" while we figured out the APAC event calendar? Hopefully, you didn't take that too literally, because sitting tight for six months is probably not great for your back. In any case, you can…

3 ways to prep for your next big race with Search

Search can help runners get race-day ready with registration alerts, tailored training plans, and more.

Get ready for the game with new football features in Search

Track live game feeds, explore detailed stats, and get custom fantasy recommendations directly in Search this season.

Search Central Live is coming to Bogota and Ciudad de México

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Update to the Site Reputation Policy

In 2024, we introduced our site reputation policy to stop a practice where third-party content is published on a trusted website just to exploit that site's good reputation to rank higher in Search. This practice hurts search quality, and creates a bad…

3 new ways to plan and book travel in Search

Book hotels and track airfares, plus view miles and rewards with AI Mode in Google Search.

5 ways to upgrade your home decor with Google Search

Learn how to use Google Search tools to find home decor inspiration, shop for furniture, and tackle DIY projects.

Personalize the content you see on Search, Discover, and News

New personalization features across Search, Discover, and Google News give you even more control.

5 new ways to level up your learning with Search

Here’s how you can use Google Search tools to study for classes and standardized tests.

The latest AI news we announced in July 2026

Here are Google’s latest AI updates from July 2026

Should you block your Search result pages? - transcript

Should you block your Search result pages?

Is your website's internal search feature secretly acting as an open invitation for crawling lots and lots? In this episode of Search off the Record, Martin Splitt and John Mueller pull back the curtain on how internal search results pages can turn into…

Platform properties roll out globally, plus a new social and video performance guide

Earlier this month, we announced platform properties for Search Console, allowing you to track how your social and video posts on Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube perform on Google Search, Discover, and Google News. Today, platform properties are globally…

5 ways AI Mode in Search helps you enjoy the real world

It might sound counterintuitive, but Search's AI tools can actually help you make the most of your time offline whether you want to book concert tickets or find the perf…

These Google Trends show people really want to touch grass

Google Search data reveals a growing desire to unplug and connect in real life with local run clubs, mahjong lessons and more.

5 ways to host the ultimate dinner party with Google Search

These AI features can help you craft a menu, design a tablescape, and handle other party-planning tasks.

13 Google tips for a fun, productive summer off from college

Discover how college students can use Google AI tools, like Gemini and AI Mode, to prep for grad school, internships and fall courses.

Beach vibes and temporary wallpaper are trending for back-to-school season.

College students are eager to turn their dull dorm rooms into cozy spaces. Here are the Google Search trends we’re seeing.