Google Maps launches Ask Maps, a conversational tool using Gemini models to answer detailed local queries and personalize suggestions from community reviews. It simplifies trip planning and bookings. The update also features Immersive Navigation with 3D visuals, natural voice guidance, route options, and parking info, improving driving ease and safety. Available now in the U.S. and India on mobile, with desktop and wider device support coming soon.
The branded queries filter in Search Console is now available to all eligible sites, helping analyze traffic by distinguishing branded from non-branded queries. Available since Feb 21, it works well compared to custom regex filters. Testing on large sites showed mixed accuracy, with AI sometimes excelling and other times missing. Google plans to improve accuracy, making it a useful SEO tool already.
Microsoft Clarity introduces AI Citations (beta), offering end-to-end visibility of how content is cited in AI-generated answers and drives AI-referred traffic. It unifies signals from Bing Webmaster Tools and Clarity, showing citation activity, query volume, and page citations. This helps brands understand their influence in AI answers, optimize content, and monitor AI visibility trends. Access is by invitation.
Google's Search Console now offers an AI-powered configuration feature in its Performance report, letting users describe their analysis in natural language. It applies filters, sets comparisons, and selects metrics like Clicks and Impressions, simplifying data analysis. It supports only Search results reports, may misinterpret requests, so users should verify filters. It cannot sort or export data and is rolling out gradually.
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Google Chrome introduces WebMCP, a new standard to enable faster, more reliable AI interactions on websites by exposing structured tools. It offers two APIs: Declarative for standard HTML actions and Imperative for complex JavaScript tasks. WebMCP enhances agent workflows in areas like customer support, ecommerce, and travel by allowing precise, automated actions. An early preview program is available for prototyping.
Bing Webmaster Tools launched AI Performance reporting to show how often and where publisher content is cited in AI-generated answers on Bing and partners. The dashboard tracks citations, cited pages, queries, and trends, helping publishers optimize content clarity, structure, and freshness. IndexNow supports timely updates. Local businesses can improve AI visibility via Bing Places. This tool promotes transparency and collaboration as AI search evolves.
Google now uses the Gemini 3 model globally for AI Overviews in Search, improving responses for complex questions on the results page. Users can easily continue conversations with AI Mode for follow-ups, creating a smooth experience that offers quick answers and deeper exploration. This update aims to make searching more natural and helpful, especially on mobile devices worldwide.
Google Trends updated its Explore page with Gemini technology to automatically identify and compare relevant search trends. The new side panel suggests related terms and prompts, helping users like journalists and researchers explore topics more deeply. The interface supports more terms, clearer visuals, and shows more rising queries. This update is initially available on desktop.
Google's December 2025 core update was completed after an 18-day rollout from December 11 to December 29, 2025. It was the third core update of the year, with more frequent updates expected. The update aims to improve content relevance and quality across all websites, promoting high-quality pages rather than penalizing lower-quality ones.
