SEO News & Updates for May 2025

Google Lighthouse Audits Transition to Performance Insight Audits with Major Changes

3 days ago

Lighthouse is moving to performance insight audits, consolidating various performance tools. Several audits will be renamed or merged, while outdated ones will be removed. Breaking changes will affect API users, with the next major release, Lighthouse 13, planned for October 2025. Users can start migrating to the new insights now, with a toggle feature in Lighthouse 12.6. Documentation for the new audits will be available before the transition.

Google corrects Google News crawler documentation error regarding publisher preferences

5 days ago

SEO

Google updated its Google News crawler documentation to clarify that publisher crawler preferences for Googlebot-News do not influence the News tab in Google search results. The News tab shows results from eligible publishers complying with Google's policies. The changelog corrected an error stating that crawling preferences affected the News tab and removed the misleading section. The updated description specifies that preferences only affect Google News.

Apple updates Applebot documentation clarifying crawler differences and data usage

6 days ago

SEO

Apple updated its Applebot documentation to clarify the differences between Applebot and Applebot-Extended. Blocking Applebot-Extended in the robots.txt file prevents content from being used to train generative AI models. Applebot crawls data for features like Spotlight and Siri, and web publishers can control access through robots.txt. Applebot-Extended allows further control over data usage, while Applebot follows standard crawling rules.

Google updates documentation for Google-Extended user agent and product token description

6 days ago

SEO

Google updated the documentation for the Google-Extended user agent, enabling publishers to control if their data is used for AI training. The product token description was clarified based on feedback. The crawler preferences for the Googlebot-News user agent were corrected, clarifying they do not affect the News tab on Google. The updated documentation offers a clearer explanation of the user agent's purpose and the effects of blocking it.

Automate Meta Ads Creative Generation and Uploading

Featured

Markifact automates the creation and uploading of Meta ads using AI. Users generate custom visuals and matching ad copy by writing detailed prompts and uploading reference images. Ads are uploaded in a paused status for review before going live. This tool allows for quick creation of multiple ad variations, adaptation to market trends, and scaling of campaigns without needing extensive design or copywriting resources.

Google updates Merchant Center documentation on energy efficiency and certification

10 days ago

Google Merchant Center SEO

Google updated its Merchant Center documentation by removing the EnergyConsumptionDetails properties and providing an alternative for the certificationIdentification property. The hasEnergyConsumptionDetails remains backwards compatible for existing implementations. The update aims to enhance energy efficiency documentation, as the EnergyConsumptionDetails type is replaced by the more robust Certification type, announced in October 2024.

Google to Drop Support for Special Announcement Structured Data by July 2025

11 days ago

SEO

Google will stop supporting the Special Announcements structured data type by July 31, 2025. This data type was introduced in April 2020 for COVID-related announcements and never evolved beyond that purpose. It allowed local businesses to communicate changes like store hours but remained a beta feature throughout its existence. Users can keep this data on their sites without negative effects, but it will not impact Google Search.

Trending ️‍🔥

Google to Redirect Country Code Domains to Google.com

19 days ago

SEO

Google will redirect its country code top-level domains (ccTLD) to Google.com, meaning users of domains like google.fr or google.ng will be redirected. This change is due to improvements in providing local search experiences since 2017, making ccTLDs unnecessary. The rollout will happen gradually, and users may need to re-enter search preferences. While the browser address bar will change, search functionality and compliance with national laws will not be affected.

Google Expands Availability for Structured Data Carousels in EEA Countries

21 days ago

SEO

Google updated the structured data carousels (beta) documentation to include current interest forms and supported query types, reflecting the feature's current state. The feature is in beta and may change. Businesses in the EEA can fill out interest forms for ground transportation, hotels, vacation rentals, local businesses, flights, and shopping queries. This feature is available only in EEA countries on desktop and mobile devices.

Trending ️‍🔥

Google Search Console API Adds Support for Hourly Data

25 days ago

SEO Google Search Console

Google Search Console API adds hourly data support to the Search Analytics API, allowing access to up to 10 days of hourly breakdowns. This enhancement responds to user requests for better data analysis. Developers can now analyze recent performance trends and compare data across weeks. New features include the HOUR dimension for grouping responses and the HOURLY_ALL dataState for partial data. Feedback from users is welcomed.

SEO News

FAQs

What are the top SEO updates I must know about in 2025?

What are the latest SEO news this month?

What are the best SEO tools that I should use?

What's the best source for SEO news and updates?

Is there a SEO newsletter I can subscribe to?