3 search changes every publisher should be paying attention to right now

It feels like search is changing almost every week, and honestly, it is. While not every update requires you to make a big change, some are important enough that publishers should understand what changed and, more importantly, what they should do about it.

There are three significant changes that I’m going to walk you through today. They are:

• Google Search Console now shows which stories are getting AI impressions.

• Google is giving publishers a new way to measure how their social content appears in search.

• Bing Webmaster Tools can now show you which stories are being cited in Microsoft Copilot.

Alright, let’s jump into the details:

1. AI Impressions are now in Search Console

I actually covered this in our monthly LinkedIn newsletter (which you can sign up for here, where we highlight big industry updates and useful information).

In Google Search Console (which is a tool that allows you to keep up with the health of your website), you can now see which stories are getting surfaced in AI Overviews and AI Mode.

At this point, you can only see impressions, but it’s still useful to start understanding the kinds of stories that are being surfaced.

What’s an AI impression? Think of it as your content appearing in an AI-generated response, while a citation means AI actually referenced your content as one of the sources used to generate that answer.

Action item: Identify the stories that are getting AI impressions and look for common themes. That could be anything from the types of stories getting impressions (explainers, FAQs, guides) to the formats that are being used. Once you understand that, look at your content calendar and consider creating more content using those formats or covering similar topics.

2. Google shows search traffic for social posts

When you search for something today, you’ve probably noticed that the results page is no longer just filled with articles.

Google is now showing YouTube videos, Instagram posts, TikToks and other social content alongside traditional search results.

And now Google has a way for you to understand how your content is showing up in search across these different platforms through something called Platform Properties.

It’s located in Google Search Console, and it allows you to connect your social media accounts so you can see what search queries are leading people to your social content, which posts and videos are appearing in Google Search and Discover, and how much traffic those platforms are generating from Google.

Action item: Once this feature is available in your Search Console account (it’s rolling out now), start looking for differences in engagement across platforms for individual pieces of content. This could be really helpful for understanding what to distribute where and how.

3. See content cited in Bing Webmaster Tools

Impressions are great to see, but citations are going to be really critical in the future when it comes to AI visibility, which is why I love what Bing has rolled out.

You can now see specific stories that have received citations in places like Microsoft Copilot and Bing AI-generated answers.

The tool is pretty useful because publishers can actually discover the stories and queries that are getting those citations.

I recognize that the majority of publisher search traffic comes from Google, but Bing can make up somewhere between 5% and 10% for some media companies. So, I believe it’s worth making sure that your content is being featured in Microsoft’s AI experiences.

If you already use Google Search Console, Microsoft lets you import your verified sites, making the process even easier. Here’s some information on how to get started.

Action item: Get your site set up with Bing Webmaster Tools, review which stories are getting AI citations, and include Bing as part of your monthly analytics reporting.

🛠️ We can help you! We have a very effective AI Visibility program that can help ensure your site is technically sound, fully optimized, and that you are taking advantage of these tools. Email me today at david@davidarkinconsulting.com to find out how.

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