Weekly Digital News Updates #09 - David Chung Digital

Google launches AI Mode to all U.S. searchers with new features

Google has just rolled out its new AI Mode in Search for all users in the US, and it’s a game-changer. Instead of the usual list of links, search results now come as AI-generated answers, making the experience feel more like chatting with a super-smart assistant than using a traditional search engine. It’s powered by Google’s Gemini model and can pull in info from across Gmail, Maps, Shopping and more, delivering detailed, conversational responses. Users can also ask follow-up questions or use their camera for real-time search through a feature called Search Live. We know that early data shows click-through rates are already dropping by nearly 30 per cent, as users find what they supposedly need directly in the AI summaries. That means less traffic to websites and more pressure on content creators to rethink how they stay visible. AI Mode isn’t yet the default (could soon be), but it’s clearly the direction Google is heading.

Source:

https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-mode-us-searchers-455654

Google AI Mode Tracking Referrer Issue A Bug

Google’s AI Mode had a hiccup that’s been skewing your analytics. Due to a bug, links from AI Mode were tagged with ‘noreferrer’ attributes, stripping out referrer data. This meant that traffic from AI Mode appeared as ‘Direct’ in tools like Google Analytics, making it challenging to accurately track user sources. The issue was flagged by industry experts and confirmed by Google’s John Mueller, who acknowledged it as an unintended bug that’s being addressed.

It’s not possible to track click referring from AI Overviews at this moment in time but why the change of heart for AI Mode?

Source:

https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ai-mode-noreferrer-bug-39462.html

Google Begins Rolling Out Discover On Desktop

Google Discover is now rolling out on desktop, bringing its personalised content feed from mobile to the main Google homepage in select countries. While it’s not fully live in the US yet, the timing around Google I/O suggests a wider release is coming soon.

This means a fresh traffic source to tap into. If your content already performs well on mobile Discover, you might see a boost. Just be sure to optimise for visibility and keep an eye on performance data as it becomes available.

Source:

https://www.seroundtable.com/google-discover-on-desktop-live-39434.html

Google Search Begins Migrating Off Country Specific ccTLDs

Google has started redirecting users from its country-specific domains (like google.de or google.fr) to google.com. This change aims to streamline the search experience by consolidating traffic under a single domain. The rollout began on 16 May 2025 and is being implemented gradually, so some users may notice the redirect while others may not.

Source:

https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-starts-migrating-cctlds-39427.html

How to blend AI and human input in your content approach

Blending AI with human insight is becoming essential for content strategies in 2025. According to Search Engine Land, the key is to use AI for efficiency, such as drafting outlines or generating ideas, while relying on human expertise to ensure accuracy, brand alignment and creativity. This hybrid approach allows for scalable content production without sacrificing quality. Just watch out ofr the pitfalls of AI generated content.

Source:

https://searchengineland.com/blend-ai-human-input-content-approach-455642

Do Higher Content Scores Mean Higher Google Rankings? We Studied It (So You Don’t Have To)

Ahrefs recently investigated whether higher content scores from optimisation tools like Surfer, Frase, NeuronWriter, Clearscope and their own AI Content Helper actually correlate with better Google rankings. The study found only weak correlations across the board, suggesting that while these scores might offer some guidance, they are not strong predictors of search performance. Notably, NeuronWriter and AI Content Helper showed slightly better results, but the overall impact remains fairly modest.

Source:

https://ahrefs.com/blog/seo-content-score-study