SEOIntel Weekly News Round-up (First Week of February 2025)

In the first week of February, Google made headlines with these developments: the internal testing of its new “AI Mode” for Search, designed to provide more interactive and conversational information retrieval powered by Gemini 2.0; the introduction of direct consultation scheduling with Google Ads specialists for select advertisers to optimize tracking configurations; and Google’s Gary Illyes publicly criticizing website owners who unnecessarily update the lastmod date in their sitemap files for trivial changes like the copyright year.

Google Search is Experimenting with ‘AI Mode’

According to reports, Google is experimenting with a novel search functionality called “AI Mode,” which appears to enable users to engage in more conversational and in-depth searches by posing broader, more investigative queries, with the ability to delve deeper into topics through follow-up inquiries.

AI Mode is characterized as a feature that “intelligently searches and researches on your behalf, presenting information in a simplified format with accompanying links to delve deeper into relevant content across the internet,” as revealed in an internal email obtained by 9to5Google.

AI Mode is designed for inquiries that are open-ended and aimed at exploration, and it caters to questions that may not receive satisfactory answers through the current Google Search results. This encompasses requests for advice, comparisons, and interactions that permit additional questions. The feature operates using Gemini 2.0, as per the information provided.

Below is a summary of the query types that AI Mode is well-suited to handle.

• “How many boxes of spaghetti should I buy to feed 6 adults and 10 children, and have enough for seconds?”
• “Compare wool, down, and synthetic jackets in terms of insulation, water resistance, and durability”
• “What do I need to get started with aquascaping?”
  • Follow-up: “What are some nearby stores to buy supplies?”

Google Ads Invitation to Schedule a Tagging Appointment

Google Ads is now providing select advertisers with the opportunity to schedule a consultation with a dedicated Google Ads specialist directly within the Google Ads platform. This feature allows you to book a meeting with a Google representative who can assist you in configuring accurate tracking

Natasha Kaurra brought this to attention on LinkedIn, sharing screenshots of the discovery. The scheduled appointment involves a Google Technical Support specialist guiding you and your developer through the process of setting up a Google tag, enabling you to monitor the effectiveness of your ad campaigns. The session typically lasts between 30 minutes to an hour.

Below is an image of the prompt that says, “Schedule a tagging session: Reach out to the Google Technical Support team to set up conversion tracking in your account.”

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When you click get started, it takes you to this next page:

Here is what Google says:

Accurate conversion tracking is the cornerstone of optimizing online success. Pinpointing the key customer behaviors that drive revenue and incorporating Google’s tracking essential steps in establishing a robust measurement framework for your website and advertising campaigns.

Benefits of tagging:

• Get valuable information about ad clicks to better understand your return on investment (ROI)
• See how your ads are performing across different channels and devices
• Unlock opportunities in your Google Ads account, such as Smart Bidding

Google Advises Against Updating the last Modification Date when Making Changes to the Copyright Date.

Gary Illyes from Google recently expressed frustration on Bluesky about website owners unnecessarily updating the lastmod date in their sitemap files. Specifically, he targeted those who only changed the copyright year in their footer from 2024 to 2025, stating that such a minor update does not justify altering the lastmod date, as it does not significantly impact the page’s content.

Gary posted on Bluesky in all caps:

“O.M.G. PEOPLE! UPDATING THE COPYRIGHT YEAR IN THE BOTTOM OF YOUR PAGES IS NOT A SIGNIFICANT UPDATE, NO NEED TO UPDATE YOUR LASTMOD“

Yes, it seems that SEOs frequently update the last modification date, and perhaps some of the responsibility lies with the content management system they are utilizing.

Simply updating the footer text alone does not warrant informing Google that the page has been modified. It is advisable to only adjust the last modified date if substantial changes have been made to the text on the page.

The question is how much of a change is enough, in which Gary replied to saying:

“We purposefully don’t define “significant”, or so I think anyway. In my view, changing the actual content is significant, but iirc johnmu would also add schema and linking changes. However I’m pretty sure we both agree that changing the copyright date is not significant.“

Forum discussion at Bluesky.