Google AI Payment Pilot, Search Profiles At 10,000 – SEO Pulse via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern
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Google is testing payments for content contributing to AI answers, Mueller says AI position data is hard to report, and Cloudflare splits training from search. SEJ STAFF Matt G. Southern 51 seconds ago ⋅ 5 min read SEJ STAFF Matt G. Southern Senior News Writer at Search Engine Journal Bio Follow Welcome to the Pulse: this week, updates change what Google pays for, what Search Console reports about AI results, and how a site blocks AI training without losing search. Google’s John Mueller said that search has evolved beyond the traditional position one-to-ten model, and it’s quite a challenge to adapt that to AI results. Mueller responded to a Reddit discussion about the report, which rolled out worldwide on August 31, and noted that tracking position is “hard to do in a way that makes it useful.” An impression is recorded when the feature appears on the page served, regardless of user scrolls, whereas links behind Show More aren’t counted until expanded. The report relies on existing Web search data instead of adding new information. The generative AI report doesn’t give positions at all. In the Search performance data underneath it, a link inherits where the Overview block itself was located, rather than the exact spot where the link was placed inside it. Mueller asked the thread for suggestions on a helpful way to measure position. Read our full coverage: Google Admits Search Console Reporting For AI Search Is Inadequate Google is piloting a program that pays participating sites when their content contributes to answers in the Gemini app, AI Overviews, and AI Mode. According to Digiday, Google confirmed the pilot as early stage, and at least dozens of publishers have been approached. Participants get paid when their content “contributes significantly” during answer creation. Content that only verifies facts or is added afterward does not qualify. Sites that accept get a Search Console panel with monthly earnings and some history, and can opt out from settings. The contribution panel displays a payout but doesn’t show what it’s based on, something one exec with knowledge of the program described as “quite black box.” Next to it, there’s a report that tracks impressions rather than clicks. Additionally, a publishing executive mentioned that accepting these payouts might weaken a site’s bargaining position, especially when negotiating better terms, because Google could point to the pilot as compensation it already provides. Read our full coverage: Google Tests Paying Publishers For AI Answers Via Search Console Cloudflare added a Disallow AI Training setting that publishes a no-training preference in robots.txt while leaving Googlebot, Applebot, and Bingbot free to crawl for search. Choosing Block now stops all three crawlers, search included, as Cloudflare explained in July for mixed-use crawlers. The new Disallow AI Training option lets search engines keep crawling. Existing Training blocks will be automatically updated to match this new setting, and the older Block AI Bots and Managed Robots.txt are being deprecated. At Google, this setting is managed through Google-Extended, and at Apple through Applebot-Extended. Cloudflare also mentions that Microsoft hasn’t yet supported a robots.txt no-training preference, but plans to work on it in early 2027. Cloudflare changed what its Block setting does, and your current choices will update automatically. Take a moment to check which setting your zone is using. The ‘Disallow AI Training’ option aligns with the training opt-outs provided by Google and Apple. Keep in mind, this setting doesn’t influence whether your pages show up in AI Overviews or AI Mode, as those are managed separately in Search Console. Read our full coverage: Cloudflare Lets Sites Disallow AI Training Without Blocking Googlebot Google lowered the follower bar for Search profiles to 10,000, counted per account on YouTube, Instagram, X, or TikTok. Ibrahim Badr, a product manager for Search, announced the change. Profiles launched in June needed 100,000 followers on YouTube, Instagram, or X, or 300,000 on TikTok. By August, the requirement lowered to 35,000 followers across all four platforms. This results in three different thresholds within 15 weeks for YouTube, Instagram, and X. Media companies now get one login covering several brands. Article displays get updated thumbnails and longer headlines, with no sizes given in the post. The feature is still U.S. only. Read our full coverage: Google Search Profiles Now Available At 10,000 Followers and Google Search Profile Badges Expose The Publisher Traffic Crisis Two of this week’s stories give you a number. Both leave out some of the detail behind it. Google will pay sites in its pilot program without breaking down contributions, and its AI report shows impressions but does not specify positions. Cloudflare emphasized transparency, making it mandatory for its Accountable label, requiring operators to provide, or commit to providing, URLs of pages made available for training. Cloudflare says Google is planning additional URL-level transparency tools related to Google-Extended in the coming weeks. The only exception is search profiles, where the number shown is a follower count you already had on platforms that already display it. Add SEJ as a preferred source on Google Read Full Bio SEJ STAFF Matt G. Southern Senior News Writer at Search Engine Journal See short video versions of news stories on YouTube and TikTok. Matt G. Southern is the Senior News Writer at ... Learn how to connect search, AI, and PPC into one unstoppable strategy. State Of Search 2027: What To Stop, Measure & Fund Google Gives Sites AI Search Opt-Out, But Not The Data To Use It AI Visibility Measurement: What To Track & What To Ignore Join 75,000+ Digital Leaders. Learn how to connect search, AI, and PPC into one unstoppable strategy. Learn how to connect search, AI, and PPC into one unstoppable strategy. In a world ruled by algorithms, SEJ brings timely, relevant information for SEOs, marketers, and entrepreneurs to optimize and grow their businesses -- and careers.
Source: Search Engine Journal
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