Search Engine Recap - November 2025

We’re back with a new monthly recap, covering Google’s statements on digital PR, new shopping experiences in AI Mode and ChatGPT, and Adobe’s acquisition of Semrush. Here is an overview.

Google confirms: digital PR boosts visibility in AI search

Google has confirmed that digital PR - including being mentioned by reputable websites - helps AI-based systems recognize and highlight businesses more reliably.

They emphasize that AI search works similarly to how a human researches a topic: the system looks for trusted signals such as third-party mentions and genuinely helpful content.

Correlation between brand mentions and AI overviews

Supporting this, new data from Ahrefs shows that brand mentions on third-party websites have a strong positive correlation with a brand’s visibility in AI search results.

Together, these statements and data reinforce the idea that traditional link building alone is no longer enough. Companies should aim for broad mentions in meaningful contexts through ongoing digital PR efforts.

Google supports new structured data for ecommerce sites

Google now supports a new structured data markup that allows ecommerce sites to publish their shipping policies, enabling these details to appear directly in search results and product listings.

This format allows businesses to consolidate all shipping-related rules on a single page using the “ShippingService” schema, enabling Google to display the lowest eligible fee along with the corresponding delivery speed.

If a site already manages shipping settings in Search Console or Merchant Center, those settings will take precedence over the markup. To benefit from this feature, the markup must comply with Google’s structured data policies and technical guidelines to be eligible for enhanced display.

Google rolls out new AI shopping tools

Google is rolling out new AI-powered shopping tools across its Search platform via AI Mode and the Gemini app in the US. These tools allow users to describe what they’re looking for in natural language rather than keywords.

Features include conversational product discovery, price tracking, and agentic checkout - as well as an AI system capable of calling local stores to check inventory and pricing on behalf of the shopper.

For retailers and marketers, this means product feeds, inventory accuracy, and checkout readiness are becoming even more critical, as the shopping journey increasingly moves directly into Google’s ecosystem.

ChatGPT introduces “Shopping Research”

Staying within the shopping universe, ChatGPT has recently launched its “Shopping Research” feature, allowing users to transform product search queries into interactive, personalized buying guides.

By describing what they need, users are prompted with follow-up questions about budget, preferences, and use cases. The tool then scans the web for product details - such as specifications, reviews, pricing, and availability - and presents curated options.

The feature is available to all logged-in users on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans. For brands, this means product discovery is moving deeper into conversational AI, making visibility increasingly dependent on structured product data, broad third-party coverage, and alignment with AI-driven decision flows.

Google launches “custom annotations” in Search Console

Google Search Console now includes a feature called 'custom annotations' within its Performance reports. This allows users to add notes to specific dates in traffic charts to mark changes such as site migrations, optimizations, or external events.

These annotations are visible to all users of a given property, so sensitive information should be avoided. They effectively provide a built-in changelog, replacing the need for external spreadsheets.

Each property can include up to 200 annotations, helping teams better understand when actions or events correlate with traffic fluctuations and making performance tracking easier to interpret over time.

Adobe acquires Semrush for over DKK 12 billion

We wrap up with Adobe Inc., which has acquired Semrush for approximately $1.9 billion (DKK 12.185 billion). The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of 2026 and highlights the growing demand for search and data-driven insights.

The deal brings Semrush’s SEO and “generative engine optimization” capabilities into Adobe’s marketing and analytics stack, helping brands remain visible in both AI-driven and traditional search environments.

It further signals Adobe’s strategy to strengthen its offerings in brand visibility, marketing intelligence, and content discoverability as AI becomes a dominant layer in digital experiences.

Key takeaways and recommendations

In November, we saw several major updates from both Google and ChatGPT.

The common denominator was shopping - well timed with Black Friday at the end of November and the start of December, traditionally the peak spending month.

Shopping is becoming more deeply integrated into search, meaning businesses need to be as optimized as possible - and make their products as accessible as possible - to stay competitive at the forefront.

Finally, it’s particularly interesting to see Google deliver such a clear message around digital PR. A message that confirms that visibility in both classic and AI-driven search requires active reputation building across platforms.

Need help understanding where you stand in relation to the above - or want input on how to improve? Get in touch with Bonzer. As a specialized SEO agency, we help companies every day reach the top of the search results - whether in classic search or AI search.