This week covers six search stories that matter for local visibility: a Google reviews display bug, agentic web protocols, the urgency of AI-friendly content, YouTube’s AI search expansion, Search Console AI controls, and new merchant structured data.

This Week’s Top Stories:

1. New Google Reviews Bug: ‘You Have No Reviews Yet’: A significant Google Business Profile display bug is showing “You have no reviews yet” even when businesses have legitimate reviews. This can hurt trust and conversion, so businesses should check their listings, document the issue, and report it to Google if affected. Source
2. The Agentic Web Is Splitting Into Two Bets: Identity And Capability: New protocols such as LLMs.txt and WebMCP are emerging to help AI agents understand a site’s identity and capabilities. Businesses should make core service, location, contact, and conversion details clear enough for AI systems to interpret accurately. Source
3. Free AI Citations Won’t Last: Greg Jarboe warns that today’s free AI citations may eventually become more controlled or monetized. Building authoritative, machine-readable content now can help businesses earn AI visibility before the landscape tightens. Source
4. Ask YouTube AI Search Expands To U.S. Desktop Users: YouTube’s AI search experience now supports U.S. desktop users, creating another AI-driven discovery path. Video titles, descriptions, chapters, and transcripts need to explain the content clearly for both users and search systems. Source
5. Google Search Generative AI Controls Roll Out Beyond UK Sites: Google is expanding Search Console generative AI controls beyond the UK, giving more site owners visibility into AI search performance. Businesses should watch for availability inside their GSC properties and use the data to guide content updates. Source
6. Google’s New Merchant Listing Structured Data Improves SEO: Google added category and sale duration structured data for merchant listings. Businesses with products or offers should keep schema accurate so Google can understand availability, categories, and promotional timing. Source

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