Search Engine Recap - February 2025

This month brought significant developments in search engine competition, structured data updates, and Google’s evolving AI-driven search landscape. We also saw Alphabet’s Q4 earnings report and potential regulatory challenges for Google in the EU. Here is an overview.

Alphabet Reports Strong Q4 Results

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has reported strong Q4 earnings, once again fueled by AI-driven innovations across search, cloud, and advertising.

Revenue increased 12% year over year to $96.5 billion, with Google Cloud seeing a 30% growth due to rising demand for AI-powered enterprise solutions. Search and YouTube advertising also saw a 10% increase.

However, there is growing concern among advertisers, as shifting user behavior, changes in search algorithms, and increased competition have impacted ad performance. Some advertisers saw declining ad returns, likely due to AI-powered search features and evolving consumer search habits.

Additionally, AI-driven search alternatives and competing search engines are challenging Google’s dominance. Businesses should monitor these trends closely and adjust their strategies accordingly to stay competitive.

Google Still Leads, But Competition Is Growing

Although Google still dominates over 94% of organic search traffic, new data shows increasing competition from AI-driven tools and regional search engines.

AI-powered platforms such as ChatGPT and Perplexity are driving more referral traffic, signaling a shift in search behavior.

At the same time, Bing and other smaller search engines continue to grow, posing a real challenge to Google’s monopoly. Businesses may need to diversify their SEO strategies and consider Bing and SearchGPT as part of their optimization efforts.

Hackers Exploit Google Tag Manager to Steal Payment Info

Security platform Sucuri has identified a new cyber threat, where hackers misuse Google Tag Manager to insert malicious scripts into Magento eCommerce domains.

This method enables attackers to steal credit card details at checkout using obfuscated JavaScript and hidden PHP backdoors.

Businesses using Google Tag Manager and Magento should conduct security audits, monitor third-party scripts, and ensure their security protocols are up to date to prevent exploitation.

Google Updates Structured Data Guidelines

Google has updated its structured data guidelines, allowing merchants to display:

• Sale prices
• Membership pricing
• Strikethrough pricing in search results

This update enhances visibility for promotional pricing and loyalty discounts, making it easier for businesses to showcase special offers in Google Search.

The updated guidelines align Google Search with Merchant Center, ensuring more accurate price displays in product listings.

Google Expands Circle to Search to iPhones

Google has expanded Circle to Search to iPhones, bringing advanced visual search capabilities to iOS users.

With this update, users can search for objects on their screens by circling or marking text and images, while Google Lens provides enhanced AI-powered results.

This rollout aims to improve search engagement and bring more interactive search experiences to iOS users.

Google Faces Potential EU Lawsuit Over Digital Markets Act Violations

The European Commission is reportedly preparing a lawsuit against Google, alleging violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) due to favoritism toward its own services in search results.

Regulators argue that Google’s recent algorithm updates fail to comply with EU competition laws, particularly regarding Google Shopping and other proprietary services.

If found guilty, Google could face significant fines and be forced to make changes to how its search engine operates in Europe.

Google’s AI Overviews Are Changing Faster Than Organic Results

A new study reveals that Google’s AI Overviews are updated far more frequently than traditional search results, highlighting their high volatility.

Unlike standard search results, AI Overviews are constantly refreshed and often replace featured snippets.

The study suggests that generative AI content is dynamically adjusted for nearly every query, meaning AI Overviews should be treated as a separate category in SEO strategies.

Study Shows Volatility in Google’s Indexing Process

New research analyzing over 16 million pages shows that while Google’s indexing rates have improved, significant volatility remains.

Although more pages are being indexed, over 20% of indexed pages were later deindexed, revealing inconsistencies in Google’s indexing process.

The study, conducted using the IndexCheckr tool, found that pages not indexed within six months are unlikely to ever be indexed—unless they undergo significant optimization.

Businesses should prioritize high-quality, crawl-friendly content from the start to maximize search visibility.

Takeaways and Recommendations

Alphabet’s continued strong performance reaffirms the growing role of AI in search and advertising. However, many businesses are struggling to adapt to modern user behavior, making it essential to align SEO strategies with evolving search trends.

Google’s AI Overviews continue to evolve, changing far more frequently than traditional search results. Businesses must understand and adapt to these shifts in order to maintain visibility.

Although Google still dominates search, smaller competitors like Bing and AI-driven search tools are gaining ground. Keeping an eye on Bing, SearchGPT, and AI-powered search alternatives is becoming increasingly important for SEO success.

Lastly, Google’s latest updates and structured data improvements highlight a search engine in constant transformation, where delivering the best possible results for users remains a top priority.

Want to stay ahead of these changes and optimize your SEO strategy? Get in touch with Bonzer. As a specialized SEO agency, we work daily to help ambitious businesses reach the top of search results.