Search Engine Roundtable Daily Update - 2026-02-18

Search Engine Land Daily Update for 2026-02-18. Latest SEO and technology trends.

SEO & Technology News

Recent developments highlight Google's deepening integration of AI, as the company faces the significant engineering challenge of allowing websites to opt out of AI Overviews while simultaneously expanding the feature's presence by testing internal links and new triggers within search results. This push is accompanied by updated advertiser guidance, reflecting the ongoing evolution of the search landscape under AI's influence.

Daily Search Forum Recap: February 17, 2026

The article summarizes key discussions and news from the search industry on February 17, 2026. (Search Engine Roundtable)

Google: Allowing Opting Out Of AI Overviews Is A Huge Engineering Project

Google says letting websites opt out of its AI search features is a massive and complex technical undertaking. (Search Engine Roundtable)

Google Ads Recommendations Doc About The Results Tab

A new Google Ads help document explains that the Recommendations tab's new "Results" section now shows the performance impact of applied suggestions. (Search Engine Roundtable)

Google AI Mode Ask About Feature Now Triggers On Overlay

Google's "Ask about" feature now appears as an overlay when you hover over a product. (Search Engine Roundtable)

Google Tests Links In Recipe AI Overviews

Google is testing a feature where its recipe AI Overviews link to other AI-generated summaries. (Search Engine Roundtable)

Google AI Overviews Have Blue Links Before Click & Gray After Click

Google's AI Overviews change their citation icon color from blue to gray after being clicked. (Search Engine Roundtable)