OpenAI's Privacy Crisis, Google's AI Search Revolution, and Bing's Technical SEO Guide

This week, we're diving into OpenAI's decision to pull ChatGPT shares from Google, Bing's lastmod tag recommendations, and Google's URL removal security vulnerability, alongside the latest developments in the AI world. Plus, learn how to strengthen your SEO strategies in the age of artificial intelligence.

Hello fellow SEO practitioners,

This week has been particularly eventful in our digital marketing universe. OpenAI's radical privacy-driven decision, Google's security vulnerability confession, and Bing's fresh recommendations for AI search... We'll dissect each one systematically.

But let me start with this observation: These developments aren't coincidental. In the age of artificial intelligence, search engines and platforms are walking a tightrope between user privacy and transparency. We must adapt to these shifts, and those who do it first will have the competitive advantage.

The landscape is changing faster than ever, and understanding these changes isn't just helpful—it's essential for survival in the SEO ecosystem.

🔄 Algorithm & Search Engine Updates

OpenAI's ChatGPT Sharing Retreat

This week brought an unexpected move from OpenAI. The company completely removed the feature that allowed ChatGPT conversations to appear in Google search results. Why this sudden reversal?

Here's what happened: OpenAI had been experimenting with making shared ChatGPT conversations "discoverable" in search engines. Users could make their shared conversations searchable on Google. However, this "short-term experiment" produced unintended consequences that forced their hand.

The scope of the problem was significant. Over 4,500 shared ChatGPT links had been indexed on Google, and among these were personal information, resumes, emotional confessions, and confidential business content. The privacy implications were staggering.

What this means for us as SEO professionals: This incident highlights how careful we need to be about privacy when using AI tools. When working with clients using ChatGPT, think twice before using the sharing features. The line between helpful and harmful can be surprisingly thin in the AI era.

Action item: Develop an AI tools usage policy with your team. Establish clear rules about what information can be shared and what cannot. This isn't just about ChatGPT—it's about building a framework for all AI tool interactions moving forward.

Bing's Critical Recommendation for AI Search: lastmod Tags

Microsoft Bing announced it's now using lastmod tags in sitemaps as a priority signal for AI-powered search indexing. This represents a significant development for technical SEO practitioners who understand that the devil is always in the details.

Bing's specific recommendations include:

• Use ISO 8601 format for dates and times (example: 2004-10-01T18:23:17+00:00)

• Set lastmod values to actual content update times, not sitemap generation times

• changefreq and priority tags are now being ignored

• Combine with IndexNow for maximum effectiveness

Why this matters more than you might think: AI search engines are seeking smarter signals to determine which pages need re-crawling. The lastmod tag plays a critical role in this decision-making process. This isn't just another technical recommendation—it's a glimpse into how AI systems prioritise and process information.

Immediate action required: Audit your sitemaps now. Are your lastmod tags in the correct format? Do they accurately reflect your content updates? This seemingly small technical detail could significantly impact your crawl efficiency and, ultimately, your search visibility.

Google's URL Removal Security Vulnerability

Google discovered and fixed a serious security vulnerability in its "Outdated Content Removal" tool. This vulnerability allowed attackers to remove competitors' URLs from search results—a nightmare scenario for any SEO professional who's worked hard to build domain authority.

How the attack worked: Attackers exploited case sensitivity in URLs to send fraudulent removal requests. One website lost over 400 articles to de-indexing through this method. The sophistication of this attack demonstrates how creative negative SEO tactics have become.

Protection strategies you need to implement immediately:

• Standardise all URLs to lowercase

• Monitor Google Search Console regularly for unexpected changes

• Investigate any sudden traffic drops immediately

• Implement proper URL canonicalization

This incident reveals how sophisticated negative SEO attacks have become. The days of simple link spam are over—modern SEO attacks require technical precision and understanding of search engine mechanics.

🤖 From the AI Universe

Google's Gemini 2.5 Deep Think: The Parallel Thinking Revolution

Google DeepMind released Gemini 2.5 Deep Think, the first publicly available multi-agent system capable of testing multiple ideas simultaneously. This isn't just another AI model—it's a fundamental shift in how AI processes information and solves problems.

Key features that matter:

• Parallel thinking capabilities that mirror human brainstorming

• Gold medal performance in Mathematics Olympiad competitions

• 34.8% success rate on HLE tests (significantly ahead of competitors)

• Available through a monthly $250 Ultra subscription

The opportunity for content creators: Advanced AI models like this become powerful tools for complex research and analysis-heavy content. However, calculate your ROI carefully—the subscription cost needs to justify the enhanced output quality and time savings.

The evolution toward multi-agent AI systems suggests we're moving beyond simple question-and-answer interfaces toward more sophisticated reasoning capabilities. This has profound implications for how we think about content creation and competitive research.

Apple's AI Investment Surge

Tim Cook's statement was crystal clear: "We view AI as one of the most profound technologies of our lives, and we're significantly increasing our investments." When Apple speaks about technology directions, the entire industry listens.

Apple's strategic moves:

• Shifting substantial personnel to AI-focused projects

• Acquired 7 companies this year alone

• Launched over 20 Apple Intelligence features

• Delayed personalised Siri until 2026 (telling us about their development timeline)

The marketing implication: Apple's massive AI investment signals major changes coming to mobile search and voice search behaviours. Voice search optimisation is no longer a nice-to-have—it's becoming essential infrastructure for digital visibility.

Consider this: If Apple is betting this heavily on AI integration across its ecosystem, how will this change user behaviour patterns? How will people search differently when AI becomes more deeply integrated into their devices?

OpenAI's Study Mode: Focusing on Education

ChatGPT's new Study Mode is designed to develop students' critical thinking skills rather than providing direct answers. Instead of giving immediate solutions, it asks questions and supports the learning process—a fundamentally different approach to AI interaction.

The opportunity for educational content creators: This development signals a shift toward AI that encourages thinking rather than just providing answers. Your content strategy should evolve to match this trend. Focus on creating content that stimulates thought rather than just delivering information.

This shift toward "teaching AI" rather than "answering AI" represents a maturation in how we think about artificial intelligence's role in learning and discovery.

Google NotebookLM's Video Overviews Feature

Google's AI-powered note-taking tool NotebookLM can now transform PDFs and notes into visual presentations. This feature holds enormous potential, particularly for B2B content marketing where complex information needs to be communicated clearly.

Immediate application: Test converting your complex reports and research into visual presentations using NotebookLM. This could differentiate your client presentations and make complex SEO data more accessible to stakeholders who prefer visual information processing.

The trend toward AI-assisted content transformation tools suggests we're moving toward a world where the same information can be automatically adapted for different consumption preferences and contexts.

🛠️ Applied SEO Tips

Sitemap Optimisation for the AI Era

Following this week's Bing update, it's time to optimise your sitemaps specifically for AI search engines. This isn't just about following best practices—it's about understanding how AI systems make decisions about content freshness and priority.

Immediate actions required:

Update your lastmod tags: Use ISO 8601 format like 2025-08-01T14:30:00+03:00. Reflect actual update dates, not sitemap generation dates. This distinction matters more than most SEOs realise because AI systems are becoming sophisticated enough to detect and respond to these signals appropriately.

Integrate IndexNow: Activate IndexNow API for Bing and Yandex. Send real-time URL updates and use IndexNow in conjunction with traditional sitemaps. This dual approach gives you the best of both worlds—comprehensive coverage and immediate notification capabilities.

Clean up unnecessary tags: Remove changefreq tags (no longer used), eliminate priority tags (being ignored), and keep only loc, lastmod, and alternate language tags. This streamlined approach reduces processing overhead and focuses attention on signals that matter.

Content Strategy for the AI Age

Google's AI Overviews haven't reached every market yet, but preparation beats reaction every time. The SEO professionals who prepare for these changes before they arrive will have significant advantages over those who scramble to adapt afterwards.

Question-focused content production: Filter your Google Search Console data for question patterns like "how," "why," and "when." Create comprehensive, in-depth content that answers these questions thoroughly. Focus on long-tail keywords that reflect natural language patterns.

Conversational optimisation: Post-ChatGPT search queries are longer and more conversational. Optimise your content for natural language processing and target voice search queries. The shift toward conversational search isn't just a trend—it's a fundamental change in how people interact with information.

This evolution requires us to think beyond traditional keyword optimisation toward understanding user intent and conversation patterns.

Security-Focused SEO Controls

Following Google's URL removal vulnerability, security checks have become more critical than ever. The intersection of SEO and security is becoming increasingly important as attack methods become more sophisticated.

Weekly control checklist:

• Monitor Google Search Console for unexpected indexing drops

• Check for abnormal activity in Outdated Content Removal requests

• Ensure URL structure consistency (case standardisation)

• Verify proper 404 page redirections

Protection strategies: Standardise all URLs to lowercase, redirect uppercase URLs to lowercase via .htaccess, conduct regular site:domain.com searches, and monitor for negative SEO attacks related to your brand name.

The increasing sophistication of negative SEO attacks means that security can no longer be an afterthought in SEO strategy.

E-E-A-T Strengthening Tactics

In the AI age, Google places even greater emphasis on Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness signals. These aren't just ranking factors—they're fundamental measures of content quality that AI systems can evaluate with increasing sophistication.

Implement immediately: Expand author biographies with detailed credentials, include expert opinions and quotes, reference current and authoritative sources, increase social proof elements, and display contact information.

These tactics work effectively for both traditional SEO and AI search because they address the fundamental question: "Why should this content be trusted?"

📚 This Week's Book Recommendation

"AI in Economics and Security" — Collective Work

This week's recommendation is a comprehensive study that explains how artificial intelligence serves not just as technology, but as an economic force and security tool. This perspective is crucial for understanding the broader implications of the changes we're seeing in our industry.

Why this book matters: Artificial intelligence is no longer a theoretical concept—it's a real force shaping global power structures. This book examines AI applications in military, security, medical, robotic, and many other fields, providing context for the changes we observe in search and digital marketing.

Value for digital marketers: The book offers a broad perspective on how artificial intelligence will be used across different sectors in the future. The security, defence, and intelligence approaches discussed provide insights you won't find elsewhere, helping you understand the larger forces shaping our technological landscape.

Understanding AI's role beyond marketing and search gives us a better perspective on where our industry fits in the broader technological evolution.

🎯 Closing Thoughts

This week's developments remind us of an important reality: the digital marketing world never stops evolving. OpenAI's privacy-focused retreat, Google's security vulnerability, and Bing's AI search recommendations all demonstrate how critical our adaptation capabilities have become.

Key takeaways for this week:

Privacy comes before everything else—never neglect data security when using AI tools. The temptation to share and collaborate using AI platforms must be balanced against privacy and security considerations.

Technical SEO fundamentals must remain solid—details like lastmod tags and URL standardisation make the difference between good and great SEO execution. These seemingly small technical elements become amplified in importance as AI systems become more sophisticated in their evaluation processes.

AI integration is inevitable—you need to prepare your clients for this transformation. The question isn't whether AI will change how search works, but how quickly you can adapt your strategies to leverage these changes.

Looking ahead: The organisations that thrive in this new environment will be those that combine solid technical fundamentals with innovative approaches to AI integration. The intersection of traditional SEO expertise with AI literacy will define the next generation of search marketing success.

The pace of change in our industry requires us to be both students and teachers—constantly learning new developments while helping our clients and teams understand and implement these changes effectively.

Until next week, keep testing, keep learning, and keep adapting. The future belongs to those who embrace change rather than resist it.

Best,

Mert Erkal

Mert Erkal has been providing SEO consultancy services since 2009, with particular expertise in enterprise SEO and AI-driven optimisation strategies. As the founder of Stradiji, he continues to help organisations navigate the evolving landscape of search marketing from Istanbul, Turkey.

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