After a whirlwind few months expanding our U.S. presence and getting our Miami office up and running, it’s time to catch up on what’s been happening in the world of search. And October and November did not disappoint.
From billion-dollar acquisitions and AI breakthroughs to one of the strangest SEO stories of the year, this edition of This Month in Search breaks down the updates you actually need to know about, without the fluff. Let’s get into it.
Article Summary
- Disney accidentally listed black hat SEO packages, proving even the biggest brands can get caught in sketchy SEO situations.
- Google unveiled a speech-to-retrieval breakthrough, pushing voice and conversational search into its next phase.
- Gemini expanded into home assistants, turning smart devices into AI-powered search interfaces.
- Google’s CEO confirmed that Search is growing again, with AI Mode driving renewed engagement.
- Google Maps received major AI upgrades, making local search smarter and more visual.
- Google’s AI Mode became agentic, meaning it can now take autonomous actions on behalf of users.
- Snapchat struck a $400M deal with Perplexity, turning social platforms into AI search engines.
- Amazon entered the AI search race, positioning itself against Perplexity and ChatGPT.
- Adobe announced plans to acquire Semrush, signaling a major shift in the SEO + creative tech landscape.
- SEO Sherpa swept the 2025 MENA Search Awards, taking home six major industry wins.
Disney Accidentally Sold Black Hat SEO Packages
In one of the most unexpected stories of the quarter, Disney’s travel marketplace briefly displayed black hat SEO services. We’re talking link packages, PBN backlinks, and “guaranteed rankings.”
Of course, this wasn’t Disney suddenly turning into a gray-hat agency. The listings came from a hacked third-party vendor system. But the story matters because it highlights how easily questionable SEO tactics can slip into legitimate-looking environments.
For brands, this is your reminder to audit everything. Marketplaces. Vendor integrations. Third-party content. Because spam can hide in plain sight if you’re not paying attention.
Google’s Speech-To-Retrieval System Changes Voice Search
Google introduced a new speech-to-retrieval model that moves voice search into an entirely new era.
Instead of short, robotic queries, users can now speak naturally — including pauses, accents, and conversational phrasing — and Google’s AI understands the intent in real time.
This matters because “voice search” is no longer about simple Q&A. It’s about optimizing content for how people naturally talk. If your content reads like a robot wrote it, voice-first AI systems are going to ignore it.
Gemini Expands To Home Assistants
Gemini is now powering Google’s home assistant ecosystem, which includes smart speakers, displays, and connected devices.
That means AI-mediated search is no longer limited to a browser. It’s happening in kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, and offices.
If your brand depends on being discovered, optimized structured data and local visibility are no longer “nice to have.” They’re how you show up when someone asks their house a question.
Google Says Search Is Growing Again
Despite constant headlines claiming that search is dying, Google’s CEO confirmed that Search is not only alive — it’s growing.
The driver? AI Mode.
Users are engaging more, asking more complex questions, and spending more time inside search experiences. This confirms what we’ve been saying all along: SEO isn’t disappearing, it’s evolving. And those who adapt to Search Everywhere strategies are the ones who win.
Google Maps Just Got Smarter
Google Maps rolled out new AI-powered upgrades, including smarter route summaries, enhanced discovery features, and improved business visibility.
Maps is no longer just a navigation tool. It’s a search engine for local intent.
If you rely on foot traffic, service areas, or local visibility, your Maps profile isn’t just a listing anymore. It’s a primary search asset.
Google AI Mode Becomes Agentic
Google’s AI Mode crossed a major line: it became agentic.
In simple terms, it can now act independently. It can refine searches, gather extra data, and proactively improve answers without waiting for a user prompt.
For brands, this is the real shift. You’re no longer just optimizing for rankings, you’re optimizing to become the source that autonomous agents trust and pull data from.
Snapchat And Perplexity Rewrite Social Search
Snapchat signed a $400 million deal with Perplexity to integrate generative search directly into the platform.
This turns Snapchat into a discovery engine, not just a messaging app. Users can search for products, creators, and topics through AI-powered interfaces.
It reinforces the trend: social platforms are becoming search engines in their own right. If your brand isn’t optimized for discovery beyond Google, you’re already behind.
Amazon Vs. Perplexity: The AI Search War
Amazon has just made it clear they will not allow unauthorized AI agents to turn shopping into an automated experience. They have filed a cease-and-desist against Perplexity’s Comet browser, effectively demanding the AI agent stop making purchases on Amazon’s behalf.
This isn’t just a spat between tech companies. It underscores a bigger shift, the rules of product discovery and e-commerce search are changing fast. As AI agents become more capable, product discovery may move away from traditional keyword search toward agent-mediated browsing and buying.
For e-commerce brands, that shift changes everything. Structured data, clean product pages, precise metadata, and strong site architecture start to matter even more. If you sell products online, optimizing for AI-based shopping agents and search environments isn’t optional anymore, it might be essential.
Semrush Acquired By Adobe
Adobe’s planned acquisition of Semrush is one of the most telling moves of the year.
This isn’t just a merger. It’s a signal that SEO data is becoming foundational to creative strategy, content production, and enterprise-level digital visibility.
SEO is no longer a standalone discipline. It’s being folded into the core of creative, analytics, and brand ecosystems.
In Closing
October and November made one thing very clear: search isn’t slowing down. It’s accelerating. And the brands that win aren’t the ones chasing algorithms, they’re the ones building recognizable, trusted visibility across every platform their audience touches.
If you want help navigating this new landscape, book a free discovery call with SEO Sherpa.
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