Almost a year ago, Google began to integrate clipable coupons into Google Shopping. Well, now it seems that Google is testing showing those clipable coupons directly in Google Search, and not just in Google Shopping.

Saad AK spotted this the other day and posted some videocasts of it in action on Twitter. Here is a screenshot:

Google > Mobile

I saw “Coupons from stores” Section in SERPs.

I believe this is new.

Sending to: @rustybrick SIR. pic.twitter.com/nDZbtorkfr

— Saad AK (@SaadAlikhan1994) February 7, 2023

Note, clipable coupons went live in Google Shopping results in November 2022, several months after Google tested it.

Now we are seeing Google test this in the Google Search results, as its own box. Note, I cannot replicate this on my device.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

For the past few weeks, there have been reports via the Local Search Forum that Google has been removing emojis and special characters from business names within Google Business Profiles. This means if you try to add an emoji for your name to stand out in the Google local listings, Google may remove that emoji.

Marcin Karwowski posted about this in the forums, he said, “I just noticed that a while ago a huge number of business owners received an email with the same content, that their name was updated and the emoticon was removed from the name. Apparently, Google finally decided to clean it up and removed emojis from names en masse. It’s a beautiful day if emoticons in company names finally disappear.”

Here is a screenshot of a notice he received from Google about Google Business Profiles removing an emoji from the business name:

Darren Shaw said shortly after that he noticed this also with special characters. Shaw wrote, “I got a notification today about an “®” being removed from a name. This client needs that in their name, though.”

Google has a history of adding and removing emojis from the search results, but the local space has been somewhat left alone from those decisions – that is until now.

Forum discussion at Local Search Forum.

Microsoft has updated the Bing webmaster guidelines to support the updates with the new co-pilot, AI, ChatGPT-powered version of Bing. Bing updated the answers section and added a new section for “conversation mode and Bing image creator.”

The current Bing webmaster guidelines is here and the section Bing updated was around here – it should jump you there.

Here is the new section titled “Conversation Mode and Bing Image Creator”:

The new Bing conversation mode builds on the existing Bing experience to provide users with a new type of search interface. Bing conversation mode generates responses using an AI model that has learned by processing a vast amount of text from the Internet. Based on the user query or prompt, the model produces an output that is coherent, relevant, and creative, according to the input and the context. The output can be a response, a web result, a poem, a story, a code, an essay, a song, or anything else that can be expressed in natural language. Bing Image Creator similarly uses an AI model that has learned by processing a vast number of images from the Internet. Based on the user prompt, the model generates an output image. The conversational model is also informed by and refines its output using available context, such as web results, feedback, and interactions, to improve its performance and accuracy. Ranking within conversation mode generally relies on the same parameters as the main web search results page.

User activity in these features is governed by the Terms of Use and Code of Conduct.

That section was not in the previous version.

Also, Bing updated the answers section to say:

Bing may enhance the results page with additional features to provide a richer search experience for some search queries. For example, if a user types “How tall is the Eiffel Tower?” Bing will respond with the answer of “300 m”. For some queries, Bing looks at search results across the web, returns a summarized answer, and links to its sources.

If the query is related to a business, Bing may return relevant information about the business, such as store hours and location. Business owners can claim and verify existing listings on Bing using Bing Places for Business (available in limited markets) to create, edit or update their listing information. In some cases, Bing may partner with third-party content providers, such as local restaurant review sites, to further enhance the user experience.

Previously it said:

Bing may enhance the results page with additional features to provide a richer search experience for some search queries. For example, if a user types “How tall is the Eiffel Tower?” Bing will respond with the answer of “300 m”. If the query is related to a business, Bing may return relevant information about the business, such as store hours and location. Business owners can claim and verify existing listings on Bing using Bing Places for Business (available in limited markets) to create, edit or update their listing information. In some cases, Bing may partner with third-party content providers, such as local restaurant review sites, to further enhance the user experience.

Forum discussion at Twitter.