Google has launched a new specialised ad format called Model Automotive ads, which brings swipeable large-format images, performance details and links for US-based automotive manufacturers and dealers. 

Google is reportedly developing a third-party keyboard for iPhones as part of wider plans to boost search volumes on mobile. The new peripheral will use predictive text and employ gesture- and swiping-based typing to make it easier for mobile users to use the tech giant’s search engine on iOS.

Search engine results are about to become more mobile-friendly as Google has announced plans to roll out a new update to boost the effect of the ranking signal beginning in May. Google has said that the latest changes will make it easier for users to find more relevant content from smartphones and tablets.

Google has confirmed that game app streaming within search ads will be rolled out in the coming weeks as part of a raft of new changes and features for AdWords and AdMob. The arrival of new ad formats, targeting, portrait videos and monetisation options are aimed at making it easier for content creators to “reach the right users at scale,” Google claims.

Google has published a new set of guidelines for bloggers who receive free products from brands. The “best practices,” which focus on nofollow usage, appear to suggest that certain blogger outreach marketing campaigns are now very much on the tech giant’s radar.

Mobile now makes up nearly nine out of ten “near me” searches, according to new data published by Google, while the total amount of these mobile searches has soared by 146% year-on-year. Google VP of Americas Marketing Lisa Gevelber has claimed that enterprises must now look to adopt a “mobile-centric search strategy” to take advantage of this latest trend.

Google has confirmed that it is removing Toolbar PageRank entirely, as the 1-10 scale no longer provides a useful means for content creators to measure the success of their ad campaigns. This means that marketers will soon be unable to view data for the metric. Google is rolling out the changes now, but it might take a couple of weeks for it to take effect globally.

Google has confirmed that it will begin to use geolocation this week in order to ensure its “right to be forgotten” policy is enforced across the European Union. The tech giant first started censoring results back in 2014, but there had previously been a loophole that allowed users to continue to access the delisted information if they used non-European versions of the search engine.