July 20 - 26, 2025 Summary

Here's your quick-hit summary of last week:

Tools & Integrations

• Google Opal: Google's new no-code AI platform lets you build mini-apps to automate tasks. Check it out →
• Microsoft Clarity x Shopify: Microsoft launched a native Clarity app integration for Shopify. Setup instructions →
• Rendering Difference Engine: Gray Dot Company's Chrome extension reveals HTML changes post-JS load—a big deal since most crawlers (and LLMs outside Gemini) skip JS rendering. Try the extension →
• GA4 Gemini Integration: Google's open-source MCP tool lets Gemini interpret your GA4 data through natural language queries. Learn more & set up →
• Automated URL Redirect Matcher: Streamlit's new tool accelerates redirect mapping using Screaming Frog crawls and embedding models. Speed up your redirects →

SEO News

• Google Web Guide: Google's AI-powered search result organizer just dropped in Search Labs. It categorizes results under AI-generated headlines and expands queries for more depth. Learn more →
• Google Trends API: Now available with 5-year data windows, geographic breakdowns, consistent data scaling, and more than five simultaneous search-term comparisons. Apply for early access →
• New GA4 Reports: GA4 now includes 'Lead Acquisition' and 'Lead Disqualification' reports. They require specific events for activation. Details here →
• Google Business Profile Workshop: Google's hosting a live workshop on optimizing GBP, useful for clients needing a refresh. Register for July 31 →
• Snippet Extensions Update: Google's "Page includes" snippet extensions are appearing more frequently—structure your content clearly to influence these. Brodie Clark's insights →
• Crawl Budget Clarified: Google confirmed that 1xx and 4xx status codes don't impact crawl budget. More context on LinkedIn →
• Webflow Adds llms.txt: Despite Google dismissing llms.txt, Webflow has rolled out support, but notably still lacks IndexNow support for Bing.