The SEO Update by Yoast – April 2026

Topics and sources

SEO & AI news

1. Google adds new Google-agent user agent​
2. Google introduces TurboQuant for AI efficiency​
3. Google adds AI bot labels to forum Q&A structured data
4. Elementor launches Angie agentic AI for WordPress
5. Google completes March 2026 spam update and core update rollout:
   • https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-begins-rolling-out-the-march-2026-spam-update/570428/​
   • https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-begins-rolling-out-march-2026-core-update/570657/​
   • https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-confirms-march-2026-core-update-is-complete/571459/
6. Cloudflare introduces EmDash as a WordPress alternative
7. Google CEO says search will become an AI agent manager
8. WebMCP proposes a standard for AI agents to interact with websites
9. Google updates spam policy for back button hijacking and improves spam reporting tools:
   • https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2026/04/back-button-hijacking​
   • https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-just-made-it-easy-for-seos-to-kick-out-spammy-sites/572118/
10. Google Search Console glitch sends incorrect impression notification
11. Anthropic launches Claude Design for AI-generated visuals and prototypes
12. Anthropic previews Mythos, a highly capable cybersecurity-focused AI model
13. OpenAI tests AdsBot and introduces ChatGPT ad manager interface:
    • https://www.seroundtable.com/oai-adsbot-41196.html​
    • https://www.seroundtable.com/chatgpt-ad-manager-interface-41195.html
14. What Search Engines trust now: ​authority, freshness & first-party signals
15. Google adds new task-based features to AI Mode in Search
16. Google says commodity content does not perform well in search
17. Google adds read more deep link best practices to snippet documentation
18. Bing previews AI Citation Share in Webmaster Tools

Also in the news…

1. Bing AI Dashboard maps grounding queries to cited pages
2. Data Studio returns as new home for Data Cloud assets
3. Google develops its own desktop Agent to compete with Cowork
4. A new way to explore the web with AI Mode in Chrome
5. Opus 4.7 released
6. Meta spins up AI version of Mark Zuckerberg to engage with employees
7. Introducing the Agent Readiness score. Is your site agent-ready?
8. Anthropic is now at $30B ARR.
9. Introducing ChatGPT Images 2.0
10. Google launches Workspace Intelligence
11. WP 7.0 get release date of 20th May

Yoast news

1. See how your brand appears in AI-generated answers, for free
2. The Yoast Perspective 2026: 7 things we learned from the SEO industry