Discover on Desktop, Google’s AI Patent, and How to Use Sentiment Analysis for SEO Wins
As we hit mid-April 2025 Google continues to evolve its search ecosystem, this time through product expansions, enhanced AI functionality and new tools that give marketers more insights into user behavior. From Google Discover’s desktop debut to simple sentiment analysis strategies for SEO, here’s what your team needs to know this week.
Google Search is Getting Smarter and More Personal
Google Files Patent for Search Based on Browsing and Email History
In a major move toward personalized search, Google has filed a new patent to leverage a user’s past browsing and email activity. This would allow people to revisit searches with vague prompts like “Where did I buy that cat food from last week?” with Google using NLP and contextual memory to deliver relevant results.
AI Overviews Continue to Evolve
Google recently confirmed what many in the SEO world have suspected. Some AI Overview links are intentionally redirecting users to more Google search results, not external websites. While this is controversial, Google has said they are working to expand links to the broader web in the future.
Discover is Coming to Desktop
After years as a mobile-only feature, Google Discover—the query-less, interest-based content feed—is officially rolling out on desktop. This could significantly impact traffic for publishers and marketers alike, especially as organic visibility continues to shrink in traditional search results.
Sentiment Analysis: A Low-Lift, High-Impact SEO Tactic
Contributor: Jonathan Goodrich
User reviews hold powerful insights. With a basic sentiment analysis setup, SEO teams can mine reviews for patterns that impact on-page strategy, keyword targeting, and client recommendations.
How to Run Sentiment Analysis in Google Sheets:
- Collect Reviews: Export customer reviews from platforms like Google Business Profile or Yext.
- Create a Sentiment Dictionary: List common positive (e.g., “great,” “quick”) and negative (e.g., “slow,” “confusing”) words.
- Use a Scoring Formula: Tally positive vs. negative terms in each review. Score accordingly.
- Analyze Patterns:
- Repeated praise? Elevate those features in content.
- Recurring complaints? Address them with UX or messaging updates.
SEO Benefits:
- Surface long-tail keywords from real user language.
- Highlight pain points to improve conversion-driven content.
- Enhance user experience, boosting dwell time and reducing bounce rates.
Pro Tip: If your reviews live in Yext, sentiment analysis is available as a built-in feature with no formulas needed.
Google Discover on Desktop: A New Era for Organic Traffic
Contributor: Sam Hollingsworth
Launched in 2018, Google Discover delivers curated content based on a user’s interests, without them typing a search. Now, for the first time, Discover is coming to desktop, giving marketers new visibility and new volatility.
What Makes Discover Different?
- Query-less Experience: Users are served content based on behavior, not search intent.
- Volatile Traffic: You might see a traffic spike one day… and zero the next.
- Occasionally Random: Discover may surface product pages or About Us sections if they align with user interest.
How to Appear in Discover:
There’s no formal way to submit content to Discover, but eligible Google-indexed pages can be shown. To increase chances:
- Use strong visuals and headlines.
- Maintain high-quality, timely content.
- Set up your site in Google’s Publisher Center.
- Align content to user affinities, topics, and entities.
Want a deeper dive? Read our Quick Guide to Google Discover on Desktop.
Bonus Update: Shopping Insights Just Got Easier
Google has announced updates to the Search Console Shopping tab, including:
- Merchant Opportunities reports
- Easier payment method and shipping configuration
- Enhanced international settings for cross-border e-commerce
If you’re running an eCommerce site, these updates make it easier to spot opportunities, identify friction points, and better align your product feeds for organic visibility.
Bonus AI News
ChatGPT’s memory just got smarter. It now remembers user chat history across sessions, with the depth of that memory based on your subscription tier. This improves continuity in conversations and could open doors for marketers testing long-form AI tools for content planning or customer interaction.
