🐹 Hamsterdam Part 144: Weekly SEO/GEO News Recap (9/5 to 9/11, 2026)

By Ethan Lazuk

A weekly look-back at SEO/GEO news, tips, and other content shared on social media & beyond.

Opening notes, thoughts, and musings:

• My website is now eligible as a Preferred Source in Google! I’d be grateful if you added me!

• Welcome to another week of Hamsterdam! 🐹 If you’re new here, this is a weekly summary of hand-curated SEO/GEO news and tips shared on social media. Like a newsletter, but different.
• Curious what I’ve been up to? Check out my latest blog posts from the past week:
  • Why Relevance Isn’t Enough for AI Search: The Importance of Answerability (Hamsterdam Research)
  • How Many Times Should You Ask an AI Assistant the Same Question? Research Into Measuring AI Visibility (Hamsterdam Research)
  • What Has Pandu Nayak Said About Page-Level Rankings? A Tales from the Query Post
  • How Has Google’s AI Overviews Changed User Behavior? Reviewing Eye-Tracking Studies 20 Years Apart (A Hamsterdam History Lesson)
  • Let’s Talk About “Salience” in the Context of SEO/GEO: A Hamsterdam Marketing Lesson
  • The Importance of SEO/GEO and Dev Team Collaboration
• I appreciate you being here and look forward to sharing the week’s SEO/GEO news below! 🙌

If you’re in a rush, hop down to the news portion. 📰

Or continue reading for two vocabulary lessons plus an introduction.

And we’re off …

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🧑‍💻 Marketing word of the week: “Consideration set”

A consideration set is the group of brands or products someone seriously considers before making a purchase.

For example, someone might know ten SEO tool brands but only compare Ahrefs, Semrush, and Screaming Frog when shopping. Those three make up their consideration set.

In terms of SEO/GEO, a consideration set means that being visible is only one step, while becoming an option someone seriously considers is another.

The question we should be asking is: Does your content, and how AI describes your brand, give people a clear reason to put you on their shortlist?

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🤖 AI word of the week: “Semantic entropy”

Semantic entropy is a measure of an AI model’s uncertainty based on how much its answers vary in meaning, rather than just wording, when it answers the same question repeatedly. Researchers use it to help detect unreliable answers.

For example, if we asked an AI assistant what an SEO tool does, and it answers:

• “It finds technical website issues.”
• “It audits websites for technical SEO problems.”
• “It manages paid social media campaigns.”

While the first two answers convey essentially the same meaning, the third introduces a different answer. More variation across meanings indicates higher semantic entropy.

For SEO/GEO, this suggests an important question for brand monitoring: Does AI consistently understand what your brand does, or does its explanation change from answer to answer?

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✌️Introduction to week 144: “NFL Football is Here!”

I feel like it’s been ages since we’ve had NFL football, but it’s officially back.

A few nights ago, I watched the Seahawks come from behind in a dramatic game (including a last minute interception). Then last night, I watched the Rams pay the price for their travel plans to Australia (including a dramatic 4th and goal stop in the 3rd quarter).

I think football has a lot of lessons for us. It teaches patience, determination, and a willingness to not give up. These are valuable attributes to have in the SEO/GEO profession but also in life.

Perhaps the biggest lesson is self-belief. It takes a lot of it to achieve greatness at the NFL level, but we also require it as SEO/GEO professionals. Whether you’re working in an agency, in-house, or on your own, self-belief is a powerful force for motivation.

Thank you for supporting Hamsterdam and the cause of SEO/GEO learning. 🙏

Enjoy the vibes:

Missed last week? Don’t worry, I got you! Read Part 143 to catch up.

🌟 Other great sources of weekly SEO/GEO news:

• The SEO Weekly – Garret Sussman, iPullRank
• SEOFOMO – Aleyda Solis
• Weekly Video Recaps – Barry Schwartz, SER
• Weekly SEO News YouTube channel – Olga Zarr, Seosly
• Niche Surfer – Yoyao Hsueh
• Core Updates – Mark Williams-Cook, Candour Agency Ltd.

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Time for our weekly review of SEO/GEO social posts, articles, & more …

Now, let’s step inside the white flags of Hamsterdam …

⏩ Jump to a section:

• News, Google updates, & SERP tests
• SEO tips & tidbits
• Fundamentals & resources
• Articles, videos & case studies
• Local SEO
• Technical SEO
• Content marketing
• Local SEO
• Data analysis & reporting
• AI, LLMS, & machine learning
• Miscellaneous & general posts

Or keep scrolling to see it all. ⏬

Let’s connect!

Hit me up anytime via text or call at 813-557-9745 or on social or email:

• Bluesky
• X
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• TikTok
• Mastodon
• Reddit
• Instagram
• Threads
• Facebook
• Mail

Cheers! ✌️

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Past recaps