Core UpdatesCovered by 3 sources
- Google launched the September 2026 spam update which applies to all languages globally.
- The rollout is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete.
- The update targets specific search spam policy violations but excludes link spam.
Marketers should monitor rankings for two weeks but avoid making site changes until the rollout is finished to confirm if fluctuations are policy-related.
Core UpdatesCovered by 3 sources
- Google launched the September 2026 spam update, a global rollout affecting all languages.
- The update is expected to take up to two weeks to fully complete, which is significantly longer than previous spam updates this year.
- This release targets sites violating general search spam policies but does not specifically target link spam.
- Recovery from a rankings drop caused by this update may take several months even after policy violations are corrected.
Audit your site for thin content or policy violations now, as this update's longer rollout and refresh cycle could cause extended ranking fluctuations for non-compliant sites.
Search FeaturesCovered by 3 sources
- Google Search Console has added a new performance report for web multimodal search results.
- This reporting captures data from queries where users search using both images and text.
- Site owners can now see impressions and clicks specifically originating from these visual search experiences.
Marketers can now measure how much traffic is driven by visual search queries to better justify investments in high-quality image optimization.
Search FeaturesCovered by 3 sources
- Google Search Console added a new 'Web: multimodal' filter to track performance from image-based searches like Google Lens and Circle to Search.
- The data is available in both the Search Results performance report for clicks and the Generative AI report for impressions in AI Overviews.
- Marketers can now compare how specific pages perform in visual searches versus traditional text-based searches using the filter.
- The rollout began globally on September 24, 2024, but data history varies by property.
Marketers can now quantify the specific traffic impact of visual search tools like Google Lens to better prioritize image optimization and product photography.
Core Updates
- Google confirmed the rollout of the September 2024 spam update on September 24th.
- Significant search ranking volatility was detected by tracking tools starting around September 23rd.
- SEO industry chatter has increased following multiple periods of unconfirmed fluctuations earlier in the month.
- Tracking tools like SEMRush and Mozcast show elevated movement compared to the previous week.
Marketers should monitor their search traffic for sudden drops and ensure their sites strictly adhere to Google's spam policies to avoid ranking penalties.
Search FeaturesCovered by 3 sources
- Google Search Console has introduced a new 'multimodal' filter within the Performance report.
- The filter specifically tracks traffic originating from users searching with images instead of text.
- This data shows which pages were visited via visual search but does not include specific query strings.
Marketers can now measure the direct impact of visual search traffic to better justify investments in high-quality original imagery.
AI Search
- Large Language Models often present outdated or hallucinated information as current facts without clear temporal context.
- AI-generated content removes the traditional signals users rely on to verify authority and source recency.
- Marketers are struggling to balance production speed with the need for manual verification and original insights.
Marketers must prioritize human fact-checking and unique value over raw AI output to prevent brand erosion caused by spreading outdated or inaccurate information.
Industry News
- Google Search is experiencing significant unconfirmed ranking volatility starting around September 23rd.
- Search Console added a 'Multimodal' filter to the performance report to distinguish between text-based and visual search results.
- Google Business Profiles is testing AI-generated hours based on written business descriptions.
- Google is testing moving AI Overviews to the bottom-right side panel for hotel-related searches.
Monitor your rankings and Search Console filters now to see how unconfirmed updates and the new multimodal search category are affecting your specific traffic sources.
Industry News
- Most client churn in marketing occurs within the first 90 days of the relationship.
- A structured onboarding framework is proposed to maintain engagement and prove value early.
- Successful retention relies on setting clear expectations and achieving quick wins during the initial phase.
Agency owners must prioritize a structured onboarding process to prevent early cancellations and secure long-term revenue.
Google Ads
- Increased brand bidding by affiliates can drive up your CPC and compete for your own brand traffic.
- Marketers should build a search test list and use ad monitoring tools to capture evidence of partner violations.
- Cross-referencing affiliate sales data with time-stamped ad screenshots helps identify which partners are bidding on your brand terms.
Monitoring affiliate ad behavior prevents you from paying higher costs to compete against your own partners for brand keywords.
Search Features
- Bing is testing a new 'Read more' button located within its organic search results.
- The interface change mimics a similar feature recently rolled out by Google.
- The button provides users with an additional visual call-to-action to visit a website.
Marketers may see a slight increase in organic click-through rates from Bing users due to the more prominent call-to-action button.
AI Search
- Bing is testing a new 'AI Mode' tab within its search results menu to replace or augment the existing Copilot tab.
- Clicking the tab triggers a new query within Bing's Copilot interface rather than showing standard blue links.
- This layout mirrors a similar interface choice Google has recently implemented for its AI-driven search features.
Marketers should monitor how these dedicated AI tabs shift organic traffic away from standard search results toward conversational interfaces.
Industry News
- Amazon SEO focuses on matching product descriptions with buyer intent through accurate keywords and structured data.
- Best Sellers Rank (BSR) is a measure of sales velocity and does not directly indicate organic search performance for specific keywords.
- Technical factors like product availability, offer eligibility, and delivery dates are as critical to ranking as keyword optimization.
- Optimization strategies should differ based on whether a listing lacks search impressions or fails to convert existing visitors.
Sellers must distinguish between listing relevance and offer quality, as high traffic won't lead to sales if the price or delivery options are uncompetitive.
Technical SEO
- Google updated its video structured data documentation to include support for 'creator' and 'author' properties.
- The 'interactionStatistic' property has been updated to clarify which engagement metrics are supported for videos.
- These changes allow sites to provide more specific attribution and performance data directly to Google Search.
Updating your video schema with these properties helps Google better identify content creators and may improve how video engagement data is interpreted in search results.
Local SEO
- Google is testing an AI feature for Business Profiles that interprets text descriptions to set operating hours.
- Business owners can describe their schedule in plain language instead of manually entering data for each day.
- The tool automatically converts text into the structured format required for Google Search and Maps listings.
This feature simplifies profile management for small businesses by using AI to reduce manual data entry errors and keep local listing hours accurate.