Google Updates

September 2026 was one of the busiest months of Google announcements this year. A longer-than-usual spam update began rolling out, Search Console started reporting image-led searches, Google Ads tested text ads inside AI Mode, and Google moved further towards keeping discovery, comparison and even checkout on its own surfaces. This roundup covers every significant Google update from September 2026 across SEO, paid search, local search, ecommerce and analytics. For each one, you will find what changed, who it affects and what to do next, along with practical insights from Pranav Jha, Founder and Director of AP Web World Pvt. Ltd., who has led SEO, content, paid media and performance reporting for businesses across India and international markets since founding the Noida-based agency in 2012. If you only need the action items, skip to the checklist near the end. September 2026 at a Glance Date Update Most relevant for Sep 2 Google Trends adds category filters to Explore Content teams Sep 2 Gemini 3.8 Flash added to AI Mode AI search / GEO teams Early Sep Agentic checkout in AI Mode and Gemini for eligible US Shopify merchants Ecommerce Sep 3 Personalized alcohol ads on YouTube announced (effective Oct 30) Alcohol advertisers Sep 3 Exact and phrase match text ads tested in AI Mode PPC Sep 8 (approx.) AI dashboards go live in Google Ads accounts PPC, reporting Sep 14 Google Business Profile “Collected Info” tab Local SEO Sep 14 AI contribution pilot for publishers reported Publishers Mid-Sep AI video dubbing in Google Ads Asset Studio Video advertisers Sep 18 Merchant Center product reviews supported via API Ecommerce Sep 18 Discover tests AI topic overviews (“Dive deeper”) Publishers Sep 21 Offline data can fill gaps in tag-based conversions PPC, measurement Sep 21 GA4 hostname include filter Analytics Sep 24 Search Console multimodal search filter SEO, ecommerce Sep 24 September 2026 spam update begins All websites Sep 25 Customer Match accepts IP address and timestamp PPC, legal Sep 28 AI Mode monitoring rolls out to all Google app users Ecommerce, local Sep 29 Pilot payout figures reported Publishers SEO and Search Updates Google’s September 2026 Spam Update Google released the September 2026 spam update on September 24. It applies globally, covers all languages, and Google said the rollout could take up to two weeks. That timeline stands out. This is the fourth spam update of 2026, following releases in March, June and August, and each of those earlier rollouts finished within roughly three days. A two-week window points to a broader update than the ones before it. What to do: Mark September 24 in your reporting so that traffic changes from late September onward can be read in context. Avoid reactive changes until Google confirms on its Search Status Dashboard that the rollout is complete. If a site loses visibility, segment performance by page or directory to identify exactly which sections were affected, then review those pages against Google’s spam policies. Sites that already follow Google’s spam policies generally have little to worry about. The bigger risk during a long rollout is mistaking normal volatility for a penalty. Pranav Jha’s advice is to build foundations rather than react to every fluctuation: “Spam updates and AI experiments will keep coming. Sites that follow Google’s guidelines, publish genuinely useful content and spread their traffic across search, direct, email and social channels are far better placed than those chasing every update.” Search Console Adds a Multimodal Search Filter Also on September 24, Google added a new filter to the Search Console Performance report. Under the Web search type, you can now choose between two options: Text-based: web searches typed as text. Multimodal: web searches where the user searched with an image, photo or screenshot, whether through Google Lens, Circle to Search, an image upload in Google Search or Chrome’s right-click “Search this image” option. This activity was not previously visible in your reports, so many sites will see impressions rise from late September. The extra visibility is welcome, but treat it as a reporting change rather than a sudden jump in demand when you compare month-over-month figures, particularly in client reports. A few limitations apply: Query data is not available for multimodal traffic, because the search input is an image rather than text. The filter also appears in the Generative AI performance report, which continues to show impressions but not clicks. Who should check this first: ecommerce stores and sites in visual categories such as fashion, furniture, home décor and recipes. The multimodal view shows which of your pages people reach by photographing a product or taking a screenshot. Google Discover Tests AI Topic Overviews On September 18, Robby Stein, VP of Product for Google Search, announced a Discover experiment: a “Dive deeper” button that opens a short AI-generated topic overview with prominent links to related stories, community reactions and original reporting. The test starts with video cards. For news publishers, this matters a great deal. NewzDash’s analysis of more than 400 news publishers found that Discover now accounts for roughly two-thirds of Google traffic to news sites. Meanwhile, some large publishers, including the UK’s Reach, have reported Google referrals falling by nearly half, with Discover identified as the main cause. Google describes the links inside these overviews as prominent. Publishers heard similar assurances when AI Overviews arrived in Search, and Search Console data since then has shown how few clicks those links tend to deliver. If Discover overviews expand beyond this test, sites that rely on Discover should prepare for further pressure on clicks. What to do: track Discover performance separately in Search Console, and reduce dependence on any single Google surface by building direct, email and social audiences. Google Trends Adds Category Filters to Explore On September 2, Google Trends added category filters to its Explore page. You no longer need to enter a search term first. Choose a category such as Books & Literature, set a region and time frame, and Trends shows what is gaining attention in that category. If