With the impact of Google Ads’ August update being felt, Google’s fourth spam update of the year underway and more job losses across Reach PLC, things haven’t been settled in September. Authentic and human-written content is still king though, with Google’s SAFE system aiming to seek and destroy AI spam, and Press Gazette launching a tool to stop AI fakes before publication. Image search has had a good month too, with Pinterest announcing visual search ads, a high-intent point of a customer’s journey and improved image search reporting across Google. This is what you need to know from September to be seen in Q4.
SEO
1. Google rolls out September 2026 spam update
The fourth spam update of the year is underway. Starting on the 24th, this update is still active at the time of writing, and could take up to two weeks to complete. A longer rollout window than previous updates this year, this coincides with the release of their new AI spam detection system – there has been no official link announced between these, but it’s likely they are related (more details on SAFE below).
If you see any fluctuations, hang fire until the update is completed and review your website against the existing spam policies.
Source: Google Search Status Dashboard
2. SAFE and sound from AI spam with Google’s new detection system
Google has taken the latest step in their battle to find and destroy AI spam. Their new system, SAFE (Scaled Abuse Forensics Examiner), has been engineered to identify synthetic abuse and content that violates the ‘spirit’ of a policy rather than simply matching known spam patterns. Essentially, it is designed to mimic manual human checks. Smart.
The research paper released alongside this announcement is pretty limited in terms of details, so it seems Google are holding their cards close to their chest on this one. Nonetheless, the SAFE system is a welcome evolution of their previous system (S-CTS, Scalable Cluster Termination System), with a much easier to remember name.
According to Google, the system has already been deployed, and should make waves in crushing scalable, low-value, and manipulative content production.
Source: Search Engine Journal
3. Cloudflare introduces a way to block AI training without blocking search
Cloudflare has introduced a new ‘Disallow AI Training’ setting designed to solve one of the biggest problems website owners currently face – preventing their content being used for AI training without disappearing from traditional search.
Blocking crawlers from reaching your website is a risky business, as some crawlers are used both for building search indexes (e.g. Google) and collecting content for AI training. Many website owners want one but not the other. The new setting makes it possible to make that distinction, with Google, Apple, and Microsoft already committing to or meeting the requirements for the setting.
Source: Cloudflare
4. Multimodal search reports are now live in Google Search Console
The way that people search has been evolving for years, but reporting data is falling behind the curve. Google has finally introduced new Search Console reporting for web multimodal search, giving site owners visibility into traffic generated when people search using images rather than traditional text queries.
The new reporting covers searches made through:
- Google Lens
- Circle to Search on Android
- Image uploads to Google Search
- Chrome’s ‘Search this image’ function
This is especially helpful for visually led websites, making it possible to see which pages are being discovered through visual searches vs. traditional written queries. Rollout is global, so check your Search Console property to see if you have access to this data.
Source: Google Search Central
Digital PR
1. New tool to spot AI fakes launches for journalists
Press Gazette has launched a newsroom tool to stop AI fakes before publication. Made by Humans is “a platform designed to help media owners manage the editorial, legal and reputational risks associated with publishing AI-generated content.”
That Press Gazette decided to launch this product shows there is a clear and persistent problem of journalists being sent AI content, and struggling to filter it out. It reinforces the importance of providing media with legitimate stories, commentary and insight from actual real people.
Source: Press Gazette
2. More journalism job losses
Reach PLC has announced 160 job losses in latest round of redundancies, plus the closure of Kent Live, Aberdeen Live and Galway Beo websites The BBC piled on the misery for journalists with 90 local TV and radio jobs at risk
The pool of journalists and media outlets able to cover any given story continues to shrink, which is bad news for anyone in PR. With fewer journalists available and/or more pressure and workload on the ones that remain, it’s more important than ever to think about how your PR story can make their lives as easy as possible. Whether that is scoping out extra regional details for a local journalist, providing a full spokesperson info-pack to prove that your expert commentary comes from a real person, or carving out a particular exclusive angle, the more you can help them, the better your chances of coverage.
Source: Press Gazette, Press Gazette
3. Sydney Sweeney does it again
A betting brand has caused outrage with a new ad featuring Sydney Sweeney naked but for some strategically placed sports apparel. This isn’t even the first time Sydney Sweeney appearing in an advert has been discussed in this blog. Just a year ago her ad for American Eagle drew accusations of eugenics and racism as it claimed she had good genes.
It’s unlikely that the brand which created this ad is upset at the mountains of coverage this campaign has caused, which is a reminder that creating controversy can be the best way to earn organic media attention, as long as you don’t mind any associated negativity. Given how controversial betting is already, it would have been an easy decision for the brand to opt for Sydney Sweeney naked rather than clothed, but not all brands are so comfortable courting controversy.
However it’s a reminder that if you don’t mind a flurry of angry LinkedIn posts denouncing your marketing campaign, then going for the risky option has a higher chance of more coverage and more eyeballs for your brand.
Source: BBC
PPC
1. Google Ads’ Smart Bidding update ends bid suppression
A mid-August update to Google Ads’ Smart Bidding algorithm appears to have removed historical “bid suppression” constraints in budget-constrained campaigns.Performance data reveals an immediate surge in average Costs-Per-Click (CPCs) across budget-limited search campaigns following the update on August 17th.
Campaign Impression Share dropped for advertisers whose budgets were capped, as higher CPCs eroded total impression volume. Automated bidding strategies are now aggressively bidding for auction positions even when campaign budgets are nearing daily limits.
This change has been negative for lower spending clients, making it so that spending on ‘low budget’ campaigns burns out early in the day instead of having the budget spread throughout the day. Changes made need to be made to accounts where campaigns were previously performing well so this kind of budget burn doesn’t occur.
Source: Search Engine Land
2. Google Ads tests product value optimisation for AI bidding
Google Ads launched a new beta tool allowing e-commerce advertisers to customise custom “Product Value Optimisation” parameters. The feature enables retailers to steer automated bidding algorithms by adjusting internal value scores assigned to specific SKUs or product categories. Advertisers can prioritise high-margin products, slow-moving inventory, or strategic lines without altering product feed pricing directly. The AI bidding engine integrates these dynamic product weights to optimise auction bids in real time across Shopping and Performance Max campaigns.
This is currently in beta and we lie in wait. It effectively allows PPC managers to, for example, weight the value of products by the margin of the product, so products with higher margins will get better coverage and will be flagged with Google. At time of publication we have yet to see this in action, but we know how to structure merchants’ feeds when the time comes.
Source: Search Engine Land
3. Google Ads rolls out AI video dubbing in Asset Studio
Google Ads expanded its Asset Studio tools by introducing built-in, AI-powered video dubbing. The tool allows advertisers to automatically translate and voice-over video ads across 33 distinct languages and regional dialects. The feature removes the need for localised voice talent or re-shooting creative assets for global campaigns, so local or mid-market advertisers can expand YouTube and Demand Gen campaigns into foreign markets at minimal additional cost.
We have already used this feature on the team with many AI generated slideshow videos. There is a choice of four voice actors at the moment for English, but the commentary is very natural for AI.
Source: Search Engine Land
4. Google Merchant Center adds API support for product reviews
Google updated its Merchant Center documentation to officially support automated product review uploads and management directly via the Merchant API. The update reverses previous platform policy that explicitly prohibited submitting product reviews through API feeds, replacing manual files and scheduled fetches. Requirements remain in place where merchants must be enrolled in the Product Ratings program with a minimum of 50 product reviews before an account review is conducted by Google agents.
The big plus is streamlining the flow of review data into Google, speeding up how quickly star ratings display on Shopping ads and Performance Max listings. Rich snippet star ratings significantly improve ad visibility and click-through rates, making automated review syncs a direct driver of shopping performance.
This change will make the process of ad reviews quicker, and that’s always a good thing.
Source: Search Engine Land
Paid Social
1. Meta launches Meta One for Business add-on packages
Meta has launched tiered “Meta One for Business” subscriptions, ranging from $14.99 to $499 a month, that bundle AI tools, advanced insights and scheduling across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Analytics and organic features now sit behind the paywall, including competitor benchmarking for up to 10 Instagram brands, audience history beyond 90 days, insights on non-followers engaging with Facebook content, and smarter scheduling, with links in Instagram posts and Reels capped by tier (4 each per month at $49.99 up to 12 each at $499). The launch includes a WhatsApp AI business agent that replies to customers 24/7 and advises on engagement and lead generation, and it adds to a subscriptions business the article estimates at around 35 million users and roughly $2 billion a year.
The non-follower audience insights and competitor benchmarking could improve targeting, exclusions and creative strategy, but brands will need to check whether the data informs paid decisions enough to justify the monthly cost. As more of the organic toolkit becomes pay-to-play, non-subscribing brands may see weaker organic reach and lean harder on paid, which could add pressure on CPMs and budgets. Extended insights history beyond 90 days could improve your measurement and planning, giving you longer trend data on audience behaviour to support year-on-year comparisons and more informed budget phasing around peak periods like Q4.
Source: Social Media Today
2. Snapchat expands Dynamic Product Ads to Sponsored Snaps
Snapchat has launched a “Commerce Power Pack” for retail advertisers ahead of the holiday season, the main element being the expansion of Dynamic Product Ads to Sponsored Snaps, which lets brands show catalogue products directly in Snap DMs (Chat). Chat is a high-usage surface, with Snapchat saying 85% of its users use it regularly, so the format puts product ads where people are already talking to friends and making decisions. Snapchat is also testing new optimisation tools, including Value Optimisation, third-party web optimisation, and Omnichannel optimisation, which aims to drive purchases across web and app from a single campaign.
Retail and ecommerce advertisers now have a catalogue-driven, in-inbox format to test before Q4, which could improve relevance and conversion rates for shopping campaigns compared with static Sponsored Snaps. Brands should consider setting up product feeds and a small test budget early so you have learnings before peak promotional periods. The 22% conversion uplift is Snapchat’s own claim, so brands should validate this with small tests before shifting significant budget, and compare performance against your existing campaigns.
Because the ads sit in a personal messaging space, creative quality, relevance and frequency capping matter more than usual. Intrusive or poorly matched product recommendations could hurt brand perception.
Source: Social Media Today
3. LinkedIn offers tips on company targeting via Campaign Manager
LinkedIn has shared an overview of how to use the Companies hub in Campaign Manager, which shows which companies’ representatives have engaged with a brand’s organic posts and paid ads, helping marketers focus on high-intent accounts more likely to convert. The value comes from combining LinkedIn engagement data with first-party data. Uploading a company list or connecting a CRM lets brands see how target accounts behave on the platform, and filtering by engagement level and job seniority helps confirm they’re reaching decision-makers rather than just generating activity.
LinkedIn’s broader message is that campaigns should respond to account behaviour, with heavily engaged companies retargeted and follow-up activity used to gauge where each account sits on the path to purchase. Its core advice is to start with accounts that look like your best customers and nurture the ones that begin engaging.
Account-level engagement data makes B2B targeting more efficient, letting you prioritise budget towards companies already showing interest rather than spreading spend across a broad audience. Connecting your CRM makes measurement and audience-building more powerful, but it depends on clean, up-to-date first-party data. Brands should audit their company lists and CRM integration before considering this approach.
This is useful for paid social strategy because campaigns can be tiered by engagement stage, with awareness content for low-engagement accounts and stronger, conversion-focused offers for high-engagement ones.
Source: Social Media Today
4. Pinterest announces visual search ads and an AI restyle feature
Pinterest recently announced visual search ads, which let advertisers place promotions in Pinterest search results and Pin close-ups, with a beta launching in selected markets over the coming weeks. Pinterest says it handles more than 80 billion searches a month, most of them visual. Pinterest is updating its AI-powered Performance+ campaigns with Priority Products, giving advertisers more control over which products to highlight, alongside self-serve A/B testing and a new app promotion option to optimise for app installs. For users, Pinterest is also launching an AI “restyle” feature for reimagining spaces and comparing home décor options (landing in the US and Canada in coming weeks).
Visual search ads open up a new high-intent placement, since people searching visually are often mid-funnel and close to purchase. Brands should get their creative and product imagery ready now, as strong, clean, on-brand visuals will matter more for matching in image-based results.
Priority Products and self-serve A/B testing give paid social marketers more control within Performance+ campaigns, so it’s worth using them to test whether promoting hero or high-margin products beats fully automated selection. The AI restyle feature suggests Pinterest is building more inspiration-to-purchase journeys, particularly in home and lifestyle. If you sell in these categories, ensure your product catalogue is complete and well tagged so your items can appear in those experiences.
Source: Social Media Today
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