AI & SEO Trends Update – 16th October 2026

Since our last AI and SEO trends update:

• Google has completed its September spam update after a rollout lasting almost two weeks.
• The completion gives businesses a clearer point from which to assess any ranking and traffic changes that have continued since September.
• Google has also introduced visual-search reporting in Search Console and announced further changes designed to make links more prominent within AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Here is what businesses need to know.

Recap: What We Covered Last Time

Our previous update focused on the September 2026 spam update, which began on 24th September amid an already volatile period for Google’s organic search results.

Google has now confirmed that the rollout finished on 8th October. It lasted approximately 14 days, making it considerably longer than the spam updates completed earlier in 2026.

Industry monitoring recorded several periods of pronounced movement during the rollout, including around:

• 25th–27th September
• 30th September
• 4th–6th October

The final period of volatility occurred shortly before Google confirmed that the rollout was complete.

We also covered Google’s strengthened guidance on AI-generated content and data suggesting that external links were appearing within more AI Overview answers.

The Impact of Google’s September Spam Update

The September spam update applied globally and across all languages. It was Google’s fourth confirmed spam update of 2026, following previous rollouts in March, June and August.

Google did not introduce a new spam policy or identify one particular practice being targeted. Instead, the update improved its automated systems for detecting content and techniques that breach its existing policies.

These policies cover practices such as:

• Producing large volumes of unoriginal content primarily to manipulate rankings
• Scraping and republishing content without adding value
• Creating doorway pages
• Keyword stuffing
• Hiding text or links
• Cloaking and misleading redirects
• Site reputation abuse
• Expired domain abuse
• Hacked content

Google’s policies make clear that scaled content abuse is based on the purpose and value of the content, rather than whether it was created using AI, human writers or a combination of the two.

Has Ranking Volatility Improved?

Broadly, the most pronounced movement associated with the rollout appears to have eased. Google has not confirmed another ranking update since the spam rollout finished on 8th October.

However, the completion of an update does not mean that every affected website will immediately return to its previous position. Some changes made during the rollout may represent a new ranking baseline rather than temporary volatility.

It is also important not to attribute every September or October change to the spam update. Rankings were already moving before the rollout began, and Google confirmed that the volatility immediately preceding its announcement was separate from the update.

What This Means For You

Now that the rollout is complete, businesses can begin assessing whether any changes have persisted.

Compare performance before, during and after the update, paying particular attention to:

• Pages or website sections that lost the most visibility
• The queries associated with those pages
• Branded and non-branded searches
• Commercial and informational content
• Rankings, clicks, enquiries and conversions
• Any differences between mobile and desktop performance

Avoid treating one overall traffic percentage as the whole story. A website may have lost visibility across low-value informational searches while its commercial performance remained stable. The opposite can also happen.

If a decline has continued beyond 8th October, review the affected pages against Google’s search spam policies. Look for the underlying pattern rather than rewriting or removing content indiscriminately.

Improvements may not produce an immediate recovery. Google’s automated systems need time to reassess websites, and rankings can continue changing between confirmed updates.

Search Console Adds Visual-Search Reporting

Google has introduced multimodal search reporting in Search Console.

The new filter shows how website content performs when people search using images rather than relying solely on typed words. It includes searches made through:

• Google Lens
• Circle to Search on Android
• Images uploaded to Google Search
• Chrome’s “Search this image” feature

The data is available within both the standard Search performance report and Google’s generative AI reporting. The feature is rolling out globally, although websites will only see the filter if they receive traffic from these types of searches.

What This Means For You

Search is becoming increasingly visual, particularly for retail, travel, property, food, design and location-based businesses.

Review whether important pages contain original, useful images supported by accurate alt text and relevant surrounding copy. Product images, diagrams, examples and location photography should help users understand something that the written content alone cannot show.

The new report can help identify which pages and visual assets are already being discovered through image-led searches. Export the data and compare it with landing-page engagement and conversions to understand whether that visibility is attracting useful traffic.

Google Makes Links More Prominent in AI Search

In our previous update, we covered third-party data suggesting that Google had significantly increased the number of external links shown within AI Overview answers.

Google has now announced further changes intended to make sources more visible and easier to access across AI Overviews and AI Mode.

The changes include:

• Showing inline links higher within AI-generated answers
• Testing dedicated sections for important official webpages
• Expanding article carousels for timely topics into more locations and languages
• Making related links more prominent with images
• Testing clickable profiles for some creators and publishers

Google says it has made “continued and substantial increases” to the presence of inline links within its AI search experiences.

What This Means For You

This strengthens the opportunity for useful source content to earn visibility within AI-generated results. However, appearing as a source does not automatically guarantee a website visit.

Businesses should continue monitoring three separate outcomes:

• Whether the brand is mentioned
• Whether the website is cited or linked
• Whether that visibility produces traffic or conversions

Clear, authoritative pages are particularly important where people need to find an official source, complete a task or verify information.

Make it easy for Google to identify the most relevant page by using descriptive titles and headings, answering the question directly and supporting claims with original evidence, examples or first-hand expertise.

Conclusion

With the September spam update now complete, businesses have a more reliable point from which to review any sustained changes in organic performance.

The most intense volatility appears to have eased, but completion does not guarantee an automatic recovery. Any lasting decline should be investigated at page and query level, with decisions based on traffic and commercial outcomes rather than rankings alone.

Meanwhile, Search Console’s new visual-search reporting provides another way to understand how people discover website content. Google’s latest AI search changes also reinforce the value of clear, original and authoritative pages that give the platform a reason to show and link to the source.

If you would like help assessing the impact of the September spam update or understanding how your business appears across traditional, visual and AI-generated search, Angelfish Marketing can review your current position and identify the most valuable opportunities.

Let’s talk.