AI & SEO Trends Update - 25th August 2026

Since our last AI and SEO trends update, Google has completed its third spam update of 2026.

Elsewhere, new research has highlighted the value of first-party website content in Gemini, Microsoft Clarity has introduced more detailed AI referral reporting and ChatGPT’s source selection continues to evolve.

Recap: What We Covered Last Time

Our previous update explored the UK launch of ChatGPT Ads and the distinction between paid placement and organic inclusion within AI-generated answers. We also covered Google’s expanding AI reporting, new social and video data in Search Console, and research into citations, brand mentions and how Google AI Mode selects passages from websites.

Google Completes Its August 2026 Spam Update

Google’s August spam update rolled out globally between 18th and 21st August, according to its Search Status Dashboard. It was the third confirmed spam update of 2026, following updates in March and June. Google did not introduce any new policies, identify a specific industry as its focus or disclose how many searches were affected.

Google also confirmed that the update was not specifically targeting link spam or site reputation abuse. Those policies remain active, but they were not the focus of this rollout.

Instead, the update improved how Google enforces some of its existing search spam policies, which cover practices such as:

• Scaled content abuse
• Scraping without adding value
• Doorway pages
• Keyword stuffing
• Hidden content
• Cloaking
• Thin affiliate content
• Hacked or user-generated spam

Google has not said the update specifically targets AI-generated content. Its policies focus on whether content was created primarily to manipulate search visibility, rather than which tools were used to produce it.

AI can still support research, planning and production when the finished content provides original value, genuine expertise, accurate information and appropriate human review. This distinction is important for AI SEO. A page generally needs to be indexed and eligible to appear in Google Search before it can be selected as a supporting source within AI Overviews or AI Mode.

Content that follows Google’s technical and quality guidelines therefore has opportunities to support visibility across traditional search and AI-generated results. This reinforces the value of a hybrid AI content approach, combining AI efficiency with subject knowledge, fact-checking and editorial judgement.

What This Means For You

If your performance remained stable, there is no update-specific action required. If visibility changed, annotate 18th–21st August and assess the movement by page type, query, device and conversion performance. Avoid making broad changes based on isolated ranking movements.

Look for a consistent pattern and rule out technical issues, tracking changes, seasonality and normal search volatility before attributing a decline to the update.

If the evidence suggests a spam-policy issue, focus on correcting the underlying cause rather than making superficial edits. Google’s automated systems may need time to reassess the website after improvements have been made.

It is also worth noting that a Search Console logging error affected generative AI impression data between 13th and 17th August. This period should not be used as the sole baseline for measuring the update’s impact.

Other AI Search Developments

A Steady Demand study of more than 14,000 citations found that business websites generated almost 60% of Gemini’s local AI citations.

Although the research focused on the US, it provides encouraging evidence that useful first-party website content remains important. The study also showed that AI recommendations can vary between repeated searches, reinforcing the need to measure visibility across multiple prompts and over time.

Meanwhile, Promptwatch recorded a substantial change in Reddit’s share of ChatGPT citations. This demonstrates why businesses should build authority through a varied mix of first-party content, digital PR, trusted publications, directories and expert commentary rather than relying on one platform.

Microsoft Clarity has also launched AI Scrape-to-Referral Insights, helping businesses compare AI crawler activity with referral visits and user behaviour.

Conclusion

The August spam update does not change the fundamentals of good SEO or AI SEO. Businesses should continue prioritising original content, expert input, technical accessibility and trustworthy brand signals.

The opportunity is not to publish more for the sake of volume, but to create stronger resources that search engines, AI platforms and customers can understand and trust.

If you would like help understanding how the August spam update and wider AI search changes affect your visibility, Angelfish Marketing can audit your current position and identify the most valuable opportunities for strengthening your rankings, citations, brand mentions and qualified visibility.

Let’s talk.