Google has rolled out the second impact phase of its September 2026 spam update, hitting publishers as search visibility shifts, while seroundtable.com reported that Google pays roughly 100 publishers about 0.1% of its total ad revenue for content contributions. The search giant has also appealed an EU Digital Markets Act mandate requiring it to share search data, and dismissed Penske’s lawsuit over AI Overviews.
The September 2026 Spam Update Second Wave
Websites felt the initial turbulence of the September 2026 spam update early in the week, followed by a secondary impact wave on Wednesday and Thursday. Concurrently, a recent report highlighted the financial mechanics of AI contributions, revealing that Google compensates approximately 100 publishers at a volume translating to a mere 0.1% of its advertising revenue.
AI Overviews Expansion and Regulatory Pushback
Google continues to expand the deployment of AI Overviews, now returning them for brand queries as well as specific data sets like team rosters. Testing is also underway to position citations at the bottom of AI Overviews rather than along the right side, alongside a test replacing the “Show more” button with a dynamic “Loading” state. In the legal and regulatory arena, Google officially appealed the European Union Digital Markets Act mandate to share its proprietary search data with competitors. Meanwhile, Penske’s legal challenge against Google’s AI Overviews was formally dismissed by the court.
Platform Changes and Map Data Glitches
Beyond the core search algorithm, Google is testing the removal of the iconic “I’m Feeling Lucky” button from its interface. In local search and mapping products, Google Maps now requires users to sign in to view complete business reviews, while a separate bug temporarily placed several commercial businesses right in the middle of the ocean. Google Business Profiles introduced a strict new policy targeting the misuse of support channels, and Google Local Service Ads experienced technical glitches that served ads outside designated service locations and intermittently hid business phone numbers.
Ecosystem Updates Across Bing, Microsoft, and OpenAI
Microsoft Advertising deployed optimization experiments on a global scale. Bing initiated tests on sponsored ads featuring one-line consumer reviews. OpenAI released a series of updates for ChatGPT Ads. As these adjustments rippled through the digital marketing landscape, Google also marked its 28th corporate birthday over the weekend.
