The September 2026 SEO Update by Yoast recap

Each month, we host the SEO Update by Yoast, covering the latest in search and AI. In this edition, Carolyn Shelby and Alex Moss discussed Google’s latest content updates, the impact of AI on search visibility, and how to adapt to the evolving digital landscape.

Watch the full recap on YouTube to dive deeper into these topics, hear examples, and get answers to audience questions.

Key stories from September 2026

Reddit citations in ChatGPT raise platform risks

A study from The State of Brand highlighted the risks brands face when their information is cited on third-party platforms such as Reddit. Since LLMs are probabilistic rather than deterministic, they rely on recurring information to verify their accuracy.

Why it matters:
Your brand’s messaging might be shaped by external sources, not just your own content. If negative sentiment dominates discussions about your brand on Reddit or review sites, that could be the narrative LLMs pick up.

Actionable takeaway:

• Ensure your messaging is consistent and widely referenced across all platforms.
• Actively engage in discussions on third-party sites to provide counter-narratives where needed.
• Monitor mentions of your brand regularly and address inaccuracies.

Google says ChatGPT sends new audience to Search

AI is not replacing search but altering how people interact with it. Google reports that ChatGPT is driving new search queries, often long-tail and more specific.

Why it matters:
Users are now conducting more searches than ever before, but these searches differ from traditional ones. They are more conversational and tailored to specific needs. The growth in AI-generated queries means more opportunities for your content to rank, provided it addresses niche topics.

Actionable takeaway:

• Focus on creating content that dives deep into specific Subject matter and answers unique questions.
• Optimize for long-tail keywords and conversational queries.
• Leverage tools like Google Trends and Mark Williams Cook’s AlsoAsked to explore related topics.

OpenAI expands ChatGPT ads globally

OpenAI has officially rolled out ads in ChatGPT globally. This follows months of experimentation.

Why it matters:
Ads in ChatGPT could further complicate visibility for organic results. Just like Google Ads once did, paid placements may start to dominate attention within AI conversations. However, this can also be an opportunity for brands that want to ensure their content is seen.

Actionable takeaway:

• Explore running ads on ChatGPT, so your brand doesn’t miss out on visibility.
• Optimize your ad creatives to stand out against organic listings.

Google loses faith in low-value programmatic SEO

Google is cracking down on sites using low-value programmatic content to manipulate rankings.

Why it matters:
Forget what you heard in the past; this type of content is not just unhelpful now, it is actively harmful. These pages are often created solely to rank for as many keywords as possible with minimal effort, offering little to no value to users. This approach has always been risky, and since the September 2026 core update, it is increasingly likely to backfire.

Actionable takeaway:

• Audit all programmatic content on your site.
• Ensure every page provides unique insights or first-person perspectives.
• Back up your content with evidence, original research, or unique data.

Google deploys new AI spam detector

Google has officially launched SAFE, its new AI spam detector. This is another step in their ongoing effort to fight low-quality, auto-generated content.

Why it matters:
Google is actively working to combat spammy content. This new protection is filtering out unhelpful, auto-generated content so that useful content can surface instead.

Actionable takeaway:

• Review your content and remove any low-quality or auto-generated pages.
• Focus on creating high-quality, user-centric content.

Google tests paying publishers for AI answers

Google is piloting a new program to compensate publishers for content used in AI-generated answers.

Why it matters:
As AI answers become the norm, publishers need new ways to monetize their content. If they rely solely on traditional models, they may struggle as traffic declines. With fewer people clicking through to their sites, publishers need to find an alternative way to earn, and Google may be providing it.

Actionable takeaway:

• Explore new revenue models beyond ad-based traffic.
• Monitor development in AI-driven content monetization closely.

Cloudflare lets sites block AI training without blocking Googlebot

Cloudflare now allows sites to block AI crawlers, such as those from OpenAI, without blocking Googlebot.

Why it matters:
While this may sound tempting, it’s best to think long and hard before blocking AI from crawling your site. Blocking AI crawlers will remove your site from AI-generated answers, making your content less visible. If you’re not in those AI answers, you won’t get the traffic or the credit.

Actionable takeaway:

• Weigh the pros and cons of blocking AI crawlers.
• Focus on ensuring your content is well-structured and accessible so that AI systems can cite it accurately.

Google is blocking scrapers and tracking tools

Google is actively blocking various scrapers and tracking tools.

Why it matters:
With annotations disappearing from Google Analytics and Google blocking scrapers, the tools we rely on for this data will become less reliable. This shift will likely force SEOs to adapt their strategies and rely more on alternative data sources. The insights we get from our tools will probably become more directional instead of exact.

Actionable takeaway:

• Prepare clients and stakeholders for less reliable data.
• Diversify your data sources so that you can cross-reference for accuracy.
• Use LLMs to analyze your exports and find consistencies in your data.

Google Lighthouse adds AI agent resource discovery audit

Google Lighthouse now includes an audit for AI Agent Resource Discovery (ARD).

Why it matters:
This tells agents a site’s capabilities. It is expected to become increasingly important for discovery. Should you implement it? That depends on how large your site is. If your site is small, consisting of around five pages, then it isn’t necessary. However, if your site is large and complex, ARD will let agents understand what they can do with your site’s pages.

Actionable takeaway:

• Decide if your business needs ARD.
• If your site is large and complex, work with your development team to prioritize this.

Research finds AI mode may send fewer clicks

Research shows that AI Overviews may be sending fewer clicks to publishers.

Why it matters:
If we want to be discovered, we need to rank highly and ensure our snippets pull users in. Bearing this in mind, it is now more important than ever to ensure your content is unique so that an LLM has a reason to cite you.

Actionable takeaway:

• Focus on high-quality, unique content that provides genuine value.
• Optimize your snippets to entice users to click.

Google Search traffic to publishers continues to decline

Google Search continues to see a drop in referrals, a trend observed across the web.

Why it matters:
As the digital landscape shifts, traditional metrics like traffic are becoming less reliable indicators of success. Visibility equals success in the current environment, and you can have visibility without traffic.

Actionable takeaway:

• Focus on unique, high-quality content.
• Find new KPIs that accurately reflect your performance.
• Analyze AI-driven insights to find out what is truly working for your business.

Google updates guidance on using generative AI content

Google has updated its guidelines on the use of AI in content creation.

Why it matters:
Google is making it clear that using AI to create content is not inherently bad. Bad content is bad, whether humans or AI generate it. If your content offers nothing new, unique, or interesting, then LLMs already have that information. Why would they cite you?

Actionable takeaway:

• Use AI to assist in creating new and interesting content.
• Always review AI-generated content to ensure its accuracy.

Anthropic calls for a slowdown in AI development

The CEO of Anthropic has called for a slowdown in AI advancement, while other business leaders disagree. You can read their thoughts here and here.

Why it matters:
Is this a genuine concern for safety or a strategic move to gain a competitive edge? Either way, it’s sparking crucial conversations about what the future of AI will look like.

Actionable takeaway:

• Stay informed about the discussions surrounding AI development.
• Consider the ethical implications of your use of AI.

Yoast news: introducing Yoast SEO AI+ for Shopify

We have just launched Yoast SEO AI+ for Shopify. This combines Yoast SEO with AI Brand Insights, a tool that provides insight into how AI platforms describe brands.

Why it matters:
Shopify stores that use Yoast SEO AI+ can gain a deeper understanding of how AI is portraying their brand. This allows the opportunity to adapt to any inaccuracies.

Actionable takeaway:

• Try out Yoast SEO AI+ for Shopify to gain valuable insights.
• Adapt your branding according to your findings.

Sign up for the next SEO Update by Yoast

Want to stay in the loop? Sign up for the next SEO Update by Yoast. The next show will be on the 27th October 202.

Can’t wait until later this month? You can always watch the previous editions whenever suits you, or even listen along on Spotify.

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