We hope you are in good health. Here are some of the major SEO news updates of the week that you need to know:
Search Related News and Updates from Major Search Engines
Google Upgrades AI Mode With Faster Gemini Model, Gemini 3.8
Google has added Gemini 3.8 Flash to AI Mode, giving Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers worldwide the option to select the new model from the “+” menu. The rapid rollout follows Gemini 3.7 Flash just weeks earlier, highlighting how frequently Google is changing the models powering AI Search.
Google Opens European Search Data Licensing to Eligible Competitors
Google has detailed who can access its European Search Dataset under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, including eligibility thresholds, licensing terms, sample datasets, and audit requirements. Agreements begin rolling out in September, with data samples available from November for qualifying search engines and eligible AI search services.
Google Trends Adds Category Filters for More Precise Search Insights
Google Trends has introduced category filters on its Explore page, allowing users to discover top-searched terms within specific categories without entering a query. The update also helps marketers refine existing searches by excluding irrelevant categories, making trend analysis and content research more targeted.
Google Confirms Search Spam Team Remains Well Resourced
Google Search engineering VP Rajan Patel confirmed that the company’s spam team remains well staffed and actively developing algorithms to combat search spam. The confirmation comes after the August 2026 spam update caused significant ranking and indexing drops for some heavily programmatic sites, reinforcing Google’s continued focus on fighting spam in Search.
Google Begins Rolling Out AI-Powered Tell Maps Feature
Google has started rolling out Tell Maps, an AI-powered feature that lets Maps contributors suggest edits and share local tips conversationally through Ask Maps and the Contribute tab. Users can even upload storefront photos for Maps to detect details such as new business hours, while Google’s systems review submissions for accuracy before publishing.
Google Rolls Out Search Console AI-Powered Reports Worldwide
Google has expanded its AI-powered reporting features in Search Console to users worldwide, making it easier to analyze search performance and identify trends. The update gives site owners more accessible insights into their Search data without requiring them to manually dig through multiple reports.
PPC Related News and Updates from Major Platforms
Google Ads Updates Guidance for Phone Call & Offline Conversions
Google has updated its Ads documentation with new guidance for measuring phone call and offline conversions. The changes highlight key setup requirements, including enabling call reporting, using Primary conversion actions, matching offline conversion data exactly, and allowing 24–48 hours for processing
Google Hotel Ads Expand Geographic Targeting
Google Ads now allows Hotel Ads campaigns to target or exclude specific regions, states, cities, and postal codes instead of being limited to entire countries or territories. The change gives hotel advertisers more precise control over budgets and feeder markets, although radius/proximity targeting is still unavailable.
Google Expands Merchant Center AI Performance Insights
Google has expanded its AI Performance Insights report in Merchant Center to Australia, Canada, India, and New Zealand, following its initial U.S. rollout. The report helps merchants understand how their brands appear in shopping-related conversational queries across AI Mode and AI Overviews, offering visibility trends and insights to improve product data.
Google Ads Introduces Pre-Filled Asset Groups With AI-Generated Assets
Google Ads is adding pre-fill options that automatically bring headlines, descriptions, images, and videos from recent Asset Studio projects into Performance Max asset groups. The update is designed to help advertisers build campaigns faster and achieve stronger Ad Strength with less manual asset setup.
Social Media Related News and Updates from Major Platforms
Instagram Renames AI Creator Labels to Improve Transparency
Instagram is updating its AI account labels, replacing “AI creator” with “AI-generated profile” to make it clearer when users are interacting with an AI-generated person. The platform also plans to limit the reach of AI-generated profiles that fail to disclose their nature, aiming to reduce user confusion and deceptive interactions.
