Industry Update

September brought some of the biggest search and advertising changes we’ve seen all year, from major government rulings affecting Google to big updates in how websites are measured and ranked. If your business relies on Google for traffic or sales, these shifts will shape how people find and interact with you online.

Google Removes the “100 Results” Option 

What’s happening:
Google stopped supporting a technical setting that let tools view 100 search results on one page. When this disappeared, SEO tracking tools suddenly showed big “visibility drops.” But this doesn’t mean fewer people are finding your site, the measurement method just changed.

Why it matters for your business:
If you noticed sudden declines in visibility reports, don’t panic. Your website may be performing the same as before, it’s the data view that changed, not your audience behaviour.

What you can do:

• Treat September as a “reset month” for SEO reporting.
• Focus on traffic, leads, and sales, not impression counts.

Expect tracking platforms to take a few weeks to stabilise their numbers.

Europe Fines Google $3.5 B for Ad-Tech Practices 

What’s happening:
The European Union fined Google about $3.5 billion for unfairly favouring its own ad-selling systems. Regulators also warned that if Google doesn’t change its behaviour, it could face stronger actions in future. Google is appealing.

Why it matters for your business:
When regulators push for more fairness, it can lead to more competition and that might reduce ad costs over time. For now, expect little immediate change, but this signals that transparency and fairness in ad pricing are becoming more important.

What you can do:

• Keep an eye on ad costs (CPCs and CPMs). If prices rise, it may not always be from competition; platform rules can influence it.
• Don’t rely solely on Google Ads; test Meta, Microsoft, or other platforms too.

Google Discover & Store Updates 

What’s happening:
Google Discover (the feed of recommended content on Android and Chrome) now lets users “follow” brands and creators. At the same time, Google launched new Store Widgets and smarter Performance Max options in Google Ads to help brands show more relevant products.

Why it matters for your business:
Google is blurring the line between search, social, and shopping. If your content and store details are fresh and visually appealing, you can appear in more discovery spots, even when people aren’t actively searching for you.

What you can do:

• Regularly share high-quality images, posts, and updates.
• Keep your product feed and Google Business Profile current, it feeds these new features.
• If you run ads, test Performance Max’s “Smart Bidding Exploration” to find new conversions efficiently.

Major Spam Update Shakes Up Search Rankings 

What’s happening:
Google rolled out a global “Spam Update” that hit low-quality and rule-breaking sites. Combined with other September changes, this caused huge ranking swings that many businesses felt in traffic reports.

Why it matters for your business:
If your website saw sudden drops, it might have been caught in this update. Google’s focus is now squarely on rewarding trustworthy, original, and experience-based content, not quick-generated or copied material.

What you can do:

• Review your website for quality and accuracy.
• Make sure all content reflects real expertise and value, not just SEO keywords.
• If affected, expect a slow recovery; it can take months to regain trust once flagged.

Google Search “Live” Goes Live (U.S. Launch)

What’s happening:
Google has launched a new feature called Search Live in the U.S., which allows users to have real-time, conversational interactions directly with Google Search’s AI. People can now talk or type follow-up questions, and even use their phone camera so Google can “see” what they’re looking at and respond with tailored search results in real time.

This means users can, for example, show Google a broken appliance part or a product on a shelf and get immediate identification or purchasing options. The rollout is expected to expand globally in 2026.

Why it matters:
Search Live represents Google’s next big step toward interactive and AI-driven search. It changes how people find and evaluate products or services:

• Users may rely less on clicking through multiple websites and more on instant AI-generated answers.
• Google will pull heavily from structured data, product listings, Google Business Profiles, and reviews to generate responses.
• Businesses with richer, verified information are more likely to appear in these live AI interactions.

For brands, this means visibility will depend even more on how complete, accurate, and AI-readable your online data is, not just how well you rank organically.

Action steps:

• Review and enhance your Google Business Profile. Add detailed descriptions, photos, FAQs, and up-to-date opening hours.
• Ensure your website uses structured data (schema) to help Google interpret your products or services correctly.
• Maintain a consistent review strategy, and positive, recent feedback will play a growing role in how AI surfaces your brand.
• Think beyond clicks: treat Search Live visibility as brand exposure, similar to appearing in a recommendation or local list, rather than a traditional visit.

Search Live is still in early rollout, but it signals where search behaviour is heading, toward AI-driven discovery experiences that reward clarity, credibility, and structured brand data.

New Google Ads Policy on Honest Pricing 

What’s happening:
From October 28, Google Ads will enforce stricter “truth in pricing” rules. Advertisers must clearly show all fees, subscriptions, or extra costs before purchase, no hidden charges or vague pricing allowed.

Why it matters for your business:
If your ads or landing pages aren’t fully transparent about pricing, Google could block or suspend your campaigns. This is especially important for subscriptions, memberships, or services with recurring payments.

What you can do:

• Double-check your ads and pages for clear pricing and terms.
• Be upfront about all costs, even optional ones.
• Review everything before the October 28 enforcement date to stay compliant.

Meta (Facebook & Instagram) Adds an Ad-Free Subscription in the UK

What’s happening:
Meta will let UK users pay for an ad-free experience. Those who subscribe won’t see ads at all.

Why it matters for your business:
People who choose the ad-free option are likely higher-income users who value privacy. That means your ad reach could shrink slightly in premium audiences, while everyone else still sees ads as normal.

What you can do:

• Keep an eye on audience size in Meta Ads Manager.
• Balance your social ad spend with other relevant channels like Google, LinkedIn, or TikTok.
• Adapt creative messaging for more engaged, opted-in audiences.

How Big Is AI Search Really? 

What’s happening:
AI-driven search is already reshaping customer behaviour. Tools like ChatGPT handle an estimated 66 million “search-like” prompts daily. Google still dominates with ~14 billion queries, but with AI Overviews and “AI Mode” now embedded in search, the share of AI-influenced results is much higher than headline numbers suggest.

Why it matters for your business:
The way people discover, compare, and evaluate products is evolving faster than most businesses realise. Even if AI search looks “small” today, the change in search behaviour is already significant. The real question isn’t if customers will use AI-driven results, but how quickly and whether your brand is being surfaced in those answers.

Where Prism comes in:

Prism by Fingo helps you see, measure, and optimise your brand’s visibility across AI and search. It shows you where your brand is cited (or missing), how AI engines describe you, and where competitors are already shaping the conversation. It’s not just a dashboard, it’s a strategy engine that future-proofs your discoverability.

What you can do:

• Don’t abandon Google, but understand that generative search is rewriting the rules of visibility.
• Optimise for AI citations to create structured, factual, answer-ready content that models can quote.
• Use Prism to benchmark your presence, control your narrative, and make sure you’re visible in both search engines and AI-driven answers.

Discover Prism by Fingo.

U.S. Court Ruling Changes Google’s Default Search Deals 

What’s happening:
A U.S. judge ruled that Google can’t keep signing exclusive deals that make it the default search engine on devices like iPhones or browsers like Chrome. Google must also share some search data access with approved competitors, but it doesn’t have to sell or break up any of its main products, such as Android or Chrome.

Why it matters for your business:
This means Apple or other tech companies might soon offer more choice in which search engine appears by default. In time, that could slightly spread traffic across more search engines, not just Google. Your customers may start finding you from a wider range of search tools.

What you can do:

• Keep your online presence strong on all major search and map platforms, not only Google.
• Make sure your business info, reviews, and product listings are accurate everywhere.

Looking Ahead

September proved that Google and the wider search industry are entering a new era of transparency, fairness, and quality control.

• Regulators are challenging old habits.
• Google is recalibrating data and enforcing clearer rules.
• High-trust, clear, and useful content is the new differentiator.

For business owners, the best next step is simple: stay transparent, stay active, and stay informed. Make sure your website tells the truth, your data is up to date, and your content reflects real expertise. That’s what both customers and algorithms are looking for.

If you’d like to discuss how these changes affect your visibility or strategy, please contact hello@fingo.co.uk.