How is Gemini 3.8 being used in Google Search?<\/h2>\n
Google began using Gemini 3.8 Flash in AI Mode for search results, but early versions of the model did not surface links and citations, which Google later fixed. Google Search Live is now powered by Gemini 3.8 Live, the multimodal upgrade to the Flash model. AI Overview links began pushing users toward AI Mode rather than the open web, and Google rolled out monitoring capabilities and a multimodal search type filter in the AI performance report inside Search Console globally.<\/p>\n
What is the AI contribution pilot paying publishers?<\/h2>\n
Google’s AI contribution pilot in Search Console pays roughly 100 publishers for the use of their content in AI Mode, AI Overviews, and Gemini. The payouts sit around 0.1% of ad revenue, a figure described as small. The pilot is part of a broader set of global AI performance reports and controls, including a multimodal search type filter for the performance report.<\/p>\n
What broke in Search Console and indexing last month?<\/h2>\n
Google confirmed a short indexing reporting bug, and the Search Console indexing report was missing old June data. Google also said the old position 1 to 10 layout is hard to map for site owners, and that AI position reporting in Search Console will evolve over time. Google Trends Explore added category filtering, and publishers reported Google News tab content disappearing for periods. Image thumbnails were described as normally slow to update, and hreflang examples now show uppercase codes, though Google said the change does not actually matter.<\/p>\n
How is programmatic SEO being treated?<\/h2>\n
Google stated that the search system can lose faith in sites that pursue low-value programmatic SEO. The disavow tool still has effects. On UI changes, almost 100% of People Also Ask results are now answered by Google AI Overviews, and AI Overviews are being tested with citation cards at the bottom of the panel rather than the right side. Google is also testing replacing the “Show More” button on AI Overviews with a loading indicator. A new Search Profile badge can be added to a site, and the search profile article design now makes it easier to log in, and it requires fewer followers.<\/p>\n
What happened with Google Discover and Chrome metrics?<\/h2>\n
Google is testing a “Dive Deeper” feature in Discover, a move that could keep users inside Google’s surfaces rather than sending traffic to publisher pages. The Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) added ad metrics, and the Page Experience documentation now lists those CrUX ad metrics. Google said the ad metrics are not a ranking factor, at least not yet. Google also said it may be more successful in blocking scrapers that mimic tracking tools.<\/p>\n
What changed in Google Business Profiles and Maps?<\/h2>\n
Business Profile owners now have four days to reject user-suggested edits. Reading all reviews on Google Maps now requires sign-in. A new flow lets owners submit a business photo for verification. A Google Maps bug placed map pins in the middle of the ocean. Automated emails flagged a spike in spam reviews, and Business Profiles policies were updated to address misuse of support channels. A phone-number-in-photo scam was reported, and Google Posts now cracks down on unverified contact information. Business Profile API applications are seeing delays, and Google is testing an option to set hours automatically.<\/p>\n
What was the ad tech monopoly ruling?<\/h2>\n
A federal judge ruled that Google’s Ad Tech business will not be broken up. Instead, the court ordered behavioral changes with oversight as the remedy. In the European Union, Google appealed a Digital Markets Act mandate to share search history data with competitors, and described the situation as making Google feel sad and terrible for European searchers. The UK Competition and Markets Authority said Google should make it easier to choose other search engines on Android and Chrome.<\/p>\n
Google also dropped free product listings from the European Economic Area, launched a European ecosystem carousel covering weather and translations, and began supporting local business queries inside aggregator supplier search units. A local knowledge panel can now appear as an AI Overview, and regional differences in the Google Search experience are being documented in new support pages.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere in search, Google AI Overviews added a character counter tool, returned for many large brand-name queries, and started testing with significantly more external links. AI Mode began testing text link ads, and the video schema was updated to support an interactionStatistic with an updated creator property. Google Search marked its 28th birthday with a Doodle that opens an AI Mode quiz.<\/p>\n
Ranking position across a service area is what a geo grid report measures, and SEOScanPro’s GEO Grids<\/a> map that visibility for every town and suburb rather than returning one city-wide average.<\/p>\n It is a Google spam update that began rolling out in late September 2026 and continued into October 2026, producing strong ranking volatility, including major shifts on the weekend of September 23rd and 24th.<\/p>\n Gemini 3.8 Flash was used in AI Mode, with early versions missing links and citations that Google later fixed. Google Search Live is now powered by Gemini 3.8 Live, the multimodal upgrade.<\/p>\n A federal judge ruled that Google’s ad tech business will not be broken up, ordering behavioral changes with oversight as the remedy. In Europe, Google separately appealed a Digital Markets Act mandate to share search history data with competitors.<\/p>\n The geo grid tool runs a full technical audit of a site and shows the measured result behind every check. Open the geo grid tool<\/a>.<\/p>\nFAQ<\/h2>\n
What is the Google September 2026 spam update?<\/h3>\n
How is Gemini 3.8 being used in Google Search?<\/h3>\n
What did the ad tech monopoly ruling say?<\/h3>\n
Try the geo grid tool<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/seoscanpro.ai\/shots\/geo-grid-v4.webp\")
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