If September had a theme, it was: expect the unexpected.
Google quietly dropped its most advanced image model yet (with a codename only techies could love), OpenAI levelled up with GPT-5, and TikTok decided it’s time to slim down your hashtags. Even Amazon couldn’t resist sneaking back into Google Shopping after its short-lived exit. Throw in a fresh spam update, a WordPress security scare, and some surprisingly useful ad platform upgrades, and you’ve got a month where marketers had to stay on their toes.
Here’s what stood out and why it matters.
Google has unveiled Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, its most advanced image generation + editing model yet. Think of it as Gemini’s creative powerhouse: faster, more flexible, and designed for both developers and enterprises.
Why it matters for SEO & marketing:
Start thinking about visuals as structured SEO assets. Well-tagged, brand-consistent AI images could play a bigger role in AI-driven search and content ecosystems.
Read more
OpenAI has officially launched GPT-5, describing it as their most capable large language model to date. It promises faster answers, greater accuracy, stronger tone control, and better handling of complex tasks. All of which could ripple into how we create, optimise, and scale content.
What’s new:
SEO takeaway:
GPT-5 raises the bar for AI-assisted content creation. But if everyone has sharper AI, differentiation will come from experience-led content and brand authority, and these are the things AI can’t fabricate.
Google’s John Mueller responded to a Reddit thread about a 90% drop in Googlebot crawl requests after a site deployed broken hreflang URLs. Mueller clarified that sudden crawl drops are usually caused by server-side issues (429, 500, 503 responses or timeouts), not standard 404s. However, he also admitted on X that this time round, it was an issue on Google’s end.
Here’s what we saw for one of our clients:
Key takeaways:
Search isn’t just happening on Google anymore; it’s everywhere. That’s why we’re flagging updates beyond the usual suspects. Case in point: TikTok is quietly rolling out a five-hashtag cap per post (spotted via in-app notifications). The goal? Cut down on clutter, curb spam, and make discovery more relevant.
Why it matters for SEO & discovery:
This is the social media equivalent of Google’s spam updates and is forcing a shift from “more” to “better.” For clients targeting younger audiences, social SEO now mirrors search SEO: precise, relevant, and engagement-led.
Referral traffic from ChatGPT is down 52% since July 21, as OpenAI shifts how it chooses citations. An analysis of 1B+ ChatGPT citations shows a sharp consolidation toward “answer-first” sources.
By the numbers:
Why it matters for SEO & visibility:
Google is rolling out AI Mode globally, which is now live in 180 countries and territories (English only). This follows recent expansions in the UK, India, and the US.
Google is also making links more visible in AI Mode, rolling out new features like embedded link carousels on desktop, smarter inline links within answers, and expanding its Web Guide experiment. The goal, according to Google Search VP Robby Stein, is to show links in ways that are more contextual and useful, encouraging people to click directly from AI responses instead of scrolling below them. Mobile support for link carousels is coming soon, and Google says fluctuations may occur as these updates are deployed over the next few weeks.
As Google brings personalisation into AI-first search, brands will need to track how their content surfaces across different user contexts. Visibility is no longer just about ranking. It’s about being the most helpful next step for each individual.
Google has released its first spam update of 2025 (and first in 8 months). The rollout began on August 26 and will take a few weeks to complete.
What we know:
Why it matters:
Treat this as a reminder to audit content + backlinks. If your visibility dips, check whether thin or overly-optimised pages could be flagged by Google’s evolving spam filters.
A vulnerability in the popular TablePress WordPress plugin (3.2 and earlier) could allow attackers to run stored XSS attacks by injecting malicious scripts into pages. The plugin is widely used for creating interactive tables and is installed on over 700,000 websites.
What happened:
Stored XSS attacks can compromise site visitors, steal data, or escalate into broader exploits. If clients use TablePress then they must update immediately to version 3.2.1 or higher to patch the issue.
Google has updated its documentation to advise publishers on how to handle JavaScript paywalls for better SEO. Many news sites and subscription services use scripts to hide content until a user’s subscription is confirmed, but this approach can make it difficult for Google to identify what is truly paywalled.
What’s changing:
Sites relying on JavaScript-based paywalls should review implementation to prevent accidental indexing issues and ensure paywalled content is correctly recognised by Google.
Last but certainly not least, A U.S. federal judge has ruled that Google will not have to sell Chrome or Android, but must share search data with competitors and is barred from exclusive contracts that favour its own products. The decision follows a years-long court battle over Google’s dominance in search and its pre-loading deals with companies like Apple, which cost billions annually.
What it means:
With Google’s data-sharing requirements and fewer exclusive pre-load agreements, there’s potential for increased competition in search and AI-powered discovery. Brands and marketers may see more diverse traffic patterns and opportunities to reach users outside traditional Google channels.
Google has introduced new controls for Performance Max campaigns, including campaign-level negative keyword lists, device targeting, and age range exclusions. At the same time, new customer acquisition reporting has been upgraded to address a long-standing pain point.
Previously, when segmenting by new vs. returning customers, conversions could show as “Unknown,” making reporting murky and optimisation tricky. Google has improved its estimation models, meaning those “Unknown” conversions should disappear going forward.
Marketers now have more granular control over campaign targeting, while reporting is clearer and easier to act on. For accounts focused on new customer acquisition, this will give cleaner data to optimise against.
Meta has unveiled a suite of generative AI creative tools that can auto-generate video from images, overlay branded elements, and tailor copy by persona. Ads Manager also now includes a “Creative breakdown” report to show which creative components (including AI-generated ones) drive the best performance.
Advertisers can feed in logos, fonts, and brand colours to ensure generated variations stay closer to brand guidelines. Early testing shows the AI works best when provided with strong base templates, producing useful variations for high-volume testing.
This could be a major efficiency win for accounts running frequent creative tests, though it carries some risks for strict brand consistency. A good candidate for pilot testing in accounts where volume and iteration speed matter most.
LinkedIn has expanded the capabilities of its Insight Tag to capture and optimise for more granular on-site behaviours, such as button clicks, sign-ups, and downloads — not just page visits.
Marketers can now set up campaigns around mid-funnel actions that signal engagement and intent, giving more useful optimisation points than simple page loads.
For B2B advertisers with longer and more complex funnels, this makes LinkedIn a stronger performance channel. Optimising for meaningful micro-conversions can drive better lead quality and pipeline value.
After a brief hiatus (we let you know they left only in August), Amazon is back running Shopping Ads on Google in several international markets. The move is thought to signal both a reliance test and a recognition of the additional revenue generated from Google placements.
Amazon’s return adds a major competitor back into Shopping auctions — though not yet in the US.
Ecommerce advertisers who enjoyed a quieter landscape during Amazon’s absence will now face tougher competition in certain regions. While many of our clients don’t directly overlap with Amazon’s product mix, the increased pressure could still affect costs and visibility.
The digital marketing landscape isn’t just moving, it’s accelerating in every direction at once.
To stay ahead, brands should:
Need a partner to help you cut through the noise and focus on what matters? You know where to find us.