Latest Search Updates - Aug & Sept 2025

August and September have been packed with search changes that shook up dashboards, rank trackers, and SEO strategies worldwide.

From Google’s Spam Update and structured data clean-ups to the removal of the &num=100 parameter that sent GSC metrics into chaos, SEOs had no shortage of “what just happened?” moments.

Add in AI Overviews expansion, new documentation for paywalls, and the rollout of Search Live—and it’s clear Google is reshaping how search works faster than ever. Here’s a roundup of the biggest updates you need to know.

1- Google August 2025 Spam Update (Aug 26th - Sept 22nd )

Google rolled out a broad spam update impacting all languages globally; rollout lasted ~27 days. Many sites saw noticeable turbulence, with volatility spikes throughout September until completion on Sept 22. If you dropped, re-audit against spam policies (thin/auto-generated content, cloaking, hacked/spam). This was not a link-spam-only change—broader signals were tweaked.Refs: Google Search Status Dashboard; coverage + analysis.

Source: Google Search Status Dashboard

2- &num=100 removed → GSC impressions dip & rank-tracking chaos (Sept 12th–14th)

Google killed the “show 100 results per page” parameter. Third-party trackers and some GSC metrics got distorted: big impression drops, “better” average positions, and missing long-tail visibility beyond page 1.

Most sites’ actual clicks didn’t fall proportionally—interpret September reports with caution. Adjust dashboards, annotate timelines, and rebase KPIs.

Source: Search Engine Land

3- Structured data cleanup: 5 types removed from Search (Sept 9th)

Google removed documentation (and Search support) for: Course info, Estimated salary, Learning video, Special announcement, and Vehicle listing.

If you still emit these types, they won’t render special features—safe to sunset from your schemas and QA rules. Monitor Search Console for any resulting rich-result drops.

Source: Google Search Central

4- Guidance for JavaScript-based paywalls (Aug 28th)

New docs clarify pitfalls when content gating is JS-driven. Google may struggle to determine what’s paywalled vs free, affecting indexing and visibility; implement clear paywall markup/patterns and test with URL Inspection. Publishers using JS paywalls should review the new guidance and adjust.Refs: Search Central documentation update.

Source: Google for Developers

5- Structured Data Carousels (beta) expand to South Africa (Aug 28th)

Google expanded the carousels (beta) program to South Africa. If you operate there and qualify, ensure list pages follow the beta spec (ItemsList + item markup, etc.).

Watch for impressions in Search Console’s appearance reports where available.Refs: Search Central documentation update. Google for Developers

6- AI Overviews / AI Mode expansion

By September, AI Overviews are reported as live across 200+ countries and 40+ languages; Google also expanded AI Mode availability (including Spanish globally).

We can Expect higher AI-generated summaries and fewer classic blue-link interactions on many queries.

Resource: SE Ranking

7- Search Live: real-time voice/visual + conversational search begins rolling out (late Sept)

Google introduced “Search Live” (U.S. first, expanding internationally incl. India): real-time conversational search that mixes voice + camera input with AI answers and web links. This is another push toward multimodal, assistant-like search sessions—expect query patterns and click paths to shift.

Source: The Verge

8- Google Ads policy updates (mid-Aug–Sept) 

Dating & Companionship policy country list was revised (MENA + others explicitly restricted). Also, enforcement for EU political-ads pause begins surfacing across GMP/DV360 tooling in September ahead of the Oct 2025 regulation.

Source: Google Advertising Policies

9-Bing SERP ad experiments (late Sept) 

Bing tested bolder titles and expanded sitelink layouts that affect both organic listings and ads’ visual prominence— CTR swings in mixed Bing/Edge traffic can be expected.

Source: Search Engine Roundtable