In this week’s digital news, Google’s latest spam update has finished rolling out after nearly two weeks, taking longer than any of the three earlier spam updates it ran this year. OpenAI are introducing a new visual ad format in ChatGPT, expanding measurement tools and partnerships, and developing new ways to understand brand suitability.
Google Ads is introducing a new “Overlay on videos” asset optimisation setting for Demand Gen campaigns, allowing Google to automatically add text messaging to video creatives. Google’s people-first content guidance now warns site owners against fabricated author profiles, a form of deception its rater guidelines already described.
Google has officially confirmed the completion of its September 2026 spam update, which finished rolling out globally on October 8 after a prolonged 14-day deployment window. Unlike earlier spam updates earlier in the year, which concluded in just a couple of days, this rollout took nearly the maximum timeframe allocated by Google. Early analytics data from Diib, drawing on a sample of over 32,500 connected websites, indicated that median search traffic shares dipped from 34% to 31% during the active rollout phase, while industry ranking tools simultaneously recorded widespread volatility.
This extended timeline provides SEO professionals with a definitive comparative window to audit performance changes in Search Console. Because third-party rank trackers frequently display erratic fluctuations during prolonged algorithmic deployments, digital teams are advised to evaluate actual impression and click metrics rather than reacting to short-term chart movements. Sites experiencing sustained traffic drops should cross-reference their publishing practices with Google’s core spam policies to support long-term recovery.
Google is adding an “Overlay on videos” asset optimisation setting to Demand Gen campaigns, which automatically applies text drawn from existing text assets over video creatives. The feature sits alongside existing options for shorter and resized videos within asset optimisation settings, and appears to be enabled by default. Advertisers should check their settings, particularly where video creative has specific design considerations that text overlays could disrupt or obscure. As with other AI-modified assets, ads using the feature will carry an AI label when served in the EU, India and New York state.
Google is adding an “Overlay on videos” asset optimisation setting to Demand Gen campaigns, which automatically applies text drawn from existing text assets over video creatives. The feature sits alongside existing options for shorter and resized videos within asset optimisation settings, and appears to be enabled by default. Advertisers should check their settings, particularly where video creative has specific design considerations that text overlays could disrupt or obscure. As with other AI-modified assets, ads using the feature will carry an AI label when served in the EU, India and New York state.
Google has updated its official helpful content guidelines to explicitly warn site owners against using fabricated author profiles, including AI-generated headshots, made-up names, and false professional credentials designed to manufacture artificial human expertise. While Google’s internal Search Quality Rater Guidelines have previously classified deceptive authorship as a major trust violation, this update embeds those explicit warnings directly into documentation aimed at general site managers, categorising fake bylines as a direct signal of low quality for automated search systems.
The visibility implications for content and editorial strategies are substantial. As search engines tighten quality controls against automated content scaling, brands relying on synthetic bios or unverified credentials face heightened algorithmic exposure. SEO professionals must enforce rigorous E-E-A-T compliance across their digital assets, ensuring that all published bylines correspond to genuine, verifiable human experts to protect their rankings from automated quality filters.
Zero-click search has made five common content habits counterproductive. Building pages around keywords misses how people now query, since the average ChatGPT prompt runs 23 words. Grading content on traffic ignores that the top-ranked page loses 58% of its CTR under an AI Overview. Publishing more matters less than maintaining what exists, as 75% of AI-cited pages were updated in the past year. The last two are relying on owned channels, when 85% of AI brand mentions come from third parties, and publishing generic guides with no original data.
Reddit is more valuable as a mid-funnel research channel than an AEO play because developers use it to compare tools and real-world experiences before buying. Treat it like earned media by joining existing conversations without pitching. Build credibility for about 3 months before approaching moderators about AMAs or sponsored events. Focus posts on problems and lessons rather than products. Brand accounts can work when they consistently teach. Measure impact through customer interviews since Reddit influence rarely appears in analytics.
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