26 September 2026 — Google has made a cluster of changes to Search this month that publishers and SEO teams are watching closely, according to Search Engine Roundtable's September 2026 monthly report.

Google pushed AI Mode into AI Overviews, replacing "Show more" buttons so that users can continue into a conversational experience directly from an AI Overview.

AI Overviews began showing link carousel cards for developing news stories, giving publishers additional visible link placements.

Google rolled out new google.com/goto parameters on search result links, which the industry is watching for implications on referral tracking.

Users can now customise the Discover feed by keywords, potentially changing how Discover traffic is distributed across publishers.

Google's August 2026 spam update completed its rollout in August, with ranking volatility reported into early September.

Each change pushes more of the search journey into AI-driven interfaces. For publishers, that means:

Google is widely expected to continue expanding AI Mode. Many SEO professionals are also watching for a possible core update later in the year.

Source: Search Engine Roundtable September 2026 Google Webmaster Report. Some features may be tests or limited rollouts.