The SEO Update by Yoast – September 2026

Is your 2026 SEO strategy actually ready for the next wave of AI search updates?

Between AI-driven search overhauls and constant algorithm tweaks, keeping your site visible can be challenging.

The SEO Update by Yoast brings you the latest insights on algorithm updates, AI-driven search changes, and industry developments, all in one easy-to-follow session.

Join Carolyn Shelby and Alex Moss as they discuss the stories shaping SEO today and share actionable takeaways you can apply right away.

Who should sign up?

This update is ideal if you:

• Want expert insight into recent SEO and AI changes and trends
• Need help refining or validating your SEO strategy
• Have SEO questions you’d like answered live

Event details

• Level: Intermediate
• Duration: 1 hour
• Live Q&A with our SEO experts
• Free registration
• Recording available after the session

Topics and sources

SEO & AI news

1. Reddit citations in ChatGPT raise platform risks​
2. Google details who can license its Search data in Europe​
3. Google brings Gemini 3.8 Flash to AI Mode​
4. Google says ChatGPT sends a new audience to Search​
5. Google avoids ad tech breakup but faces new restrictions​:
   1. Judge rules Google ad tech business won’t be broken up​
   2. Google ad tech monopoly remedies: behavioral changes with oversight​
6. OpenAI expands ChatGPT ads globally​
7. Google can lose faith in sites with low-value programmatic SEO​
8. Google says EU DMA changes reduced Search quality​
9. Google rolls out redesigned Search results across the EEA
10. Google tests PPA in AI Overviews
11. Matt Mullenweg’s leadership at Automattic changes rapidly​:
    1. WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg ousted as CEO of Automattic
    2. Matt Mullenweg apparently back in charge at Automattic
12. Google DeepMind develops new AI Search ranking model
13. What Wikipedia reveals about AI Overviews and web traffic
14. Anthropic calls for a slowdown in AI development​:
    1. We must slow the pace: CEO of Anthropic calls for an AI slowdown
    2. AI companies split over calls to slow development
    3. China rebuffs AI slowdown calls ahead of Trump-Xi summit
15. Google tests paying publishers for AI answers via Search Console
16. Cloudflare lets sites block AI training without blocking Googlebot​
17. I made my website charge AI agents a penny per page. Then I watched Claude pay it.
18. Google UCP update lets merchants enable cart transfer to site
19. Regional differences in Search experience
20. Google blocking scrapers and tracking tools
21. Google Discover: Dive deeper
22. Google Lighthouse AI agent resource discovery audit
23. Research shows Google AI Mode sends less clicks and is a poor user experience
24. Claude Opus 5.5
25. Google tests native checkout emails​
26. UK CMA considers changes to Android, Chrome, and Search​
27. Rank Math AI adds Gemini tracking and SEO tools​
28. Google rolls out the September 2026 spam update​
29. Google announces new query fan-out research​
30. Google Search traffic to publishers continues to decline​
31. Google deploys a new AI spam detector called SAFE​
32. Introducing GPT-6 Sol and Luna

Also in the news…

1. Meta launches AI agent that can access apps, send emails and make payments
2. Google AI ranking factors: what we know about how AI search ranks content
3. Google fined $463 million for breaching EU location data rules
4. Meta Muse partners with Shopify and gets blocked by Amazon
5. Shopify opens checkout to browser-based AI agents
6. Emdash 1.0 challenges WordPress freedom with Cloudflare lock-in​
7. Google AI Mode monitoring capabilities now live for all

Yoast news