September brought another busy month for organic and AI visibility, with developments spanning Google Search, AI Mode, analytics, and emerging AI optimization tactics.
Google launched another spam update, while new research offered a closer look at how AI Mode is changing user behavior and website traffic. At the same time, marketers gained new opportunities to influence visibility through Google Preferred Sources, Reddit, and even traditional comparison content.
Here are six developments worth knowing from September.
Google Makes Preferred Sources More Actionable for Publishers
Google’s Preferred Sources feature is becoming increasingly relevant as Search grows more personalized. After expanding Preferred Sources into AI Overviews and AI Mode earlier this year, Google introduced an embeddable button that publishers can add directly to their websites.
Instead of requiring users to navigate Google’s personalization settings, publishers can now encourage visitors to add their site as a Preferred Source directly from their own content. Google reported that users had already selected more than 600,000 unique sources as of its August announcement.
For marketers, this creates another potential path toward repeat visibility. Brands with strong resource centers, original research, educational content, or other authoritative resources should consider testing Preferred Source calls to action on high value pages.
Google Introduces Customizable Dashboards in GA4
Google is making GA4 reporting more flexible with customizable dashboards that allow marketers to bring important metrics and visualizations together on a single page.
Users can drag and drop metrics and dimensions, resize cards, create scorecards and charts, add funnel visualizations, and publish dashboards directly to the Reports navigation. This makes it possible to build dedicated views for executive KPIs, campaign performance, conversions, and other recurring reporting needs.
There are some limitations at launch. Standard properties are limited to 15 cards per dashboard, while segments, card-level comparisons and API support aren’t currently available. Google has also previewed future AI-powered prompts designed to help users create reports automatically.
Reddit AMAs Could Become an AI Visibility Tactic
Reddit isn’t just a social platform anymore. Its prominence within search results and AI-generated answers is creating opportunities for brands to use Reddit as part of a broader organic and AI visibility strategy.
One tactic Arc Intermedia has tested is the Reddit AMA. A well-planned AMA can generate large amounts of authentic, question-and-answer content around a brand, product, or topic while simultaneously providing direct insight into the questions and concerns of real consumers. The resulting discussions can remain indexed and searchable after the event ends.
For AI visibility, the potential is particularly interesting. Reddit has data licensing relationships with Google and OpenAI, making Reddit conversations part of the broader information ecosystem feeding search and AI experiences. A strategically executed AMA can therefore create another source of authoritative, conversational content surrounding a brand and its expertise.
Google Launches the September 2026 Spam Update
Google released its September 2026 spam update on September 24. The update applies globally and across all languages, with Google estimating that the rollout could take up to two weeks.
This is Google’s fourth announced spam update of 2026, following updates in March, June, and August. Unlike August’s update, which finished rolling out in less than three days, September’s update is expected to take considerably longer.
Google has not disclosed what percentage of searches will be affected. Sites that experience ranking declines should avoid making conclusions while the update is still rolling out and review Google’s spam policies before determining whether corrective action is necessary.
Do Self-Promotional “Best Of” Lists Actually Influence AI?
Brands ranking themselves first in their own “best companies” or “best products” articles has become a recognizable AI visibility tactic. New research from Scrunch suggests the tactic can work, but the effect is more nuanced than simply declaring yourself No. 1.
Scrunch analyzed roughly 10,000 URLs cited by AI platforms. When a brand’s self-promotional listicle was cited, its recommendation rate increased from about 4% to roughly 7%. The effect on brand mentions was considerably larger: brands appeared in approximately 39% of AI answers citing their listicle compared with about 19% when the listicle wasn’t cited.
The findings suggest that comparison content can influence how frequently brands appear in AI generated answers but simply publishing a “We’re #1” article isn’t an AI visibility strategy on its own. Scrunch emphasizes that these pages don’t replace the third-party authority and broader presence needed for sustainable AI visibility.
Research Finds Google AI Mode Sends Fewer Clicks to Websites
One of the biggest questions surrounding AI search is what happens to website traffic when users receive increasingly complete answers directly within search results.
A new randomized field experiment provides more evidence that AI search may reduce external clicks. Researchers tracked more than 1,000 Google users and compared experiences involving regular Google Search, normal Google results that could include AI Overviews, and forced AI Mode usage.
Users routed into AI Mode were substantially less likely to click external websites, while removing AI Overviews increased external clicks without producing a detectable decline in users’ perception of the search experience. Participants forced into AI Mode also conducted fewer search sessions and reported lower levels of satisfaction and trust in Google Search.
The research reinforces why organic visibility can no longer be evaluated solely through website traffic. As AI generated answers satisfy more queries without a click, marketers increasingly need to monitor brand mentions, citations, recommendations, and visibility within the answer itself alongside traditional SEO metrics.
