September 2026: Digital Marketing Roundup
Late August and early September have been busy months for digital marketing news. Here are few items that we’ve been keeping our eyes on:
Google’s August Spam Update Analysis
After analyzing site rankings post the Google’s August spam update, many SEO experts have concluded that Google is removing some amount and/or type of AI-generated content from their search engine rankings. Some experts suggest that it is content that has been wholly AI-generated, but others have clarified that in certain instances AI-generated content remains in rankings and that what has been removed is specifically mass generated AI-content. The long and the short is if companies saw a drop in rankings during the mid to end of August, they should look at the method of content generation.
AI Reports in Google Search Console Now Available Worldwide
Google started the generative AI performance report rollout in June, and they announced that as of August 31, 2026, the report is available everywhere now. We’ve been waiting for insights into AI Overviews, AI Mode, and generative AI features for quite a while. The report gives impressions, page, country, and date information, but so far does not include click data or details.
Amazon Pilots ChatGPT Ads Through its DSP
Amazon is now partnering with OpenAI to let select brands in the United States run ads on ChatGPT. OpenAI says that these conversational ads are “clearly labeled” and show below the end of a response. OpenAI continues to control ad delivery and placement, but Amazon provides the campaign management layer and unification for Amazon advertisers. If successful, this marks big growth for ChatGPT ads.
UCP Releases Updated Specification
The Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) is a standardized protocol that helps AI assistants understand inventory and be able to complete a purchase for a user directly within a chat or voice conversation. So, shoppers can directly purchase products from a search results page or chat within an AI agent.
The UCP project recently released an update that included grocery enhancements (such as location tools and placing orders by weight), a standardized store hours format, more secure payment features, and support for splitting orders. Overall, it’s a big upgrade and strengthens the march towards the era of agentic commerce.
No Forced Sale of Google’s AdX Exchange
In a big win for Google, U.S. Judge Leonie Brinkema rejected the request from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to force Google to sell AdX. Although Brinkema largely agreed with the DOJ’s stance that Google engaged in anticompetitive and monopoly actions, she accepted behavioral remedies over wholesale break up.
The full scope of the ruling is not yet available, but behavioral remedies will likely still impact how advertises interface with Google. Google has suggested they will provide more data visibility, price floor control, and bid adjustments.
Big Innovations in Salesforce Winter ’27 Release
The Winter ’27 Release from Salesforce marks some big shifts. Specific updates include new Agentforce agents, real-time email deliverability monitoring, 40 new MCP tools, and reusable dynamic content blocks (just to name a few). The larger themes from this release are that Salesforce is dedicated to moving past agents interfacing with individual prompts towards multi-step workflows, actual progress towards modernizing out-of-date legacy developer tools, and providing stricter security and control configuration. It looks like there will be a lot of opportunity for orgs to update current processes for ease, simplicity, or more control. Salesforce says the updates will be generally available on Oct. 12, 2026.