Google AI Mode & the Spam Update for Directors

5 min read

Google search no longer looks the way it did when most business websites were built. Google AI Mode now answers complex questions in a conversation, and Google has just finished rolling out its fourth spam update of 2026. Neither change needs panic, but both are worth ten minutes of a director's time.

What changed in Google search

Google AI Mode arrived in the UK

Google launched AI Mode in the UK in July 2025. It appears as a tab on the search results page and in the Google app. Instead of a list of links, it gives a written answer to longer, multi-part questions, with links to the sites it drew on. Google says it works by splitting a question into sub-topics and running many searches at once, a method it calls "query fan-out". At launch, Google reported that early users were asking questions two to three times longer than typical searches.

Adoption has been fast. At Google I/O in May 2026, Sundar Pichai said AI Mode had "surpassed 1 billion monthly active users" worldwide, about a year after launch.

The September 2026 spam update

Google released the September 2026 spam update on 24 September 2026. It applied globally and to all languages, and Google's Search Status Dashboard marked it complete on 8 October 2026. It followed spam updates in March, June and August, and core updates in March and May.

Spam updates target sites that break Google's spam policies, such as scaled low-value content, hidden text, link schemes and site reputation abuse. Most well-run business sites are never affected. If your traffic dropped sharply between 24 September and 8 October, though, it is worth checking.

Why Google AI Mode matters to a B2B business

B2B buyers ask exactly the kind of long, specific questions AI Mode is designed for. "Who are the best commercial roofing contractors in Essex with experience of listed buildings?" is a very different search from "roofer Essex".

That changes three things:

Fewer, better clicks. Buyers may read an AI summary before they ever reach your website. The visits you do get are likely to be further along.
Specific pages win. A vague "What we do" page gives the AI little to quote. A page that clearly answers one buyer question gives it plenty.
Your reputation is pulled in. Reviews, your Google Business Profile and what other sites say about you all feed the picture.

Google's own guidance is reassuring here. It says there are no extra technical requirements or special optimisations needed to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. The same fundamentals apply: crawlable pages, useful content in text, a good page experience and accurate business information.

What to check in Search Console this month

Google Search Console is free and tells you more than most paid tools. Ask whoever manages your website to run these checks, or do them yourself.

Compare 1 to 23 September with 24 September onwards. In the Performance report, compare clicks and impressions before and after the spam update. A small wobble is normal. A sharp, sustained fall is not.
Look at pages, not just totals. Sort by page to see whether a drop is site-wide or limited to a few pages, such as thin location pages or old blog posts.
Check Manual actions. Under Security & Manual actions, confirm it says no issues detected.
Watch impressions versus clicks. Google reports AI Mode and AI Overview appearances within the "Web" search type. Rising impressions with flat clicks often means people are seeing you in answers without needing to click.
Review your queries. Longer, question-style queries showing up is a sign you are being matched to conversational searches.

What to do next

The work that helps in AI Mode is the same work that wins enquiries from people. Focus on four things.

Service pages that answer buyer questions. One page per service, covering who it is for, what is included, how long it takes, how pricing works and what happens next.
Case studies with numbers. Real results, real timescales, real sectors. A line like "Reduced response time from two days to two hours" is quotable. "Delivered great results" is not. Our guide to case studies that sell shows how to structure them.
FAQs on the pages that matter. Short, direct answers to the questions your sales team hears every week.
Accurate structured data. Schema markup for your organisation, services and reviews helps search engines read your pages. Google is clear it is not a requirement for AI Mode and must match what is visible on the page, so treat it as tidy housekeeping rather than a shortcut.

Avoid the obvious traps too. Mass-produced AI pages, near-identical location pages and bought links are precisely what spam updates are built to catch.

Frequently asked questions

What is Google AI Mode?

AI Mode is a conversational search experience from Google. It answers complex questions with an AI-written response and links to sources, and lets you ask follow-up questions. It has been available in the UK since July 2025.

Do I need to do anything special to appear in AI Mode?

According to Google, no. There are no additional requirements beyond being indexed and eligible to show in search. Clear, useful, well-structured pages remain the best route.

Was my website hit by the September 2026 spam update?

Compare your Search Console performance before and after 24 September 2026. If you see a sharp, lasting fall concentrated on low-value pages, review them against Google's spam policies. Most legitimate business sites will see no meaningful change.

Find out where your website stands

If you are not sure how your site is performing in today's search results, start with a free website audit. We will review your Search Console data, service pages and proof points, and give you a short list of fixes in priority order. For a wider view of why traffic is not turning into enquiries, read why your website isn't generating leads.

Sources

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