The Marketing Impact – September 2026

Google Updates

• Social media properties rollout globally for Google Search Console. These new Platform Properties were announced a few weeks ago, and users can now connect YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and X to GSC. In addition, they released an article all about how to analyse your data in Platform Properties.
• Open Knowledge Format added 5 new trust signals. These new trust signals for agents are categorised using the following types: provenance, trust, freshness, lifecycle and attestation.
• ​Google’s 5-second rendering limit is a myth. This oft-cited myth was tested, and found that some rendering calls can run as long as 54 seconds. Of course, no sane user would wait that long for a page to render.
• Google may not notice updates to the unavailable_after attribute. This attribute is used to tell Google not to show a page after a specific date, but Google may not pick up if that date is changed, as it may not try to crawl that page again.
• ​Google Search Console shows follow-up queries from AI Mode. SEOs are reporting queries such as ‘Yes’ and ‘Yes go on’ which are likely from users asking follow-up questions in AI Mode.
• Google’s crawl budget optimisation guide has been updated to clarify some ambiguity from the previous version and gives specific recommendations about managing crawl budget for large sites. One recommendation is to use HTTP caching to conserve crawl budget, as using a 304 Not Modified status code tells Google crawlers that there hasn’t been a change since the last crawl, so the crawler fetches the cached version instead.

Instagram Updates

• The headline this month was the platform’s branding updates, with the new wordmark and custom fonts bringing in mixed reviews.
• Allegedly, the “mention” sticker is being updated with support for multiple mentions in a single sticker.
• Instagram shared tips on video content with a five-step workflow: a scroll-stopping hook, editing to the rhythm of the audio, using text and visuals to reinforce your message and closing the feedback loop by looking at your data to see how your content performed.
• The AI Remix feature was removed very quickly after it was rolled out following widespread backlash. The feature allowed users to generate AI images using public accounts as references without notifying them.

Snapchat Updates

• In an attempt to crack down on AI slop, Snapchat says it won’t recommend “wholly AI-generated videos” in its public short-form video feed, Spotlight.
• Snapchat is trying to help businesses to be funny, and you might get more than laughs too, as their report highlights that 74% of those surveyed are more likely to consider buying from a brand if they are funny.

YouTube Updates

• YouTube now requires creators to have twice as many watch hours to start making money from ads and subscriptions.
• The shopping affiliate programme has been expanded to the UK, which allows eligible creators to tag products that are featured in their video clips.
• Views will be counted from the moment the video starts playing. This was originally put in place for Shorts only, but is now being implemented across all video formats following creator feedback asking for more clarity.

LinkedIn Updates

• LinkedIn is updating how comments are ranked by displaying post comments based on the relevance to each user. The platform will use signals such as professional interests, connections and engagement activity to surface more relevant comments.
• Testing has begun for an option that allows users to report content and comments as “AI slop”. The AI writing tool has also been changed to focus on proofreading instead of creating content, offering assistance to users rather than writing posts for them.

More Social Media Updates:

• Reddit is testing a new way to watch and listen to viral posts on the platform. As per TechCrunch: “On Thursday’s second-quarter earnings call, the company said it’s been working on a new “video Reddit” experience that would not only allow users to watch videos from the platform, but also listen to posts in the background.”
• Pinterest is expanding the “Creator Inclusion Fund” across more countries, which is a programme offering grants, training and growth support to emerging beauty, fashion and lifestyle creators.
• Meta is giving creators access to experimental video editing features in the Beta Tab in the Edits app, which includes speed curves that enable “precise, dynamic speed ramping along a customizable curve.”