SEO Pulse: Spam Update, AI & Reddit

SEO continues to change quickly, with Google rolling out its August spam update while expanding generative features in AI Overviews. At the same time, websites can now encourage readers to add them as preferred sources, while Reddit has seen a sharp fall in its share of ChatGPT citations.

Google Rolls Out August 2026 Spam Update

Google started its August 2026 spam update on 18 August, making it the third spam-related update released by the search engine this year.

The rollout is expected to take several days. Google has not announced any new spam policies alongside the update, and its spam updates documentation has not been changed since December.

For website owners and SEO professionals, it is best to wait until the rollout is complete before assessing its full impact. Once finished, Search Console data from 18 August onwards can provide a clearer picture of any changes in search visibility or traffic.

Google representatives have also explained why spam updates are needed and why updates are sometimes announced only after the rollout has begun.

Generative UI Comes to AI Overviews

Google is also bringing its generative UI technology to AI Overviews.

The feature allows Google to create interactive layouts, tools and visual experiences based on what someone is searching for. It was previously introduced in AI Mode and is now beginning to appear within AI Overviews.

This could have implications for publishers whose pages rely on interactive tools to attract visitors. For example, if Google can provide a calculator or interactive feature directly within its search results, users may have less reason to visit the original website.

Website owners should therefore identify pages that receive traffic because of useful tools or interactive features and consider how Google’s expanding AI capabilities could affect them.

Google Introduces a Preferred Sources Button

Google is also expanding personalisation across Search, Discover and Google News with a new Preferred Sources button that websites can add to their pages.

The button allows readers to select a website as a preferred source. Once selected, that website can be more likely to appear in areas such as Top Stories, AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Google says more than 600,000 unique sources have already been selected, showing that users are increasingly able to influence the sources they see.

For publishers, this creates another way to build visibility that is driven by audience preference rather than search rankings alone. Encouraging loyal readers to choose a site as a preferred source could become a useful part of a wider visibility strategy.

Reddit Sees Major Drop in ChatGPT Citations

Reddit has also experienced a significant change in its visibility within ChatGPT Search.

Recent data showed Reddit accounting for 3.83% of ChatGPT Search citations between 18 July and 7 August. That figure dropped to just 0.52% between 14 and 17 August, representing an 86.4% decline.

The reason for the drop has not been fully established. One earlier decline appeared alongside an increase in background queries from ChatGPT Search to individual websites, but this does not fully explain the later fall.

The change highlights how quickly AI search visibility can shift. Citation levels can rise or fall without clear warnings, making it risky for businesses to rely too heavily on a single platform or source for AI visibility.

What These Changes Mean for SEO

This week’s developments show that SEO is no longer only about traditional search rankings.

Google’s spam update continues to affect how websites perform in search, but generative UI, personalised sources and AI citations are becoming increasingly important parts of the search landscape.

For publishers and website owners, the focus should be on creating useful content, building a recognisable brand and making the website easy for both users and search systems to understand.

The new Preferred Sources feature is particularly interesting because it gives publishers a way to encourage their existing audiences to stay connected with their content across Google’s different search products.

As AI-powered search continues to develop, businesses will need to monitor not only rankings and organic traffic, but also how their content is being discovered, recommended and cited across new search experiences.