Welcome to our roundup of the latest SEO news! These are the stories that have caught our eye over the past month.
- Google is still 210x bigger than ChatGPT despite AI growth
- Rankings still shaking after August spam update
- Google forced to share data…but privacy could be compromised
- OpenAI introduces Instant Checkout for in-chat shopping
Google is still 210x bigger than ChatGPT despite AI growth
Despite the continuous hyperbole surrounding AI, Google remains very much top dog in search. ChatGPT now handles around 66 million search-like prompts per day, compared with 16.4 billion daily Google searches – that’s approximately 210 times more. It’s also important to note that a substantial amount of ChatGPT’s activity comes from API calls integrated into other products, while only 21.3% of its prompts are truly search-intent queries.
To put this in perspective, even the minor search engine DuckDuckGo currently generates more referral traffic than ChatGPT. Data from BrightEdge indicates AI-powered search drives less than 1% of overall website referrals, demonstrating that the hype surrounding AI search (and, boy, is there a lot of hype) does not match reality at all. In fact, AI tools can even increase Google searches, suggesting that these technologies are more complementary than disruptive at this stage of the game.
The takeaway here is that businesses should focus on understanding where their audience actually searches rather than jumping on the AI bandwagon. ChatGPT and co are growing and may play a meaningful role in some areas, but Google’s scale and reach remain unmatched…for now, at least.
Rankings still shaking after August spam update
Google’s August 2025 spam update may be done and dusted, but the impact is still being felt by many. Over the last few weeks, there’s been plenty of chatter online about ranking swings and dips in traffic. Some site owners are celebrating spikes in visibility, while others have seen drops so dramatic they’ve been left questioning whether the update is actually finished.
Indexing problems are also being flagged on WebmasterWorld, with one commentator reporting delays of up to 24 hours. Some believe the chaos is simply Google’s systems recalibrating after the update, while others think it marks a change in how search is being handled.
Tracking tools echo this instability. Semrush, in particular, highlights just how volatile the rankings have become, while Wireboard’s aggregator pulls the data together to reveal the extent of the turbulence.
For now, the only clear message is that rankings are far from settled. Whether this is just a temporary glitch or the beginning of something bigger, SEOs will need to keep a close eye on their sites in the weeks ahead.
Google forced to share data…but privacy could be compromised
Early in September, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google must share parts of its search data with rivals, after finding the company abused its dominance in the search market. Rather than breaking up the business, the court ordered Google to give competitors a one-time snapshot of its search index and access to click-and-query data on at least two occasions, at marginal cost. The move (which is being appealed by Google) is meant to help smaller players compete with Google’s vast and dominant monopoly.
But the order has sparked concern among privacy experts. Even if the data is anonymised, searches about personal matters or sensitive health issues, combined with location data, could still reveal a user’s identity.
"Google already shares your data. That's part of the contract that you make when you sign up for a Google product. So that should come as no surprise to us. The surprise now is that Google is going to share that data with other companies that are then going to be able to use that data for purposes we never imagined"
To oversee the process, Mehta has set up a five-person technical committee that will decide which firms qualify for access, how the data is shared and what safeguards need to be put in place. The group will run for six years and include specialists in AI, data security and related fields. Still, there are doubts about whether the committee can strike the right balance between encouraging competition and protecting privacy.
OpenAI introduces Instant Checkout for in-chat shopping
OpenAI is rolling out its new Instant Checkout feature to users in the USA. For now, it works with single-item purchases from Etsy sellers, with more than a million Shopify merchants, including Glossier, SKIMS, Spanx and Vuori, joining soon.
Shoppers can type natural queries, like ‘gifts for a friend who loves ceramics’, and ChatGPT will show the most relevant products. If an item supports Instant Checkout, users can tap ‘Buy’, confirm shipping and payment details and complete the order without ever having to leave the chat.
The system runs on the Agentic Commerce Protocol, built with Stripe. It works across different platforms and payment providers, integrates without changes to existing systems and keeps merchants in control of customer relationships. Those already using Stripe can enable Instant Checkout with a single line of code, while others can connect through Stripe’s Shared Payment Token API or the protocol’s Delegated Payments Spec.
Merchants pay a small fee on completed orders, but users do not pay extra and product rankings are not affected. OpenAI has made the protocol open-source so more developers and merchants can experiment and build with it.
The arrival of Instant Checkout highlights how ChatGPT is beginning to blur the lines between conversation, search and shopping - with greater innovation still to come.
