Monthly Search Insights: August 2026
August has brought several developments that highlight how quickly the search landscape continues to evolve, from the way performance is measured to how search and AI platforms access, assess and understand information online.
Google has changed the way people are directed from search results to websites, creating potential challenges for some of the third-party tools used to track rankings and visibility. Its latest spam update reinforces the continued focus on useful, credible content rather than shortcuts or high volumes of low-value information.
At the same time, changes being introduced by Cloudflare raise important questions about which AI systems can access website content, while developments within search itself continue to strengthen the importance of the real people, experience and expertise behind a business.
For businesses, this does not mean reacting every time Google, Cloudflare or an AI platform makes a change. It means understanding what genuinely affects your website, your visibility and the information used to make decisions.
This month, we look at:
- Google’s changes affecting how search results are measured and what this could mean for ranking data
- Google’s August Spam Update and its continued focus on quality
- Cloudflare’s changing AI bot controls and what businesses should consider
- Why the people, experience and expertise behind a business are becoming increasingly important to search visibility
Our focus remains on separating what is interesting from what actually requires action.
Google changes affect how search results are measured
Google has confirmed a change to the way it directs people from its search results to websites.
Previously, most organic search results linked directly to the website page. Google is now increasingly routing those clicks through a Google-owned address before sending the visitor to the website.
For people using Google, there is very little noticeable difference. However, the change makes it harder for third-party tools to collect information directly from Google’s search results. These tools include some of the platforms used across the SEO industry to monitor keyword rankings and search visibility.
What this means for your business
This does not mean Google has changed how your website is ranked, and there is currently no evidence that the change affects whether customers can find or visit your website.
The main impact is on the tools used to measure search performance. Some ranking platforms may take longer to update or could temporarily report unusual changes while they adapt to Google’s new system.
This makes it increasingly important not to judge search performance from one ranking tool or an isolated movement alone. Rankings are one signal, and they need to be considered alongside Google’s own Search Console data, website visits and, most importantly, the enquiries, sales or other actions that matter to your business.
What we are doing to support this
We are monitoring how the change affects the search data and reporting tools we use across Artemis.
Where ranking data appears unusual, we will check it against other sources before drawing conclusions or recommending changes. We will also continue to review how our reporting tools adapt as Google develops the way its search results are delivered.
Our SEO strategies do not need to change because of this update. Our priority is making sure the information we use to make decisions remains reliable, so we can distinguish genuine changes in your search visibility from changes in the tools measuring it.
Google’s August Spam Update: Continued Focus on Quality
Google rolled out another spam update on 18 August, with the rollout completing on 21 August.
This was the third spam update of 2026. To put this into context, Google only released one confirmed spam update throughout 2025, showing a clear increase in focus around identifying and reducing search manipulation.
Spam updates are designed to reduce the visibility of websites using tactics that go against Google’s guidelines, including low-value content created primarily to influence rankings rather than provide value to users.
This increased focus is particularly relevant as AI makes it easier than ever to create large volumes of content quickly. However, Google’s direction remains consistent: content needs to demonstrate genuine value, expertise and usefulness rather than simply exist to target search visibility.
What this means for your business
The continued focus on spam reinforces the importance of building websites around genuine expertise, useful information and content that supports customers.
The rise of AI-generated content has made it easier to create large amounts of information quickly. However, content that lacks originality, experience or real value is unlikely to provide long-term success.
What we are doing to support this
Our approach is built around sustainable visibility rather than short-term tactics. We focus on useful content, genuine expertise and pages that have a clear purpose for the people using them. Following an update like this, we review client performance for meaningful changes and only recommend action where the evidence shows it is needed.
We continue to monitor Google updates closely and review any potential impact across client accounts.
Cloudflare and AI Bot Usage: Understanding the Potential Impact on AI Visibility
From 15 September, Cloudflare is changing the default controls it applies to different types of AI bot activity. For new domains, AI Training and Agent bots will be blocked by default on pages displaying ads, while Search crawlers will remain allowed.
It is important to understand that AI training bots are different from the AI crawling systems used by platforms to retrieve information and provide answers.
However, this development highlights an important consideration as businesses increasingly focus on AI visibility. How websites allow different types of bots to access information could influence how content is discovered and used across different AI platforms.
Not all websites use Cloudflare, and the impact will depend on individual website setups and how different AI systems access information.
What this means for your business
As AI platforms become a bigger part of how people discover information, understanding how websites interact with different types of bots is becoming increasingly important.
However, decisions around bot access should not be made without considering the wider impact. Blocking certain crawlers may provide benefits in some situations, but it could also affect how content is accessed by platforms businesses want visibility from.
What we are doing to support this
At Artemis, we have already started carrying out our own testing to better understand the potential impact before making recommendations.
We are also reviewing wider bot activity and considering whether certain crawlers provide value or create unnecessary server demand.
Any decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, based on each website’s circumstances and objectives.
We will continue monitoring developments and communicate any relevant actions with clients where required.
Why the People Behind Your Business Matter More in Search
One of the most interesting trends we have been observing recently is how Google is increasingly associating service-based searches with the people and expertise behind a business.
For example, searches around certain services are increasingly showing results connected to the relevant professionals behind them, such as therapists for therapy-related searches or designers for design-related searches.
This reinforces something we have been focusing on for some time: businesses need to demonstrate the people, expertise and experience behind what they offer.
What this means for your business
Google is looking at more than the words on a page. It is also trying to understand the business, people and expertise behind the information it presents.
This increases the value of content that competitors cannot simply reproduce because it comes from your own people, knowledge, experience and understanding of your customers.
Showing clearly who is behind your business, what they know and the experience they bring can therefore help strengthen how your business is understood and trusted online.
What we are doing to support this
We are continuing to build this into our ongoing strategies by creating content that reflects the real knowledge, experience and perspective within each business.
This means looking for opportunities to bring the people behind the business into the content, answer customer questions with genuine expertise and make it clearer why that business is credible and relevant.
This helps potential customers understand who they are dealing with, while also giving search engines and AI systems stronger information about the business and its expertise.
Final Thoughts
Taken together, August’s developments show why effective SEO increasingly depends on looking beyond individual rankings, tools or announcements and understanding the wider picture.
Google’s changes affecting how search results are measured are a reminder that the data provided by third-party tools can change, making it important to assess performance using more than one source. Its latest spam update continues to reinforce the value of useful content built around genuine expertise rather than shortcuts.
Cloudflare’s changes highlight why decisions around AI crawler access need to be considered carefully, based on the individual website and what the business wants to achieve. And the growing prominence of people and expertise in search strengthens the case for showing clearly who is behind a business, what they know and why that knowledge can be trusted.
The common thread is not that businesses need a new SEO tactic. It is that search is becoming more complex, making reliable evidence, genuine expertise and informed decisions increasingly important.
Our role is to stay ahead of these changes, understand what they mean in practice and identify what genuinely matters to your business. Where the evidence shows action is needed, we’ll explain what we recommend and why.
