Search continues to change quickly as Google adds more AI features and marketers learn how AI systems choose which businesses and websites to mention. This week’s updates matter for Local Dominator users because they affect local rankings, Google Business Profiles, AI visibility, link building, and paid search.
Search Engine Roundtable
- Google search rankings showed another noticeable jump in volatility around August 12 and 13. Several tracking tools recorded larger-than-normal ranking changes, although Google did not confirm a new algorithm update. Read more
- Google is beginning to show AI-generated images directly inside AI Overviews after announcing the feature last month. The change means Google can create its own visuals instead of depending only on images from websites that produced the original content. Read more
- Google added a “Report owner response” option to Google Business Profile reviews. Users can report business replies for harassment, profanity, hate speech, personal information, or responses that do not relate to the review. Read more
Search Engine Land
- Strong backlinks still help traditional SEO, but buying links based mainly on Domain Rating may provide less value for AI visibility. AI systems also look at whether trusted websites mention a brand alongside relevant topics, services, competitors, and customer needs. Read more
- Google confirmed a limited desktop test that adds “Create images,” “Ask about files,” and “Brainstorm” buttons below its search box. Clicking these options sends users into Google’s AI Mode rather than a normal list of search results. This test gives another sign that businesses need visibility in both traditional Google results and AI-generated answers. Read more
- Anthropic is adding machine-readable watermarks to text created by supported Claude models worldwide, including Claude, Claude Code, and the Claude API. The invisible watermark can remain when text is copied and pasted and may even survive some editing, although Anthropic says it cannot prove who originally wrote the content. Read more
Search Engine Journal
- Microsoft Clarity can now show whether AI systems found a website while researching a brand name or a broader non-branded topic. It also provides Share of Authority data that helps compare how often a website gets cited against other sources within included queries. Read more
- Google added Gemini 3.7 Flash as an optional model inside AI Mode for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers using English. Google says the model better follows instructions and understands what users are asking. Read more
- Starting in late September 2026, Google Ads will remove campaign-level language targeting from Search campaigns and Search inventory within Performance Max. Google will instead use signals such as ad language, landing page language, and its understanding of which languages a user knows. Read more
The biggest trend this week is clear: search visibility now goes beyond rankings and backlinks. Local businesses need accurate profiles, strong reviews, trusted brand mentions, useful website content, and information that both traditional search engines and AI systems can understand.
