Mackerel Media’s Search and Digital Marketing Roundup – September 2025
September saw a number of changes across search, ads and social platforms, including some important updates to site impression performance and changes to TikTok ads and the future of ChatGPT shopping. Here’s our breakdown of the latest news and updates to be aware of.
Google Pulls the Plug on Deep Diving
One of the most important updates from September is that Google has removed support for the ‘&num=100′ parameter from search result requests, which has changed how impressions are reported for pages ranking deeper in search results (pages 3+ and beyond). This update does not affect rankings or clicks, but it does alter how impression data is logged across reporting tools such as Google Search Console.
Previously, by appending &num=100 to a search query, Google returned the top 100 results on a single page. SEO reporting tools relied on this parameter to scan full search results in one request – meaning they were able to pull all 100 positions for a query on one page. This led to impressions in Google Search Console being attributed to queries in positions 49, 88, 90, 65 etc. when in fact they were generating low impression levels, often with little or no genuine user activity. Now Google enforces the default 10 results per page, which means reporting tools must crawl multiple pages to replicate earlier results. As a result, inflated impression counts generated by bots and scrapers have been removed, leading to lower reported impressions. On the plus side, average search position reporting hasy improved since they now reflect genuine user interactions rather than bot behaviour.
Google Takes Out the Trash
Also this month, Google’s August 2025 spam update has finished its rollout. This update initially began on the 26th of August and finished on the 21st of September. Google did not announce anything unique about this recent update, and is being classed as a general Spam update aimed at preventing the ranking of low quality content which holds no user value. Whilst Spam updates should not dramatically impact the ranking of most sites, if you feel that your website has seen a decline in search traffic, Mackerel Media can assist with reviewing your performance and outlining the next steps. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Google Ads have expanded reporting for Performance Max campaigns, making it easier to measure campaign and creative performance across different platforms. Google has added a new “Network (with search partners)” view which allows users to track campaigns on YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail and Maps. Reports can now also be segmented by user device, time and conversion type, making it easier to measure overall campaign performance. This update means that users can now more effectively manage budget allocation, content and creative planning and identify new opportunities for increasing conversions.
Pinterest is currently testing a new ad format called ‘Top of Search’, designed to place ads within the top 10 search results on Pinterest and in related pins. Pinterest data shows that 45% of clicks occur within the first 10 results, so these new ads will target users as soon as they start searching for products. Pinterest also reports that Top of Search ads deliver a 29% higher average CTR and are 32% more likely to draw new customers to brands. A recent study revealed that 36% of consumers start their searches on Pinterest instead of Google, this new ad format presents a strong opportunity for brands to highlight their products to a growing audience.
TikTok Wants to be Your Travel Agent
TikTok has launched Travel Ads, a new ad format which targets travelers during their initial discovery and booking stages. Powered by Smart+, ads use AI and catalog integrations to automatically generate personalised creative, helping to reduce the need for manual user setup. TikTok has reported that 66% of users use the app for travel inspiration, and that users are 2.6 times more likely to book after searching. With the growing popularity of TikTok and more people using the platform when planning upcoming holidays, Travel Ads will make it easier for brands to capture high intent audiences and increase booking conversions.
From Chat to Cha-Ching!
OpenAI is debuting a new feature called Instant Checkout within ChatGPT, which allows users to buy products directly within chat, integrating naturally into their conversation. When a user asks about anything product related, ChatGPT will provide product suggestions. If ‘Instant Checkout’ is available for these products, a user can simply press ‘Buy’, confirm their details, and complete the purchase without leaving the conversation.
OpenAI has stated that products will only be shown based on their relevance, rather than paid placement, and that whilst it is free for products to be discovered, a transaction fee will be applied on each sale. Currently this feature is only being introduced in the U.S, with plans to expand in the near future. OpenAI has partnered with Etsy and Shopify, meaning that any merchants on these platforms will soon be able to offer Instant Checkout functionality.
