By Arizona Business Collective Staff
September 2025 delivered a whirlwind of SEO developments that underscored the evolving digital landscape for Arizona’s thriving business community. From Google’s quiet tweak disrupting keyword tracking tools to fresh insights questioning ChatGPT’s search dominance, and the wrap-up of a major spam update, these shifts demand attention from Phoenix startups to Tucson e-commerce giants. At the Arizona Business Collective, we’re committed to helping local entrepreneurs navigate these changes with resilient strategies. Dive into our breakdown of the month’s key events, backed by expert analysis and practical tips to safeguard your online visibility.
Google’s Num=100 Parameter Removal: A Wake-Up Call for SEO Tracking
On September 10, Google deprecated the long-standing &num=100 URL parameter, which once allowed users and tools to pull 100 search results per page instead of the default 10. This wasn’t an algorithm tweak affecting rankings, but it sent ripples through the SEO world by hampering data collection for rank trackers and bots.
Popular platforms like SEMRush and Ahrefs reported glitches, with SEMRush’s Sensor tool showing data gaps from September 10 to 17. For Arizona businesses relying on these for competitive analysis, the fallout was immediate: inflated impressions in Google Search Console (GSC) vanished, leading to apparent 30-50% drops in visibility metrics, particularly on desktop. An analysis of 319 sites revealed 87.7% experienced impression losses, though clicks remained stable—signaling cleaner, bot-free data rather than real traffic declines.
Why does this matter locally? Tools scraping for top-100 positions were artificially boosting keyword visibility, masking true performance. Now, with 10x more API calls needed for the same data, expect rising costs for third-party trackers—potentially passed on to users. Arizona marketers should pivot to GSC as their north star for accurate insights. Not connected yet? Follow our step-by-step guide to GSC setup to monitor impressions, clicks, and indexing alerts without the noise.
Pro Tip for AZ Businesses: If your GSC shows a mid-September dip, zoom out—it’s likely the parameter purge, not a penalty. Focus on high-intent keywords driving actual conversions, like “Phoenix SEO services” or “Tucson digital marketing agency.
“ChatGPT’s Search Upgrades: Less Traffic Impact Than Hyped?
OpenAI’s September 16 announcement touted “further improvements to search in ChatGPT,” emphasizing accuracy, reliability, and shopping intent detection—reducing hallucinations by up to 45% via GPT-5 integrations. While 21.3% of ChatGPT prompts are informational, real-world traffic tells a different story.
SparkToro’s Rand Fishkin crunched the numbers: ChatGPT handles just 66.5 million web searches daily—dwarfed by Google’s 14 billion. Data from chatgpt-vs-google.com (analyzing 60,000+ sites) shows ChatGPT referring only 0.24% of traffic in September 2025, versus Google’s 41.35%. That’s a 210x gap, with AI platforms growing (ChatGPT up 11.4% month-over-month) but still niche. Fishkin’s verdict? Don’t overhaul budgets for AI optimization—prioritize proven channels like Google while experimenting.
For Arizona’s e-commerce and service sectors, this means ChatGPT isn’t (yet) a traffic killer. SISTRIX research even notes fewer web searches post-update, potentially curbing referral spikes. Track these referrals in Google Analytics to spot trends. Our AI content optimization toolkit can help craft question-answering content that ranks in both traditional and emerging searches.
| Platform | Daily Searches (Millions) | Traffic Share (Sep 2025) | MoM Growth |
| 14,000 | 41.35% | -4.3% | |
| ChatGPT | 66.5 | 0.24% | +11.4% |
| Perplexity | ~1 | 0.03% | +24.4% |
Source: SparkToro & chatgpt-vs-google.com
August 2025 Spam Update Wraps: Hits Hard, But Recovery Is Possible
Google’s first spam update of 2025, launched August 26, concluded its 27-day rollout on September 22—longer than the December 2024 edition and hitting sites aggressively from day one. Targeting violations like cloaking, hidden text, and scaled AI content abuse, it penalized spammy tactics without fanfare.
Barry Schwartz noted immediate traffic losses around August 27, with volatility peaking September 9—compounded by the num=100 chaos. Positively, some December 2024 victims recovered by auditing and fixing issues, proving Google’s system rewards compliance.
Arizona sites in competitive niches like real estate and tourism felt the sting—check GSC for sudden ranking drops. Use our Google update recovery checklist to identify culprits and rebuild. Remember: Core updates refine; spam updates punish—stay policy-compliant to avoid repeats. For deeper dives, reference Google’s official Spam Policies.AI Mode Edges Closer to Chrome Default: Test Now
Rumors swirled when Search Engine Land reported on September 7 that AI Mode—Google’s AI-chat alternative to blue links—might soon default in searches, prompting VP Robby Stein’s X denial. Launched in May and now in 180 countries with seven languages, AI Mode got its own URL google.com/ai and deeper Chrome ties via a September 18 update.
The Chrome refresh integrates Gemini as an “agentic” assistant in the Omnibox for contextual suggestions and direct AI Mode access—rolling out U.S.-first by late September. Typing questions still yields traditional results, but AI prominence rises, echoing Perplexity’s Comet browser and OpenAI rumors.
Fears of traffic erosion loom for organic reliant sites, but ads and follow-ups could mitigate. Arizona businesses targeting English (or supported languages): Query your keywords in AI Mode today. Our multi-channel SEO audit service simulates impacts and optimizes for hybrid search. Watch the full Chrome update reveal on YouTube.
Charting the Future: SEO Strategies for Arizona Innovators
As blue links fade and AI ascends, September’s news reinforces adaptability. Google’s tweaks clean house for better data; ChatGPT grows but doesn’t eclipse; spam enforcement demands ethics; and AI Mode signals a blended future. For Arizona Business Collective members, join our October webinar on “AI-Resilient SEO” to future-proof your strategy.
Author: Lizzy McNett
Our expert team delivers tailored online strategies, like SEO and social media, alongside impactful offline campaigns, such as events and print ads, to connect with your audience across every channel.
