A couple of changes took place in the SEO world during the month of September that would impact rankings for Nigerian businesses relying on organic traffic for website traffic and sales.
These aren’t incremental tweaks but major changes with how search visibility works across every platform that matters.
Key takeaways
- Google’s August 2025 spam update rollout has just been completed
- Google rolled out AI mode in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa
- Google quality raters now evaluate Google AI overviews
- Perplexity launches its AI browser Comet
- Perplexity now testing Ads
- ChatGPT launches GPT 5 and Pulse
- SEO professionals believe EEAT and multi-channel optimization are a prerequisite in today’s SEO
- Detailed has been acquired by SEO
Google updates and how they impact the Nigerian search landscape
Google’s spam update just got completed, AI mode is now active in Nigeria, and Google has removed the &num = 100 parameters.
Google’s August 2025 spam update rollout completion.
Google confirmed the completion of their August spam update on the 21st of September 2025, after 27 days of rollout.
Google didn’t say much about this spam update, but linked to their standard spam update guidance.
As a Nigerian business owner or SEO, if you have seen a significant drop in organic clicks from Google, do well to read Google’s spam policies and Google’s AI-based spam-prevention system, then adjust your website content to align with Google’s spam policies.
Google rolls out AI mode in Nigeria
On the 21st of August 2025, Google launched its AI Mode in Search across Nigeria. This launch builds on the earlier AI mode launch in the US.
With this update, Nigerian searchers would now rely on AI mode for more meaningful answers to complex questions without the traditional way of searching if they wish to.
Alex Okosi, the managing director of Google Africa, in a statement, said the company is excited to bring AI Mode to users in the “Africa” region.
What does this mean for Nigerian website owners?
This launch is expected to cause a massive decrease in the organic traffic Nigerian websites would receive from Google; this assumption is based on a previous study in relation to AI answers and click-through rate.
Ahrefs’ study found that there was a massive 34.5% decrease in clicks when AI overviews appeared in search results.
What should Nigerian website owners do?
Start optimizing their website to show in AI-powered answers (GEO: generative engine optimization), to ensure your website stays relevant and keeps getting organic traffic. You can start learning GEO from Google and Webfx.
Google removes &num=100 URL parameter
In the month of September 2025, Google removed the ability to see 100 search results on a single page. Since that change, ranking tracking tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs haven’t been able to provide quality data for ranking beyond the top 10 results.
What does this mean for Nigerian website owners?
Reports from SEO communities have stated a sharp decline in search impressions in Google Search Console. This means that you may also be seeing a decline in search impressions in your Google Search Console, higher overall rankings, and a reduced query count.
This may mean that scrapers and rank trackers may have been using the 100-page parameter feature to cause an influx of impressions, so now the data is more accurate.
What should Nigerian website owners do?
If you use rank trackers to track your webpages’ positions in SERPS, you need to rely more on Google Search Console data for your website rankings, beyond position 10, while rank trackers like SEMrush and Ahrefs adjust to this new change, as they have stated they would.
Google quality raters now evaluate AI overviews
Google updated its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines on September 11th, 2025. The guidelines now include clear instructions for evaluators to rate AI Overviews (AIOs) alongside normal search results.
This signals Google’s push for AI-generated answers to meet the same quality standards as human content, focusing on accuracy and user satisfaction.
What does this mean for Nigerian website owners?
This emphasizes the need for Nigerian website owners to publish high-quality, authentic content on their websites.
The aim of this rating is to ensure only quality content shows up in Google AI overviews.
Perplexity updates and how they impact the Nigerian search landscape.
Perplexity has introduced its own browser and is already testing Ads on its platform.
Perplexity introduces Comet, “an AI browser.”
Perplexity officially launched Comet, an AI-powered browser, on the 9th of July 2025. It was said to be built for “the modern internet.”
It has agentic capability, that is, being able to take actions on behalf of the user.
What should Nigerian website owners do?
- Ensure your website is easily navigable by AI agents.
- Ensure your website doesn’t block Perplexity bots.
- Optimize your content to gain more visibility in AI-powered answers. Read Chris Long’s take on Comet Browser.
Perplexity plans to implement Ads
Perplexity is testing ads in its Chatbot; this ad model would differ from Google’s Ad model. Presently, it is testing sponsored follow-up questions (i.e, after an initial question, some of the follow-up prompts are paid/promoted).
What does this mean for Nigerian website owners?
Perplexity shares a portion of its ad revenue with the website owners it uses to help source its answers. This means your website can benefit from providing quality, which Perplexity uses as a source, and also overall visibility.
As a Nigerian website owner, you can decide to participate in revenue sharing and receive boosts.
ChatGPT updates and how they impact the Nigerian search landscape.
ChatGPT launched GPT 5 in August and Pulse in September.
ChatGPT launches GPT 5
OpenAI announced GPT-5 on the 7th of August 2025. They described it as a faster, more capable model (“built-in thinking” features). This is a big platform change for anyone publishing content because it influences how ChatGPT synthesizes and answers search-like user queries.
ChatGPT launches Pulse
OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Pulse, enabling ChatGPT to deliver daily information and briefings without a user prompt.
What does this mean for Nigerian website owners?
ChatGPT may become a first-stop information feed; if users integrate it into their daily life and work, they will receive briefings that reduce the need to click through to web pages for routine updates.
What should Nigerian website owners do?
Showing up in these briefings is very important; hence,
- You need to publish clear, concise FAQ-style answers
- Ensure accurate author/date info so LLMs can more confidently cite your pages.
- Use schema (FAQ, HowTo, LocalBusiness)
- Establish strong E-E-A-T signals (author bios, credentials).
What have SEO communities been talking about?
The most common conversations taking place in the SEO world are;
E.E.A.T in the AI Era (Top on LinkedIn/Reddit)
Over the past 1 month, conversations on LinkedIn and Reddit have suggested that author bios and original research help prove quality human experience content amid AI content floods.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
SEO conversations on X and forums talk about optimizing for ChatGPT/Perplexity (e.g., using LLMs.txt files). SEO professionals now see it as “SEO 2.0,” with 80% of SEO pros planning multi-platform strategies. Multi-channel wins: Optimize for TikTok/YouTube alongside AI. SEJ’s 8 GEO Strategies.
Brand Signals and Topical Authority
Over 50% of discussions focus on branded searches, outranking generic ones. Hence, focus on building topic clusters, and not just isolated keywords.
Local SEO Volatility
After the spam update, GBP optimizations that work are 150+ reviews, weekly posts, and Reddit domination. Proximity + reviews now influence AI overviews as well.
Major Global Groundbreaking SEO Stories
September brought major shifts that could redefine SEO workflows:
Detailed Acquired by Ahrefs
The popular SEO extension, SEO newsletter, and blog was bought by Ahrefs, signaling consolidation in SEO media. Experts on X predict faster tool integrations and deeper data-driven insights, potentially accelerating AI-SEO innovations.
Google’s “Perspective” Algorithm Shift
Leaked antitrust docs revealed “NavBoost” prioritizes user signals (CTR, dwell time) over backlinks. Social traffic now rivals links in authority building, with freshness confirmed as a direct factor. This “leaked algo” has sparked debates on Reddit about “gaming” CTR ethically. Boring Local SEO thread
Agentic AI in E-Commerce
Early tests show AI agents (e.g., in Chrome) handling purchases directly from search, bypassing sites. Blogs like Search Engine Land warn of “transactional SEO” needs, like schema for dynamic pricing.
These stories highlight a pivot from link-building to user-behavior optimization, with antitrust pressures possibly forcing more SERP transparency.
Final word: AI search is becoming more important
With the series of changes taking place with AI chatbots, preparing your brand and website to show up in AI-powered answers, as well as traditional search, is definitely the right way to go moving forward.
Google is making AI adjustments, Perplexity is making more adjustments, and ChatGPT keeps on improving to gain more market share. Start optimizing for AI today by building your brand mentions and citations.
