Newsletter · October 2026
WhatsApp charges, Google's spam crackdown, and image search data
October has arrived with a few changes worth knowing about if you run a business online. Here is what I have been watching this month.
01
WhatsApp API messages now cost money
From 1 October 2026, Meta started charging for WhatsApp Business Platform service messages that were previously free. According to Meta's official pricing documentation, confirmed by Landbot and AiChat, every reply sent within the 24-hour customer service window — by a human or a chatbot — now costs around £0.016 in the UK. You get 1,000 free messages per phone number per month, then the bill starts. The free WhatsApp Business app is not affected, only the API used by third-party tools and chatbots.
Do this: Log in to your WhatsApp Business Platform account, check your monthly message volume against the 1,000 free allowance, and work out what you are likely to pay each month.
From us: If you are using a WhatsApp chatbot and the costs look steep, I can look at whether a different setup would suit you — AI tools start from £6,800.
02
Google's spam update is still landing
Google launched its September 2026 spam update on 24 September — its fourth spam update of the year. O'Brien Media, corroborated by Soderman SEO and Egochi, reports that it could take up to two weeks to fully roll out, meaning the effects are still arriving through early October. Early analysis points at two things: sites publishing AI-generated content at scale, and pages that copy the same text across dozens of location-specific URLs. If that sounds familiar, now is the time to act.
Do this: Open Google Search Console, check the Performance tab for any dip in clicks or impressions since 24 September, and flag any thin location pages or bulk AI posts for a rewrite or consolidation.
03
Google can now show you your image search traffic
On 24 September 2026, Google added a new Multimodal filter to Search Console's Performance report, separating out traffic that arrived via Google Lens, Circle to Search, image uploads, and Chrome's right-click image search from ordinary typed queries. Google Search Central announced it; Scalevise and Advisio Tech have both reported on it. For shops, restaurants and salons, this means you can finally see how many people found you by pointing their phone at a product, a dish or a shopfront.
Do this: Open Search Console, go to the Performance report, click Search type, select Multimodal, and see whether image-led searches are already sending you visitors and which pages they land on.
Google Search Central, reported by Scalevise and Advisio Tech →
What we published
- Why Proper Website Testing Saves Money and Customers — Skipping website QA costs small businesses real sales. Learn what to check, what breaks most often, and how rescue fixes start from £900.
- How AI Booking and Chat Tools Cut Your Admin Week — AI booking and chat tools handle enquiries and appointments 24/7. T19 Digital builds them from £3,300 — and this is what that looks like for a small business.
One thing to do this month
Check your Google Business photos
While you are thinking about image search and Lens traffic, it is worth making sure your Google Business Profile photos are current and labelled properly. A clear shot of your shopfront, your menu or your work is now doing more search work than it used to, and it costs nothing to update them.
If anything here raises a question, you know where I am.
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