Google began rolling out a new spam update on 24 September 2026. It applies to all languages and regions, and according to Google’s Search Status Dashboard the rollout can take up to two weeks. It is the fourth spam update of 2026.
Spam update vs. core update
The distinction matters because it tells you what to do. Core updates reassess content quality and relevance across the whole web and have no single fixable cause. Spam updates target sites that violate specific Google spam policies. If you’ve lost visibility, look for a concrete policy issue.
What is being targeted?
Google hasn’t named a single policy for this update. The main areas its spam policies cover are:
- Cloaking and doorway pages
- Link spam and keyword stuffing
- Mass-produced, low-value pages (scaled content abuse)
- Scraped content and site reputation abuse
- Hacked content and malware
If your rankings dropped
- Don’t make big changes until the rollout ends. A few days of movement during the rollout doesn’t show the final impact.
- Check Search Console by page and query. Compare page types before and after 24 September instead of looking at sitewide totals.
- Match declining pages to policies. Thin templated pages, bought links, or hidden content added by an old plugin?
- Check security. Outdated themes and plugins are the most common way spam pages get added to a site without the owner knowing.
- Recovery takes time. After fixing issues, improvement usually takes months.
Our take
For sites that publish original content and keep their technical maintenance in order, spam updates are usually an opportunity: competitors that break the rules lose ground. Not sure how your site is affected? Our free website audit shows your technical health in about a minute.