Google’s September 2026 spam update is not done yet. It started on September 24 and is now running into October. Google said it could take up to two weeks to finish, and as of October 6, the Search Status Dashboard still shows it as active.
So if you are an SEO, a publisher or a site owner, here is the simple truth: the rankings you see today may not be the final result. Some pages may go up. Some may drop. Some sites may change a few times before things settle down. This is a time to watch carefully, not to rush into big changes.
What is this update about?
Google runs automated systems all the time to catch spam and stop people from gaming search results. Once in a while, it makes a big improvement to those systems and calls it a spam update. One of these systems is SpamBrain, an AI tool that Google keeps improving so it can spot new kinds of manipulation.
This September update is one of those bigger improvements. Here is what Google has confirmed:
- It started on September 24
- It applies worldwide
- It covers all languages
- It affects Google Search ranking systems
- It can take up to two weeks to finish
What Google has not shared is a list of specific tactics this update is going after. So don’t assume that every site that lost rankings was hit for one particular reason. Nobody outside Google knows that yet.
The volatility showed up fast
The SEO community noticed big movement within the first few days. Tracking tools picked up a wave of ranking changes around September 25, and it got stronger over the weekend that followed.
That said, not every change you see is caused by spam detection. Google Search changes all the time. Competitors update their sites, search demand goes up and down, and other signals move on their own. But when a lot of volatility happens at the same time as a confirmed update, it makes sense to pay attention.
The key point is that the update is still going. A site that dropped in the first few days could bounce back, and a site that gained traffic should not assume the gain will stay.
Why rankings jump around during a rollout
A big update does not hit every search result at the same moment. Google needs time to process changes across websites, pages, queries, languages, countries and different search setups. As that happens, results keep shifting.
A page might go from position 4 to position 11, then back up to position 7, and only then settle. This is why checking rankings every day and taking screenshots often adds more confusion than clarity. The real picture is usually easier to see once the rollout is over.
A drop does not always mean a manual penalty
There are two different things here: algorithmic spam detection and manual actions. Google uses automated systems to catch spam, but human reviewers can also issue manual actions.
If your rankings fell during a spam update, it does not mean a Google employee penalised your site by hand. To check, open the Manual Actions report in Google Search Console. If there is no notice there, the change is most likely algorithmic.
What does Google call spam?
Google describes spam as any technique meant to fool users or trick search systems into giving content more visibility than it deserves. Its spam policies now also cover attempts to manipulate AI-generated answers in Google Search.
The policies cover things like:
- Scaled content made mainly to manipulate rankings
- Cloaking
- Scraped content
- Link manipulation
- Expired domain abuse
- Site reputation abuse
- Other deceptive practices
Google has also made it clear that scaled content abuse can involve content written by humans, by automation or by AI. What matters is the purpose. If the main goal is to manipulate rankings instead of helping people, it is a problem.
AI content is not automatically spam
Many businesses are publishing more content than ever because of AI. Using AI does not make your content spam. Google’s concern is with large amounts of content produced mainly to game rankings.
So the risk is not “AI content equals penalty.” It is closer to this: low-value content published at scale, with ranking manipulation as the main goal, can lead to trouble. If you use AI in your workflow, you still need human review, real expertise, accurate facts and content that is truly useful. Publishing thousands of pages just because AI makes them cheap is a quality problem waiting to happen.
Why this matters for SEO in 2026
Search is changing fast. It is no longer just ten blue links. It now includes AI Overviews, generative AI experiences, visual search, shopping results and the usual organic listings. And since Google’s spam rules now cover AI answers too, spam prevention is relevant across all of it.
For marketers, “publish more pages” is not a strategy anymore. A better approach is to share information that Google can trust and that people actually find useful.
What to check right now
Since the update is still live, start with analysis, not panic.
- Look at Google Search Console. Compare clicks, impressions, average position, top pages and top queries. Try to see whether the change is across the whole site, in one category, on specific pages or for certain queries. This tells you if the problem is broad or limited to one area. Google itself suggests using Search Console to see which pages and queries changed.
- Separate small moves from big drops. Going from position 2 to position 4 is very different from going from position 4 to position 29. Google advises against making drastic changes when a page has only moved a little. Large, lasting drops are the ones that need a closer look.
- Check manual actions. Open the Manual Actions report. If it is empty, don’t assume you have been penalised by hand.
- Read Google’s spam policies. If your site changed a lot after the update, go through the official policies. Pay extra attention to scaled content, low-value pages, manipulative links, site reputation abuse, scraped content and deceptive practices.
Don’t delete content just because traffic dropped
One of the worst things you can do after an algorithm update is make big changes before you understand what happened. A drop in traffic does not mean you should delete the page.
First, ask yourself:
- Did rankings fall?
- Did impressions fall?
- Did search demand go down?
- Did competitors get better?
- Is the page still easy for Google to access?
- Did Google change how the results page looks?
- Is the update still rolling out?
Google also points out that traffic drops can come from seasonality, technical problems, site migrations or changes in how people search. It is not always an algorithm update. So the diagnosis really matters.
Look at content quality across the whole site
If the drop is broad and lasting, step back and look at the site as a whole, not just single pages. Ask:
- Does this content really help the reader?
- Did we create this page because users needed it?
- Is it truly different from hundreds of similar pages?
- Does it show real expertise or give useful information?
- Are the important claims accurate?
- Does it offer something our competitors don’t?
Google’s Search Essentials still recommend helpful, reliable, people-first content. This matters even more when you publish at scale.
Be careful with thin programmatic or AI pages
Big websites should be extra careful with automated publishing. Programmatic SEO works when every page serves a different user need. It becomes risky when thousands of pages carry almost the same information just to catch small keyword variations.
AI can help with research, outlines, editing and content production. But it should not replace quality control. A good test is this: would this page still deserve to exist if Google never sent it any traffic? If the answer is no, the content plan needs work.
Links still need care
Spam updates can also touch link-related signals. But Google has not said that the September 2026 update is specifically a link spam update. Don’t assume that building more backlinks will fix a ranking drop.
Google explains that when its systems ignore manipulative links, the ranking benefit from those links can simply vanish. Swapping one manipulative tactic for another will not give you a lasting recovery. Quality beats quantity.
Recovery takes time
Recovery needs patience. Google says that if a site fixes its problems and follows the spam policies, its systems may need months to recognise that the change is long term.
So it is not “fix it today and rankings return tomorrow.” It is more like this: find the problem, improve the site, wait for Google to recrawl and reassess, let the systems see the change over time, and then visibility may improve. There is also no promise that you will get your old position back, because competitors and search results keep changing during that time.
What to avoid while the rollout is on
- Deleting lots of pages without analysis
- Rewriting every page just because rankings moved
- Buying links to make up for lost traffic
- Publishing hundreds of new pages to replace lost traffic
- Changing URLs without a good reason
- Judging performance from one or two days of data
Instead, write down what changed and build a clear before-and-after picture. Act once you have enough evidence.
This matters for GEO and AI visibility too
Google’s policies now cover manipulation of AI-generated answers in Search. So if you work on SEO, AEO, GEO or AI visibility, don’t treat them as a chance to mass-produce content that is only meant to influence machines.
A healthier approach is to build clear entities, accurate information, original expertise, well-structured content, trusted references and helpful answers. The same basics support both traditional search and AI-driven discovery.
The bigger message for marketers
This update is another reminder that SEO is less about shortcuts and more about building lasting information assets. The tempting question is, “What trick will bring my ranking back?” The better question is, “Why does this page deserve to be seen?”
For businesses, that means focusing on real customer questions, original insights, accurate information, strong technical basics, clear product or service details, real authority and a good user experience. These things are slower than shortcuts, but they hold up much better when ranking systems change.
Final thoughts
As of October 6, 2026, Google’s September spam update is still officially active, so treat the current volatility with care. If your site has dropped, don’t panic. Check Search Console, review your pages and queries, look at manual actions, check your content against the spam policies and ask honestly whether your content is useful. Then wait for the rollout to finish before drawing strong conclusions from short-term movement.
The lesson is getting clearer every month: SEO success is hard to separate from content quality, brand trust and real usefulness. As Google moves deeper into AI-powered search, that will matter even beyond traditional rankings. Brands that create content mainly for users, while keeping it technically clean and easy for machines to understand, are in a better position for both today’s search and the AI-driven search that is coming.