Google Spam Update September 2026: Why Your Rankings May Have Changed

Google Search rankings can fluctuate for a variety of reasons, and when large movements occur near dates when a confirmed algorithm change has happened, it is common for webmasters to try to find an actionable reason for the movement and what they can do to rectify the situation.

Google started deploying the September 2026 Spam Update on September 24th, 2026. This is a global update that affects all languages within Google Search, and Google has confirmed that it may take up to two weeks for this update to fully roll out. This update is specific to rankings.

If you are seeing a drop in rankings, impressions, clicks, or overall traffic in Google Search around the deployment date of this update, it can be a reasonable course of action to investigate this as a possible cause. A drop in rankings does not necessarily mean that your site has been penalized by Google, however.

What Is the September 2026 Spam Update?

Google constantly works to improve its automated systems for detecting search spam. These spam-finding algorithms are what Google uses to identify manipulation of its search results or otherwise low-quality search results.

Google notes that spam updates are significant improvements to its spam-fighting systems.. Websites that experience changes after a spam update should review Google’s spam policies and make sure their websites comply with them.

The September 2026 Spam Update is therefore different from a traditional content-focused SEO change. It is specifically associated with Google’s efforts to identify and reduce spammy or manipulative practices in search results.

Key details at a glance

• Update: September 2026 Spam Update
• Start date: September 24, 2026
• Scope: Global
• Languages: All languages
• Primary impact: Google Search rankings
• Expected rollout: Up to two weeks

Because the rollout is ongoing, it is important to avoid making major SEO decisions based on only a few days of ranking data.

Why Might Your Rankings Have Changed?

A ranking drop does not always have one simple explanation. Relevancy and rankings are influenced by numerous factors such as systems, competitors, searches, content, technical issues and website changes.

Before taking any action, look into each of the following areas if you suspect that your rankings were affected by the September 2026 Spam Update.

1. Your Website Contains Low Quality Content

Pages designed to deceive search engines by luring users in only to find something of little or no value to them are a problem.

Spam policies on Google are particularly concerned with scaled content abuse, which is when you create a large quantity of content that is primarily designed to affect the search results, usually by tricking users into visiting your site.

Review pages that:

• Provide little original information
• Repeat information found elsewhere
• Target keywords without answering the user’s question
• Contain excessive filler
• Are substantially similar to other pages
• Were created mainly to increase organic traffic

A good SEO strategy should prioritize useful content over simply increasing the number of indexed pages.

2. Your Content May Be Over-Optimized

While keywords are an integral part of SEO, one should avoid using them in excess, as it makes the text unnaturally swollen.

According to Google, keyword stuffing is when a person fills a page with repeating keywords or numbers to affect the ranking of that page. Unnatural repetitions of a single phrase and address blocks with coordinates or keywords are examples.

When writing text, try to include not just a given phrase, but related concepts as well.

“SEO company in St. Louis“

throughout every paragraph, naturally discuss:

• Search engine optimization
• Organic search visibility
• Local search rankings
• Google Search performance
• Search intent
• Local SEO
• Website optimization
• Content strategy
• Technical SEO

This creates stronger topical relevance while keeping the content useful and readable.

3. Scaled Content Could Be a Concern

Publishing content at scale is not automatically a problem. The issue is whether the content exists primarily to manipulate search rankings.

Google’s current spam documentation states that scaled content abuse can include large amounts of unoriginal content produced through automation, scraping, transformations, or other methods when the resulting pages provide little value to users.

4. Your Website May Have Spammy Links

Backlinks are an essential element of the search ecosystem, but links created for the primary purpose of manipulating search results may violate Google’s spam policies.

Google considers buying or selling links for the sake of improving search results, reciprocal linking schemes, links created through automated means, and links from low-quality directories as types of link spam.

If your rankings have been greatly affected, check to see if you have any of these types of backlinks:

• Unnatural backlinks
• Automated links
• Irrelevant directory links
• Excessive exact-match anchor text
• Paid links intended to pass ranking signals
• Large numbers of suspicious referring domains

Do not assume that each unfamiliar backlink is dangerous. Your backlink audit should examine patterns and not concentrate on quantity.

5. Location Pages May Need a Quality Review

Local businesses often create separate pages for different cities and service areas. Location pages can be valuable when they provide genuinely useful, location specific information

However, Google classifies doorway abuse as a spam tactic, where pages are created to target similar queries, offer little value and divert the user to another destination.

For example, creating dozens of pages with the same content and changing the city name is unlikely to provide a good user experience

What About AI-Generated Content?

AI-assisted content is something to be mindful of in terms of modern digital marketing, but implementing AI does not necessarily make the page spammy.

Google’s guidelines regarding the use of technologies and their impact on the value of the contents, and according to the company, the creation of multiple works aided by artificial intelligence leads to abuse of scaled content. 

The proper way to use artificial intelligence is as an assistant in researching, organizing, and writing the paper while including human expertise, unique insights, relevant and properly cited information, edits, examples, and additional context.

A stronger content workflow

Research → Expert input → Drafting → Fact-checking → Human editing → Original insights → User-focused publishing

This approach can help a website build content that is useful to people rather than content created solely to target search engines.

How to Check If Your Website Was Affected

If you noticed a ranking or traffic decline, don’t immediately assume the September Spam Update caused it.

Start with a structured analysis.

Step 1: Check the timing

Compare your organic performance before and after September 24.

Look at:

• Clicks
• Impressions
• Average position
• CTR
• Organic sessions
• Landing pages
• Queries
• Conversions

A sudden change beginning around the update can provide an important clue, but correlation alone does not prove causation.

Step 2: Identify the affected pages

Determine whether the decline is:

• Sitewide
• Limited to a specific service
• Limited to location pages
• Concentrated on blog content
• Affecting particular keyword groups

This can help you decide if the issue is technical, spam, content-related or competitive.

Step 3: Review Google Search Console

Use Search Console to compare performance before and after the update.

Pay particular attention to pages that previously generated consistent organic traffic but experienced a sudden decline.

Step 4: Review your content quality

Ask:

• Does every page have a clear purpose?
• Does the content satisfy search intent?
• Is the information original or substantially useful?
• Are keywords used naturally?
• Are location pages genuinely different and useful?
• Does the page demonstrate real expertise?
• Would a visitor find the page helpful without Google sending them there?

Step 5: Check for technical or security issues

Not every ranking decline is caused by an algorithm update.

Check for:

• Hacked pages
• Unexpected indexed URLs
• Spam injections
• Redirect problems
• Broken pages
• Indexing issues
• Server problems
• Accidental no-index tags
• Major website changes

Google’s spam documentation notes that hacked websites can contain injected content, hidden links, redirects, or other spam-related problems.

What Should You Do After the Spam Update?

The best option is not to make dozens of different changes.

Instead, develop a prioritized recovery plan.

1. Auditing your website
2. Improve existing content 
3. Remove or improve low-value pages 
4. Strengthen E-E-A-T signals 

Don’t Panic—Analyze First

A Google spam update can be disheartening if organic traffic or rankings were affected in the process

However, bear in mind that a drop in rankings does not necessarily mean your site has been penalized

Google actually advises to “review Google’s spam policies” in the event that your web presence is impacted by an algorithm adjustment. It may take some time for Google to evaluate your link profile, so patience is key.

Need Help Reviewing Your SEO Performance？

If your site happened to lose traffic due to the spam update in September 2026, we can help you sort out the issues, explain which pages and posts to focus on, and determine what changes you would like to see.

The SEO audit service will assist you in getting back on track with building sustainable search traffic and will optimize your content for higher rankings. And if you need professional help with technical SEO, content creation and optimization, local SEO, or have other digital marketing needs, our experts are here to help.

Don’t react to an algorithm update with guesswork. Analyze your data, improve your website, and build an SEO strategy designed for long-term growth. 

Frequently Asked Questions