Nicolas Sacotte
On 24 September 2026, Google announced a new spam update via the official status dashboard. According to Google, the September 2026 spam update is scheduled to last approximately two weeks and is being rolled out globally.
https://status.search.google.com/summary
Google September 2026 Spam Update: Rollout to last up to two weeks
Google is rolling out the September 2026 spam update globally and across all languages. Unlike previous spam updates this year, which were each completed within a few days, the rollout may take up to two weeks this time. This has already been confirmed by John Mueller, Search Advocate at Google, in a statement to Search Engine Roundtable.
As ever: Google leaves many questions about the September spam update unanswered
As is often the case, Google is keeping details close to its chest. Which areas of spam detection have been adjusted remains unknown. There is also no information on potential effects on specific types of search queries.
For SEOs and website operators, this means one thing for now: watch closely and keep an eye on developments over the coming days. The most important indicators to monitor will be:
Rankings
Organic traffic
What Google's spam detection targets
In general, Google's spam detection is designed to identify practices that deceive users or manipulate search results. These include, among others:
Misleading redirects
Link spam
Scaled Content Abuse: Content is produced at scale in order to increase the chances of achieving good rankings.
Scaled Content Abuse can also encompass AI-generated content — specifically when it is created en masse and without any genuine added value. Importantly, the use of generative AI alone does not make content spam. Google has not announced any specific focus on AI content as part of the September update.
What to do if you experience ranking losses?
Anyone who notices significant losses during or after the rollout should, according to Google, review the spam policies. Violations can cost rankings or result in pages no longer appearing in search results at all.
Nobody should expect a quick recovery: according to Google, it can take months before its systems recognise that a website is once again compliant with its guidelines.
