What’s the impact of Google’s September 2026 update?

At the end of September, Google announced the release of its third spam update of the year following its core updates in March and May. 

The latest confirmed spam update rolled out from 24 September to 8 October, targeting manipulative link building, scaled low-value content and other deceptive tactics.

Which sites are likely to be affected? 

A change in rankings alone doesn’t prove a site was affected, though it’s important to keep a close eye on your Google Search Console. 

Google’s spam updates are designed to improve the quality of search results by identifying websites that violate its spam policies.  

The impact can vary depending on a site’s existing SEO practices, content quality and backlink profile.  

Websites relying on tactics intended to manipulate rankings may experience reduced visibility. These tactics could include: 

• Scaled low value content and poorly managed AI content 

• Large clusters of near identical pages for example targeting location pages

While sites following Google’s guidelines may see little or no noticeable change. 

How do I know if my site was affected by the update? 

To understand the impact to your site, compare organic clicks, impressions, average positions and indexed pages in Google Search Console against the period before the update. 

Analyse changes by page, query and search intent to identify whether any declines are isolated or widespread. 

It is also worth reviewing referral and backlink patterns, checking for thin or duplicated content, and ensuring that pages provide original, useful information for visitors. 

If performance has declined, avoid making sweeping changes based solely on timing. First, establish which pages and queries have been affected, investigate possible technical issues and assess whether the site may be breaching Google's spam policies.  

Recovery may require addressing the underlying issues and allowing Google to recrawl and reassess the affected pages. The priority should be sustainable SEO improvements rather than quick fixes designed to regain rankings.

Google updates: last six months