---
title: "Google ties more spam updates to a flood of new content"
url: https://seomadman.com/news/google-spam-updates-ai-scaled-content-deep-dive
section: news
language: en
published: 2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z
author: Adam Hafez
topics: ["Core updates", "Content strategy"]
---

# Google ties more spam updates to a flood of new content

## The short answer

Google speakers at Search Central Live Deep Dive in Barcelona said a high percentage of content is spam, that spam updates target it, and that there have been more of them because there is more new content. Per a ROAST recap, Google uses AI to catch more spam, and Gary Illyes called scaled content a bigger problem than link spam.

## Key takeaways

- Per the ROAST recap, Google said a high percentage of content is spam, that spam updates target it, and that there is more new content, hence more updates.
- The recap says the spam team now uses AI to help catch more spam, and Google's own spam page describes machine learning and large language models in its spam-fighting systems.
- Gary Illyes said Google filters out 40 billion spam pages a day, a figure Google words as found, not removed, and Search Engine Roundtable notes is not new.
- Core updates target content at page level, not domain level, so some pages rise while others fall, and Illyes called scaled content a bigger problem than link spam.
- Google's quality guidance, as recapped, defines quality through effort, originality, talent or skill and accuracy, and says low quality content can be written by a human or by AI.

Google's Search Relations team spent three days in Barcelona at Search Central Live Deep Dive Europe,
and the quality and spam talks have now been written up. The account here comes from John
Campbell's [Day 3 recap at ROAST](https://weareroast.com/news/google-search-central-live-deep-dive-barcelona-day-3-recap/),
and [Search Engine Roundtable](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-spam-updates-ai-42226.html)
pulled out the spam lines. Neither is a Google transcript, so each claim below is attributed to the
recap, not to Google's own pages, unless we say otherwise.

## Why are there more spam updates?

Per the recap, Google's message was that a high percentage of content is spam, and that is what the
spam updates target. There have been more spam updates recently because there is so much more new
content. The most recent one on our record is the
[September 2026 spam update](/updates/google-september-2026-spam-update).

The same section says the team is now using AI to help catch more of it. That matches Google's own
[detecting spam page](https://www.google.com/intl/en_us/search/howsearchworks/how-search-works/detecting-spam/),
which says its spam-fighting systems use machine learning and large language models to spot patterns
that may look legitimate at first glance.

## Is the 40 billion figure new?

Gary Illyes closed the morning with one number: Google filters out 40 billion spam pages a day, per
the recap. Search Engine Roundtable notes that this is not new. Google's page words it as "Our
systems find 40 billion spammy pages every day", which is detection, not removal from the index.

## Why do core updates split sites?

Illyes gave three reasons Google keeps updating how it judges quality, as recapped:

- **Content formats have expanded.** Search moved from ten blue links to far more media, and each
  format needs its own way of judging quality.
- **Content breadth has grown.** There are many more pages and sites. Core updates target content at
  page level, not at domain level, which is why some pages on a site go up while others go down.
- **Content issues are spam.** Updates here improve how Google catches cloaking, doorway pages,
  scraped content, link spam and hacked content.

His warning, in the recap's words, was that scaled content is now becoming more of a problem than
link spam. Google's [scaled content abuse policy](/news/google-ai-content-guidance-factcheck-critical)
covers using generative AI to produce many pages without adding value for users.

## How does Google define quality?

Duy Nguyen, a Search Quality Analyst at Google, pointed the room to the public Search Quality Rater
Guidelines. They define quality through effort, originality, talent or skill and accuracy. The point,
per the recap, is the quality and not who wrote it: low quality content can be human or AI generated.
His example of good was a shoe review with its own metrics, its own photos and detailed research. Our
piece on the [main content section of the helpful content guidance](/news/google-helpful-content-main-content-section)
covers the same pillars.

## What should you take from it?

The recap author's own advice, not Google's, is to expect more spam updates and new spam thresholds,
and to judge quality by effort, originality, skill and accuracy. For [core updates](/topics/core-updates)
and [content strategy](/topics/content-strategy) alike, that means original data, your own photos and
real detail over rewritten commodity content. Google gave no dates for future spam updates in what the
recap reports.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why has Google run more spam updates in 2026?

Per the ROAST recap of the Barcelona event, Google said there is much more new content than before and a high percentage of it is spam, which spam updates target. Google has not published a count or a schedule.

### Does Google use AI to catch spam?

Yes. The ROAST recap says the team now uses AI to help catch more spam, and Google's How Search works page says its spam systems use machine learning and large language models.

### Is the 40 billion spam pages figure new?

No. Gary Illyes cited it in Barcelona, per the recap, but Search Engine Roundtable notes it is old. Google's spam page says its systems find 40 billion spammy pages every day.

### Why do some pages on my site rise in a core update while others fall?

The recap quotes Gary Illyes saying core updates target content at page level, not domain level. That is why some pages on a site go up while others go down.

## Sources

1. [Google Search Central Live Deep Dive, Barcelona - Day 3 Recap](https://weareroast.com/news/google-search-central-live-deep-dive-barcelona-day-3-recap/) - ROAST (primary)
2. [Google Search Spam Updates Use AI To Find AI Spam & More](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-spam-updates-ai-42226.html) - Search Engine Roundtable
3. [Detecting spam - How Google Search works](https://www.google.com/intl/en_us/search/howsearchworks/how-search-works/detecting-spam/) - Google