--- title: "September 2026 spam update: dates, what changed and what to do" url: https://seomadman.com/updates/google-september-2026-spam-update section: updates published: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z author: Adam Hafez topics: ["Core updates"] --- # September 2026 spam update: dates, what changed and what to do ## The short answer Google's September 2026 spam update started on 24 September 2026 at 09:15 PDT and is still rolling out, with Google allowing up to two weeks. It applies globally and to all languages. Google has published no blog post or impact figures. It began 34 days after the August 2026 spam update completed. ## Key takeaways - The Search Status Dashboard dates the release to 24 September 2026 at 09:15 PDT. - Google says the update applies globally and to all languages and that the rollout may take up to two weeks. - As of 26 September 2026 the dashboard shows no completion entry, so the update is still rolling out. - It is the fourth spam update of 2026, after the March, June and August spam updates. - Wait for the completion entry before judging the effect on your site, then review Google's spam policies. ## What Google changed Google's only announcement so far is the Search Status Dashboard entry: "Released the September 2026 spam update, which applies globally and to all languages." It has published no Search Central blog post and has not said which type of spam the update addresses. Google's spam updates page explains the general mechanism. Its automated spam detection runs constantly, and a spam update is a notable improvement to how those systems work. It names SpamBrain, its AI-based spam-prevention system, as one system it improves "to help ensure it catches new types of spam." ## When it rolled out The [Google Search Status Dashboard](https://status.search.google.com/incidents/XhUDXP7A67iHCD2kmbVu) logged the release on 24 September 2026 at 09:15 PDT with the note that "the rollout may take up to two weeks to complete." As of 26 September 2026 there is no completion entry, so the update is still rolling out. The previous spam update, in August 2026, completed on 21 August, 34 days before this one began, and no other confirmed update is running alongside it. ## What is known about its impact Google has not published any impact figures for this update. Its spam policies state that "sites that violate our policies may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all," but Google has given no count of affected sites or queries. With the rollout still under way, any percentage you see attributed to this update is a third-party estimate of an unfinished change. ## What site owners should do Google's guidance for spam updates is short: - Wait for the completion entry on the dashboard before drawing conclusions from your data. - Review your site against Google's spam policies, which cover practices such as cloaking, link spam, scaled content abuse, scraping and back button hijacking. - Remove or fix anything that breaks them. Google detects violations through automated systems and, where needed, human review that can lead to a manual action. - Check the Manual actions report in Search Console, since a manual action is separate from an automated spam update. - Expect a slow recovery. Google says changes may help once its systems learn, over a period of months, that the site complies. ## How to check whether it affected you In Search Console, open the Performance report with a daily view starting in early September 2026. A spam update effect should begin on or after 24 September; movement that started earlier predates this rollout. Use the week before 24 September as your baseline, and compare it with the week after the completion date once Google posts it. The [Google Algorithm Updates timeline](/updates) lists every confirmed update with its dates. ## Related updates - The [August 2026 spam update](/updates/august-2026-spam-update) was the spam update before it. - The [June 2026 spam update](/updates/june-2026-spam-update) was the one before that. ## Frequently asked questions ### When did the September 2026 spam update start? The Google Search Status Dashboard records the release on 24 September 2026 at 09:15 PDT. Google said the rollout may take up to two weeks to complete. ### Has the September 2026 spam update finished? Not as of 26 September 2026. The dashboard shows only the release entry. Google adds a completion entry to the dashboard when a rollout ends. ### What kind of spam does the September 2026 spam update target? Google has not said. The dashboard entry states only that the update applies globally and to all languages. Google's spam updates page describes these updates as notable improvements to its automated spam detection systems, such as SpamBrain. ### How does a site recover from a spam update? Google says sites that see a change should review its spam policies and comply with them. Changes may help once its automated systems learn, over a period of months, that the site complies. ## Sources 1. [September 2026 spam update (incident)](https://status.search.google.com/incidents/XhUDXP7A67iHCD2kmbVu) - Google Search Status Dashboard (primary) 2. [Google Search spam updates and your site](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/spam-updates) - Google Search Central (primary) 3. [Spam policies for Google web search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies) - Google Search Central (primary)