Google Rolls Out September 2026 Spam Update — Its Fourth of the Year

Google began rolling out its September 2026 spam update on September 24 at 9:15 a.m. PDT, according to the company's Search Status Dashboard. The update applies globally and to all languages, making it the fourth spam update Google has issued in 2026.

Google's status dashboard states: "Released the September 2026 spam update, which applies globally and to all languages. The rollout may take up to two weeks to complete." The company has not provided additional details about what the update specifically targets.

The September update follows spam updates rolled out in March, June, and August of this year. According to Search Engine Journal, the March update took 19 hours and 30 minutes to complete, the June update took 2 days and 1 hour, and the August update took 2 days and 16 hours. Google gave each of those three updates a rollout window of "a few days." For September, the estimated window has been extended to up to two weeks, though Google has indicated the update will not necessarily take the full two weeks.

Google describes spam updates as serving "notable improvements to its automated systems for detecting search spam." The company has not indicated whether the September update targets a specific spam policy or tactic.

Google advises that sites experiencing ranking or traffic changes during the rollout should review their Search Console data and consult its spam policies. Sites found to be in violation of those policies "may rank lower or not appear in results at all," according to Google. The company also notes that making changes may help a site improve if its automated systems learn over time that the site is compliant.