Google began rolling out its September 2026 spam update on Sept. 24, affecting Google Search rankings globally and across all languages. Google says the rollout may take up to two weeks to complete.
Businesses that notice ranking or traffic changes during this period should not automatically assume they have received a Google penalty. Local Marketing Plus SEO recommends checking Google Search Console, indexing and technical SEO, identifying which pages and search queries changed, and monitoring traffic and leads before making major changes based solely on short-term ranking fluctuations.
What Is the Google September 2026 Spam Update?
The September 2026 spam update is an update to Google’s systems for detecting practices that violate its search spam policies.
According to the Google Search Status Dashboard, the rollout began at 9:15 a.m. PDT on Sept. 24, 2026. Google says the update applies globally and to all languages and may take up to two weeks to complete.
Google regularly uses automated systems, as well as human review when needed, to identify practices that violate its spam policies. Websites found to violate those policies may rank lower or, in some circumstances, may not appear in search results.
It is important, however, not to assume that every ranking change occurring during the September update means a website has violated Google’s policies.
A decline can have other causes, including technical problems, indexing issues, recent website changes, stronger competing pages or changes in the way Google displays search results.
For business owners, the first question should therefore be: What actually changed?
Did one page lose visibility? Did several important service pages decline? Did impressions decrease while rankings remained relatively stable? Or did traffic and leads decline across the entire website?
Those distinctions matter before deciding what, if anything, needs to be changed.
What Has Google Said About the September 2026 Spam Update?
Google has provided limited information about the specific changes behind this update. Its official Search Status Dashboard confirms the global rollout, all-language coverage and expected duration.
Google Search Advocate John Mueller has also confirmed that the longer rollout period is intentional. When asked whether this update was likely to take longer than several recent spam updates, Mueller said, “Yes, it’s likely to take longer than some of the previous ones.”
For websites concerned about spam-related visibility changes, Google’s documented guidance is to review its Spam Policies for Google Web Search.
Google also explains that improvements may not produce an immediate change because its automated systems can take time to recognize that a site is complying with its spam policies.
Mueller has previously advised website owners not to postpone legitimate website improvements simply because a Google update is underway. During Google’s March 2024 core update, he advised site owners who had identified worthwhile improvements to proceed, emphasizing improvements for users rather than changes made only for search engines.
The distinction is important.
Fixing a genuine technical, content or usability problem is different from making widespread changes simply because rankings fluctuate during an update.
Local Marketing Plus SEO recommends investigating the cause of a substantial ranking change before rewriting pages, removing content or changing an established SEO strategy.
What Does Google Consider Search Spam?
Google defines search spam as practices used to deceive users or manipulate its Search systems into featuring content more prominently.
Its published spam policies cover numerous practices, but several are particularly relevant to local businesses using SEO, service-area pages and AI-assisted content.
Scaled Content Abuse
Google describes scaled content abuse as generating many pages primarily to manipulate search rankings rather than help users.
Importantly, the policy is based on the purpose and value of the content, not simply how it was created. Google specifically includes examples involving generative AI, automated tools and other methods of producing large quantities of low-value content.
For a local business, having multiple service or location pages is not automatically a problem. The question is whether those pages provide genuine value.
A useful location page might contain service information relevant to that community, local considerations, actual experience, photographs, frequently asked questions and information that helps a potential customer.
Producing dozens of substantially similar pages with little more than the city name changed is very different.
Doorway Abuse
Google describes doorway abuse as creating sites or pages designed to rank for specific, similar searches and funnel users toward essentially the same destination.
This is particularly relevant to local SEO.
A business serving several communities may legitimately need individual location pages. Those pages should exist because they help customers in those locations—not simply because the business wants another opportunity to rank for “[service] + [city].”
Keyword Stuffing
Keywords still help search engines and people understand what a page is about. The problem occurs when keywords are repeated unnaturally for the purpose of manipulating rankings.
A plumbing company, for example, does not need to repeat “Kelowna plumber” throughout every paragraph.
A well-written service page can naturally discuss plumbing services, common problems, qualifications, areas served and customer questions without forcing the same phrase repeatedly into the content.
Link Spam
Google defines link spam as creating links to or from a website primarily to manipulate search rankings.
Businesses are generally better served by developing legitimate mentions and links through industry relationships, associations, local organizations, useful resources, media coverage and other credible sources.
The underlying principle is straightforward: SEO should help useful information become easier to find, rather than creating pages, content or links primarily to manipulate Google’s ranking systems.
Does the September 2026 Spam Update Target AI Content?
Google has not said that the September 2026 spam update specifically targets AI-generated content.
Using artificial intelligence to help produce website content does not, by itself, mean that content violates Google’s spam policies.
Google’s scaled content abuse policy instead focuses on whether large amounts of content are being generated primarily to manipulate search rankings while providing little or no value to users.
Google has also clarified that its spam policies extend to attempts to manipulate generative AI responses within Google Search, making these policies relevant beyond traditional organic search results.
For businesses, the better question is not simply:
“Was AI used to write this?”
It is:
“Does this page provide something genuinely useful to the person searching?”
AI can assist with research, organization, outlines and drafting, but a strong business website should contain information reflecting the actual company.
That can include firsthand experience, specific services, professional qualifications, original photographs, project examples, service processes and answers to questions customers regularly ask.
This is particularly important for local service businesses.
Hundreds of websites can publish a generic explanation of furnace maintenance, automotive diagnostics or pool repair. Far fewer can provide useful information based on the services they actually perform, the communities they serve and their real experience helping customers.
Local Marketing Plus SEO recommends treating AI as a content-development tool rather than a replacement for business expertise.
Before publishing AI-assisted content, businesses should verify its accuracy, remove unsupported claims and add information based on genuine knowledge and experience.
Why Did My Google Rankings Suddenly Drop?
A sudden decline in Google rankings does not necessarily mean a website has been penalized or negatively affected by the September spam update.
Several possibilities should be investigated.
Indexing problems: Important service or location pages may no longer be indexed. An accidental noindex setting, for example, can prevent a page from appearing in Google’s index.
Recent website changes: Redesigns, migrations, URL changes, content rewrites and internal-linking changes can affect how Google discovers and understands pages.
Technical problems: Incorrect canonical tags, robots.txt restrictions, server errors, broken internal links and crawl problems can interfere with search visibility.
Stronger competitors: Sometimes another website simply becomes more competitive through better pages, stronger authority, improved local visibility or more useful information.
Changes to the search results: AI-generated answers, local results, maps, images, videos and other features can change what searchers see and where they click.
Google Business Profile changes: Local Map and Business Profile visibility can change independently of traditional organic rankings.
A Google ranking update: If multiple important pages and search queries change during a confirmed update, the update deserves consideration—but timing alone does not establish the cause.
Local Marketing Plus SEO recommends looking for evidence before deciding what needs to be fixed.
What Should Businesses Do During the September Update?
Businesses do not need to stop improving their websites while Google’s update is rolling out.
Instead, Local Marketing Plus SEO recommends a measured approach:
- Check Google Search Console. Compare clicks, impressions, queries and pages with the period before the update.
- Confirm important pages are indexed. Make sure high-value service and location pages remain eligible to appear in Search.
- Check technical SEO. Investigate crawl issues, noindex settings, canonical tags, robots.txt restrictions and server problems.
- Identify exactly what changed. Determine whether the movement affects one keyword, one page, one service category or the entire website.
- Review Google’s spam policies. Pay particular attention to policies relevant to the website, including scaled content, doorway pages, keyword stuffing and links.
- Continue genuine improvements. Fix legitimate technical, content, accuracy and usability problems when they are identified.
- Monitor business results. Rankings matter, but calls, inquiries, bookings and qualified leads provide a clearer picture of business impact.
The objective is not to react to every ranking movement. It is to gather enough information to determine whether there is a genuine problem and what actually needs improvement.
What Should Local Businesses Pay Particular Attention To?
Local search visibility extends beyond traditional organic rankings.
Potential customers may discover a business through Google Maps, a Google Business Profile, organic results, reviews, images and newer AI-driven search experiences.
Local businesses should therefore pay particular attention to:
Google Business Profile: Keep the business name, address, phone number, website, hours, categories and services accurate. Continue adding relevant photographs and responding to customer reviews.
Reviews and reputation: Genuine reviews help potential customers evaluate a company and can reveal the language customers naturally use to describe its services.
Service and location pages: Each important page should have a clear purpose and provide useful information rather than repeating substantially the same copy across numerous locations.
Consistent business information: Core company information should remain accurate across the website, business profiles, directories and other authoritative sources.
Original local content: Project photographs, staff expertise, real examples and local knowledge can provide information generic publishers cannot easily reproduce.
Calls and leads: A ranking report is only one measurement. Organic traffic, Google Business Profile activity, calls, quote requests and appointments provide a better view of whether visibility is producing business.
What Happens After the September 2026 Spam Update Is Complete?
Once Google confirms that the rollout has finished, businesses can make a more meaningful comparison between performance before, during and after the update.
If visibility stabilizes, widespread changes may not be necessary.
If an important decline continues, review the pages and queries that lost the most visibility, indexing and crawling, technical SEO, content quality, repetitive service or location pages, internal linking, backlinks, competing search results and local visibility.
Google’s confirmation that an update has finished does not mean every affected website will immediately return to its previous rankings.
The more useful question is:
Which parts of our search visibility changed, what evidence explains the change, and what improvements are actually needed?
When Should You Get an SEO Review?
Not every ranking fluctuation requires an SEO audit.
A closer review may be worthwhile when a business experiences a significant and sustained decline in search visibility, traffic or leads, particularly after an update has finished rolling out.
Warning signs include important pages disappearing from Google, substantial declines in Search Console impressions or clicks, multiple high-value queries losing visibility, indexing problems or a corresponding decline in calls and leads.
The purpose of an SEO review should not be to find a quick way to “reverse” an algorithm update. It should identify technical, content, local SEO or search visibility problems that can be documented and improved.
Local Marketing Plus SEO reviews the broader search picture, including website performance, indexing, Search Console data, service and location pages, Google Business Profile visibility, content quality and visibility within newer AI-driven search experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions About the September 2026 Google Spam Update
What is the September 2026 Google spam update?
The September 2026 spam update is an update to Google’s systems for identifying search spam. Google began rolling it out Sept. 24, 2026, and says it applies globally and to all languages. Google has not provided detailed information about the specific changes made to its spam-detection systems.
How long will Google’s September 2026 spam update take?
Google says the September 2026 spam update may take up to two weeks to complete. Local Marketing Plus SEO recommends monitoring Search Console, traffic and leads during the rollout rather than drawing conclusions from a few days of ranking movement.
Can a Google spam update cause rankings to drop?
Search visibility can change during a Google spam update, but a ranking decline does not automatically mean a website has violated Google’s spam policies. Technical problems, indexing issues, website changes, competitors and changes to Google’s search results can also affect rankings.
Does Google penalize AI-generated content?
Google’s spam policy does not classify content as spam simply because AI was used to create it. Its scaled content abuse policy focuses on producing large amounts of content primarily to manipulate rankings rather than help users, regardless of how that content is created.
What should I do if my Google rankings dropped after the September update?
Determine which pages and queries changed, check Google Search Console and indexing, rule out technical problems and review Google’s spam policies. Compare rankings with organic traffic and actual leads. If a substantial decline continues after the rollout is complete, a more detailed SEO review can help identify the cause.
Concerned About a Drop in Your Google Rankings?
If your website lost visibility, traffic or leads during the September 2026 spam update, the first step is determining what actually changed and why.
Local Marketing Plus SEO helps businesses investigate ranking declines by reviewing Search Console data, indexing and technical SEO, important service and location pages, Google Business Profile visibility, content quality and visibility within AI-driven search.
Before making major changes to your website, determine whether the decline is connected to a technical issue, content problem, changing search results or a broader Google update.
Contact Local Marketing Plus SEO for an SEO and AI Search Visibility Review.
