Google's September 2026 spam update has finished rolling out
Google's September 2026 spam update, which ran in two phases, completed in October. If your traffic dropped in that window, here is what to check.
What happened
Google's September 2026 spam update has completed. It rolled out in two phases, with the second phase starting on 30 September, and finished in October.
Why it matters
Spam updates target pages that exist mainly to rank, such as large numbers of thin pages, copied content or pages written only for search engines. A business site that has grown with lots of near identical pages can lose traffic even if it never meant to break any rules.
What to do
- Compare your Search Console clicks for September and October against August.
- If traffic dropped, list pages that are thin, repeated or written mainly for keywords, and improve or remove them.
- Do not panic and delete pages that bring real enquiries. Fix the weak ones first.
Sources
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