Last checked: 25 September 2026 (Pakistan time). Google had not marked the rollout complete.
Google began its September 2026 spam update on September 24. It applies globally and to all languages, and Google says the rollout may take up to two weeks. The dashboard entry does not identify a particular spam tactic targeted by the update.
The fourth confirmed spam update this year
According to Search Engine Journal, this is Google’s fourth confirmed spam update of 2026, following updates in March, June and August. That history provides context, but it does not establish why an individual site’s traffic changed.
Search Console also has new visibility reports. Google’s generative AI performance report for Search shows impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode, grouped by page, country, date and device. The Discover report groups impressions by page, country and date, without a device breakdown. These dedicated reports show impressions but do not provide clicks, CTR or query data.
How to investigate a traffic drop
A decline during the rollout does not prove the update caused it. Google’s traffic drop guide recommends comparing the drop period with a similar earlier period in Search Console, then checking whether the change affects particular queries, URLs, countries, devices or search appearances. If impressions stay steady but clicks fall, the guide suggests examining page titles, snippets and competing rich results.
If pages have lost traffic, check the Page indexing report for technical problems such as server errors or a misplaced noindex tag. For a small drop in position, such as moving from position 2 to 4, Google recommends avoiding radical changes if the page is already performing well.
What Google says about spam update recovery
Google advises sites that see changes after a spam update to review its spam policies. Its spam update guidance says sites that violate those policies may rank lower or disappear from results. Making changes may help if Google’s automated systems learn over a period of months that the site complies. That is a possibility, not a promised recovery date.
The same guidance makes a separate point about link spam updates: when Google’s systems remove the effect of spammy links, the ranking benefit those links once provided cannot be regained. Google’s dashboard entry calls the September rollout a spam update; it has not described it as a link spam update.
What to do now
Record when any traffic change began and investigate the affected pages before attributing it to this rollout. Check Google’s dashboard again when the rollout ends, then update this article’s timing and status.
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