Google's Search Status Dashboard says the September 2026 spam update started on September 24 and finished on October 8. If your clicks from Google changed in that window, these are the checks I'd run before changing anything.
Google didn't say what this update targeted, so I won't guess. This covers what Google confirmed, how to tell whether your site moved, and what I'd audit first.
The short version:
- Compare Search Console data from before September 24 with data from after October 8.
- Open the Manual Actions report. It takes a minute.
- Audit your city pages, any pages made in bulk, your links and any hidden text.
- Fix what breaks Google's written rules, then give it months. Google promises no date.
What Google released, and what it said
On September 24, Google posted on its Search Status Dashboard: "Released the September 2026 spam update, which applies globally and to all languages. The rollout may take up to two weeks to complete."
On October 8 it added one line: "The rollout was complete as of October 8, 2026."
It's the fourth spam update the dashboard lists for 2026, after March, June and August. The dashboard shows no core update in the same window. The last one, the May 2026 core update, finished on June 2.
Google explains what a spam update is on its spam updates page. Its spam systems "are constantly operating", and "we occasionally make notable improvements to how they work. When we do, we refer to this as a spam update".
What isn't confirmed: the target. Neither the announcement nor the spam updates page says which kind of spam this update was aimed at. If someone tells you it was about one tactic, ask for Google's source. I couldn't find one.
Did it touch your site?
Start in the Performance report in Search Console. Google's guide to debugging traffic drops gives the steps. I'd use three of them.
- Look at 16 months first. Google suggests choosing "Last 16 months" to "make sure it's not a drop that happens every year". Home-service demand moves with the weather and the season, so an October dip can just be October.
- Compare before and after. Set one period to end before September 24 and the other to start after October 8. Use the Compare tab, then click through the tabs to see whether a change "happened only for specific queries, URLs, countries, devices, or search appearances".
- Find the pages that moved. In the Pages table, Google says to "Select Clicks Difference to order it based on pages that lost the most traffic."
Then read what you see. This part is my interpretation, not Google's:
- Clicks fell across the whole site, starting inside the window, and it isn't seasonal. Take the update seriously and work through the audit below.
- One group of similar pages fell, such as all your city pages. Look at that group first.
- Nothing moved. You likely don't need to change anything because of this update.
In its section on algorithm updates, Google adds a fair warning: "there might not be anything fundamentally wrong with your content."
Check the Manual Actions report
Google catches spam in two ways. Its spam policies say: "We detect policy-violating practices both through automated systems and, as needed, human review that can result in a manual action." A spam update is the automated side.
The human side shows up in the Manual Actions report in Search Console. "If your site has no manual actions, you'll see a green check mark and an appropriate message." If you do have one, it matters: "some or all of that site will not be shown in Google search results."
My reading: a green check tells you no reviewer at Google has flagged your site. It doesn't tell you the automated systems are happy with it. That's why the audit still matters.
What to audit on a contractor site
Google's spam policies cover many practices. These are the ones I'd check first on a contractor's site.
City pages that are really doorways
Most contractors serve many towns, so city pages are normal. Google's doorway policy describes a specific kind. Its examples include "Having multiple domain names or pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page" and "Creating substantially similar pages that are closer to search results than a clearly defined, browseable hierarchy".
My test: open two of your city pages and swap the town names. If no one could tell, those pages aren't helping anyone. A city page earns its place with work you've done in that town: real jobs, real photos, details that only apply there. I lay out how city, service and project pages fit together in contractor website structure. Why job pages carry the weight is in project pages versus service pages.
Check the footer too. Google's keyword stuffing examples include "Blocks of text that list cities and regions that a web page is trying to rank for".
Pages made in bulk
Google calls this scaled content abuse. It's "when many pages are generated for the primary purpose of manipulating search rankings and not helping users", and the method doesn't matter: "no matter how it's created". One example: "Using generative AI tools or other similar tools to generate many pages without adding value for users".
If your site has dozens of near-identical pages, such as one water heater repair page per suburb with only the town name changed, start there. Google's instruction for this content is short: "If you're hosting such content on your site, exclude it from Search."
Bought links and link swaps
Google's link spam policy covers "Buying or selling links for ranking purposes", including "Exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links" and "Exchanging goods or services for links". It also lists "Excessive link exchanges" and "Low-quality directory or bookmark site links".
On a contractor site, I'd look for link packages you paid for and bulk directory submissions. I'd also look for partner pages where trades link to each other only for the links. Paid links can be fine when they're labeled. Google says they're allowed "as long as they are qualified with a rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored" attribute value".
In its steps for a link-related manual action, Google starts here: "Download a list of links to your site from Search Console."
If you sell guest posts on your own blog, read Google's site reputation policy. It applies where "third-party content is published on a host site mainly because of that host's already-established ranking signals".
Hidden text
The version I'd look for is a hidden list of towns or keywords. Google's examples include "Using white text on a white background", "Using CSS to position text off-screen" and "Setting the font size or opacity to 0". Google's manual action help adds a tip for finding it: "You can often reveal such text by selecting all the text on the page, for example by pressing Ctrl + A or Command + A."
Not everything hidden is a problem. Google lists "Accordion or tabbed content that toggle between hiding and showing additional content" among the design elements that "don't violate our policies".
Reviews have their own rules
Google's web search spam policies don't address customer reviews. Reviews on your Business Profile fall under Google Maps' content policy. It bans "Reviews or ratings that have been paid for, directly or in kind." It also says businesses may not "Offer incentives – such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services - in exchange for posting any review or revision or removal of a negative review."
Google hasn't linked this spam update to reviews, so don't read a ranking change as a review problem. The way I'd ask for reviews, after every completed job, is in why DFW home service companies miss the map pack.
What Google says about recovery
From Google's spam updates page: "Sites that see a change after a spam update should review our spam policies to ensure they are complying with those." Then: "Making changes may help a site improve if our automated systems learn over a period of months that the site complies with our spam policies."
Note the words "may" and "months". That's Google's own hedge, and I won't promise more than Google does.
Links are a special case. Google says that after a link spam update, "making changes might not generate an improvement", and "Any potential ranking benefits generated by those links cannot be regained." Google hasn't called the September update a link spam update, so this may not apply here.
A manual action works differently. You fix it, then ask Google to review it, and the fix has to be complete: "Fixing the issue on just some pages will not earn you a partial return to search results." Google says "Most reconsideration reviews can take several days or weeks".
What not to do
- Don't guess the target. Google didn't name one. Fix what breaks the written policies.
- Don't disavow every link. In its steps for a link-related manual action, Google warns: "Simply disavowing all backlinks without attempting to remove them might lead to rejection of your request."
- Don't rebuild pages that are doing fine. For small drops in position, Google says: "we recommend avoiding making radical changes if your page is already performing well."
- Don't move the problem. Shifting doorway pages to a new subdomain or a second site doesn't fix them. Google's circumvention policy names "Using existing or creating new subdomains, subdirectories, or sites with the intention of continuing to violate our policies".
- Don't buy a recovery promise. Google says changes "may help" over months. Nobody can promise you a date.
The next step
Compare Search Console across the window, check Manual Actions, and audit your site against Google's written rules. If you'd rather go through it with someone, see my local SEO services.
Sources
Google pages fetched and checked on Oct 20, 2026.
- Google Search Status Dashboard: September 2026 spam update
- Google Search Central: Google Search spam updates and your site
- Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search
- Search Console Help: Manual actions report
- Google Search Central: Debugging drops in Google Search traffic
- Google Maps contribution policy: Prohibited and restricted content