The September 2026 spam update
On September 24 at 9:15 a.m. Pacific time, Google started the September 2026 spam update with the brief note that it "applies globally and to all languages". It finished on October 8, after almost 14 days. That is unusually long: the three spam updates before it, in March, June, and August, each completed in roughly one to three days. With four spam updates, 2026 is the most active year of this kind since 2021.
Google did not say which spam tactics were in focus. Spam updates generally improve the automated systems that detect violations of the spam policies. Ranking tools showed clear fluctuations from September 25 to 27, on September 30, and from October 4 to 6. Some SEOs compared the impact to a core update; Google classifies it as a normal spam update.
Core updates: quiet since May
There was no core update in September or October, despite plenty of speculation. The last one started on May 21, 2026, with another in March before that. Both fell into the period when Google was heavily rebuilding search around AI features. If you have seen stable rankings since June and losses since late September, look at the spam update first, not at an assumed core update. What the spring core updates rewarded is covered on our SEO services page.
Affected? How to check
- Narrow down the period: in the Search Console performance report, compare clicks and impressions from September 24 with the weeks before, page by page. If the drop falls into the three fluctuation windows, the spam update is the most likely cause.
- Check manual actions: look under "Security and manual actions". Spam updates work automatically and create no entry; a manual action would be a different problem with its own review process.
- Compare against the spam policies: particularly relevant are mass-produced content without added value, third-party content on a high-reputation domain (site reputation abuse), bought expired domains repurposed for unrelated content, and link schemes.
- Plan for patience: Google writes that changes can help if its automated systems learn "over a period of months" that a site complies with the policies. A fast recovery after cleaning up is not to be expected.
New report: visibility in AI Overviews and AI Mode
Since August 31 every Search Console property has its own report for generative AI features, provided there is enough data. Google announced it in June, initially for a small share of sites. The report shows how often a site's URLs appeared in AI Overviews, AI Mode, and AI Overviews in Discover, broken down by page, country, device, and time period, down to hourly granularity.
What is missing matters: no clicks, no click-through rate, no queries. You can see that a page appears in AI answers, but neither for what nor whether visits result from it. In practice: put the report next to the classic performance report and compare at page level. Pages with many AI impressions and falling organic clicks are the candidates where the AI answer replaces the click. How to become visible beyond Google, in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and others, is covered in our post GEO, AEO, LLMO.
The opt-out switch: turn it on or not?
Also since August 31, every site has a switch in Search Console to remove its content from generative AI features. According to Google, the site then no longer appears in AI Overviews, AI Mode, and AI Overviews in Discover and is no longer used to ground those answers. It stays in regular search results and the Discover feed. The Gemini app is not covered by the switch. The background is an order by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), whose obligations take legal effect on December 3, 2026; Google rolled the switch out worldwide anyway.
Our recommendation for most businesses: do not opt out. The AI answer does not disappear when you opt out; it is then built from your competitors' content. There is no ranking advantage in regular search, and so far there is no evidence that excluded sites gain more clicks. For businesses that earn money from consulting, products, or services, being mentioned in the AI answer is brand visibility you should not give up voluntarily.
The math can look different for publishers that live on page views and whose content is fully summarized in AI answers. Even then: measure for a few weeks with the new report which pages are affected, then decide. If you want to check how well your site is prepared for AI answers, try our GEO Checker.
AI Overviews expand automatically
Since late August, SEOs have observed that AI Overviews on desktop appear fully expanded for some queries, with an input field for follow-up questions that leads into AI Mode. Previously this required clicking "Show more". Google has not announced it officially. According to the observations, the expansion stops if the user is already scrolling. The consequence matches the rest of the trend: organic results slide further down, and whether your page is cited in the AI answer becomes more important than the position below it.
Ads are moving into this surface as well: Google is testing serving exact and phrase match keywords from standard Search campaigns in AI Mode. Details are in our Google Ads update for October 2026.
Google pays for AI contributions for the first time
Announced in April and detailed in September: in the "AI Contribution" pilot, Google pays selected sites when their content contributes significantly to an answer in AI Overviews, AI Mode, or the Gemini app. A citation alone is not enough, and fact-checking or linking after the answer does not count either. According to Google, compensation is based more on value than on frequency. Participants see their monthly earnings in Search Console, but how the amounts are calculated remains unclear.
So far at least several dozen publishers have been invited, explicitly including small and mid-sized sites beyond news. Google has not named countries, and there is no way to apply. For company websites this is a signal for now, not a business model: Google is acknowledging that content has a value for AI answers that has not been paid for so far.
We have been working on websites since 2010 and today align SEO with both classic rankings and mentions in AI answers. If you see losses after the spam update or want to know how your site performs in the new AI report, reach out via contact.
What we recommend now
- This week: check the performance report from September 24 and map losses to the spam update's fluctuation windows.
- If you lost traffic: review content against the spam policies, clean up, and plan months rather than weeks for recovery.
- Open the new AI report and compare it page by page with organic clicks.
- Do not flip the opt-out switch hastily. Measure first, then decide; for most businesses it stays off.
- Prepare content for AI answers: clear answers, your own data, structured data, and pages that crawlers can read completely.
FAQ
Was there a core update in fall 2026?
No. The last one started on May 21, 2026. In the fall only the spam update ran, from September 24 to October 8.
How long does recovery after a spam update take?
According to Google, months rather than weeks after the violations are fixed.
What does the new AI report show?
Impressions in AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Discover by page, country, device, and time. No clicks, no queries.
Should I opt out of AI Overviews?
For most businesses, no. Publishers should measure first, then decide.