Google's September 2026 spam update began on 24 September and, according to Search Engine Roundtable, had finished rolling out by 8 October. Google said it "may take up to two weeks to complete." If your shop's traffic moved in that window, this guide covers what we know and what to check.
What We Know
Search Engine Journal reports that it is the fourth spam update of 2026, following updates in March, June and August, and that it applies globally to all languages. Earlier updates finished in hours or days, so the two-week window is longer than before. Google hasn't said which spam policy or tactic it targets. Search Engine Roundtable adds that it does not target link spam, and does not cover every spam policy.
Google's guidance is to check Search Console if rankings shifted, review its spam policies, and fix problems, with the caveat that its systems may take months to recognise that a site complies.
Where Shops Carry Risk
Imaginaire's review of the March 2026 spam update lists the areas of an ecommerce site most exposed to this kind of update: thin category copy, auto-generated buying guides, duplicated manufacturer descriptions and doorway-style faceted pages. It reports that stores with original product descriptions and genuine reviews were largely unaffected, while sites using supplier-feed text saw visibility drops. Treat that as third-party analysis of one update, not a confirmed rule for this one.
| Practice | Why it carries risk | Safer approach |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier text on product pages | The same copy sits on many sites | Rewrite top sellers first, adding your own detail |
| Mass-generated buying guides | Pages made at scale add little for users | Fewer guides, written from real product knowledge |
| Indexable filter combinations | Thousands of near-identical pages | Control indexing; see our faceted navigation guide |
| Thin category intros | Little unique value on the page | Short, useful copy that helps a shopper choose |
A Checklist for This Week
- In Search Console, compare clicks by page type for the week before 24 September and the week after 8 October.
- Pull your top 50 revenue pages and check how many still use supplier text.
- Check how many filter or search URLs are indexable.
- List any pages produced in bulk, by tool or template, and decide whether each one earns its place.
If nothing moved, nothing needs fixing in response, but the same checks are good housekeeping. Our product page checklist is the follow-on.