Spam Update Still Driving the Weather
Google's September 2026 spam update is the main system in the sky today. It started on September 24 at 9:15 a.m. PDT, is still active, applies globally, and may take up to two weeks to finish. Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, and Search Engine Roundtable all line up on the key point: this is the fourth confirmed spam update of 2026, and Google has not said exactly which spam tactics are being targeted.
Rankings Are Windy, Not Chaotic
The live volatility picture is moderate-high, not full panic. Today's partial score is 6.3/10, but the more useful signal is the last completed stretch: rankings have been unsettled since September 23, peaking at 7.8/10 on September 26 and holding near that zone. Search Engine Roundtable also flagged volatility around September 23 and 24, before and after the spam update announcement, so do not assume every wiggle is the update itself.
Search Console Gets More Visual
The other practical development is Search Console's new multimodal search reporting, announced September 24. In plain English: Google is starting to show site owners when traffic comes from visual searches like Lens, Circle to Search, image uploads, and Chrome's "Search this image" feature. That matters for ecommerce, local businesses, publishers, recipes, travel, and anyone whose images help people decide.
What to Do
- Check Search Console by page and query, not just total traffic.
- If traffic drops, audit for thin, copied, mass-produced, or deceptive content.
- Do not make panic edits during the rollout unless you find a real spam issue.
- Add stronger original images, captions, product photos, and visual context.
Bottom line: this is a windy spam-update week. Clean sites should mostly monitor. Sites leaning on shortcuts should expect rough air.
