Google confirmed the August 2025 spam update finished rolling out on September 22, 2025, after starting on August 26. The confirmation appears on the Search Status Dashboard status page.
Key details
- Google lists the rollout from August 26 to September 22, 2025 on the status page.
- Spam updates are improvements to automated spam detection systems - including SpamBrain - that run continuously and are periodically refined, as Google explains.
- Sites that violate Google's spam policies can see reduced visibility or removal. Fixing issues can help once systems recrawl and reassess pages.
- Policies cover cloaking, hacked content, link spam, scraped content, scaled content abuse, and expired domain abuse. See the full policies.
Background
Spam updates are one category of Google Search ranking updates focused on enforcing published spam policies rather than adjusting broader ranking signals. Google periodically announces notable improvements to these automated systems, as it explains.
The Search Status Dashboard confirms when rollouts start and finish. For this update's timing, see the status page.
Early impact
Early third-party analysis from SISTRIX characterizes broad volatility as relatively muted, with demotions concentrated where pages likely violated policies.
What site owners should do
- Review Google's spam policies and address any violations - especially scaled content abuse, link spam, and expired domain abuse.
- Remove or disavow manipulative links and eliminate cloaking, doorway pages, and scraped content.
- Secure your site to prevent hacked content and reduce thin or duplicate pages.
- Monitor Search Console and allow time for reprocessing after changes.
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