Spam update done, penalties up, trackers unreliable
One SEO who cleans up Google penalties says sites hit by them can lose 90% of their traffic overnight, and she is getting more of those calls than at any time since 2012. Here is what actually settled this week.
Why your traffic moved
The spam update is over, so rankings should settle now
Google's September 2026 spam update (a ranking change aimed at sites breaking its rules) finished rolling out on October 8, Google confirmed. It ran long, and Barry Schwartz is now asking site owners how it treated them and when the next core update will land. If your traffic moved during the rollout, the movement should stop here.
Who this affects: Everyone with a website that saw traffic move in late September or early October.
- Compare clicks before and after the rollout in Search Console.
- Our take: wait a week before changing anything based on it.
Your ranking numbers are unreliable this week
Google Search Console's performance report (where you see clicks and search positions) is severely delayed, and Barry Schwartz says third-party rank tracking tools are struggling badly at the same time. Shaun Anderson says a delay like this showed up just before the last couple of broad core updates. Nobody has confirmed a new update, so treat any numbers you see right now as shaky.
This delay happened the last couple of times just before Google went for commodity content in a Broad Core Update.
Who this affects: Everyone who checks rankings or Search Console data.
- Do nothing, the data is late rather than your traffic dropping.
- Our take: wait for the backlog to clear before judging changes.
Getting into AI answers
An AI company now bans using it to fake AI answers
Anthropic has banned using Claude to seed the sources that search engines and AI tools pull answers from with content that hides who wrote it. The ban was announced October 8 and takes effect November 12, and the penalty is losing access to Claude. Lily Ray notes the previous policy, from September 2025, did not mention search engines or AI answers at all.
like we've been saying for a long time, the AI platforms are NOT going to let the gaming of AI Search continue to happen
Who this affects: Anyone paying for AI visibility services that promise mentions in AI answers.
- Ask any AI visibility vendor exactly how they get you cited.
- Our take: avoid networks of sites posing as independent sources.
ChatGPT is reading the forgotten corners of your site
One SEO says ChatGPT is running more site: searches (searches limited to one website), so your subdomains (separate sections like help.yoursite.com) now feed its answers. Lily Ray says that includes help centers, product documentation, forums and content hubs, and warns that staging sites can be in there too. She suggests listing every subdomain you own and deciding what you want AI tools to see.
I would start by taking inventory of all of your subdomains - do you want that information to be available to LLMs?
Who this affects: Anyone whose site has a help centre, docs, forum or old test site.
- List every subdomain you own and check what each one says.
- Block or clean up any staging or test subdomain.
Do not do this
Hand-issued penalties are hitting ordinary businesses
Several SEOs say Google is handing out far more manual actions (penalties applied by a human at Google) for thin content, pure spam and scaled content. Marie Haynes says most of the hit sites are legitimate long standing businesses, and she compares it to the wave of penalties before Google's Penguin update in April 2012. Daniel Foley Carter says some sites lose over 90% of their traffic overnight.
And I think it may be quite shocking for sites that have thrived more on SEO knowledge than truly being the most helpful and reliable.
Who this affects: Anyone who has published pages in bulk or bought cheap SEO work.
- Open Search Console, click Manual actions, confirm it says no issues.
- Delete or rewrite near-duplicate pages made from one template.
Frequently asked questions
When did Google's September 2026 spam update finish?
Google confirmed the spam update finished rolling out on October 8, 2026. If your site's traffic moved during late September or early October, it should stop moving now.
Why is my Search Console data showing old numbers?
Google Search Console's performance report is severely delayed this week, and third-party rank tracking tools are also struggling. The delay means your numbers are late rather than your traffic actually dropping, so wait for the backlog to clear before judging any changes.
What did Anthropic ban Claude from doing?
Anthropic banned using Claude to create content hidden under fake sources that gets fed to search engines and AI tools for answers. The ban takes effect November 12, 2026, and violating it means losing access to Claude.
Is ChatGPT reading my help pages and staging sites?
Yes, ChatGPT is running more searches limited to individual websites, which means it can now see subdomains like help centers, product documentation, forums and test sites. You should list every subdomain you own and block or clean up any staging or test subdomains you don't want AI tools to access.
Are Google penalties hitting regular websites right now?
Yes, Google is issuing more manual actions (human-applied penalties) for thin content, pure spam and scaled content, and most sites getting hit are legitimate long-standing businesses. Some sites are losing over 90% of their traffic overnight, so check your Search Console for manual actions and delete or rewrite any near-duplicate pages made from templates.