Google’s September 2026 spam update finished on October 8. Now the question across SEO groups is: is a core update coming next?
The honest answer: nobody outside Google knows the date. What we can do is look at the patterns, separate them from rumours, and use the time to prepare.
Core update vs spam update: what’s the difference?
People often confuse these two, and they need different responses:
| Core update | Spam update | |
|---|---|---|
| What it changes | How Google judges overall quality and relevance | How Google detects spam policy violations |
| Who it affects | Almost every site, up or down | Mainly sites breaking spam policies |
| Typical rollout | About 2 weeks | Hours to 2 weeks |
| “Fix” for a drop | Improve overall quality and usefulness | Remove the policy violations |
A drop after a core update does not mean you did something wrong. It often means Google decided other pages answer the query better.
Core and spam updates so far in 2026
- March 2026: spam update (March 24–25), followed by a core update just three days later
- May 2026: core update, May 21 – June 2
- June 2026: spam update, June 24–26
- August 2026: spam update, August 18–21
- September 2026: spam update, September 24 – October 8
So the last confirmed core update ended in early June. By mid-October, that’s a gap of over four months.
Does a spam update mean a core update is coming?
Not reliably. Here’s what history shows:
- March 2026: a core update followed the spam update within three days.
- October 2023: Google launched a spam update on October 4 and a core update the very next day.
- Many other times: spam updates came and went with no core update after them.
Google’s past behaviour isn’t consistent enough to predict anything from a spam update alone. Still, given the gap since May and the fact that Google often runs a core update later in the year, another core update before the end of 2026 wouldn’t be surprising.
So prepare as if one is coming, without panicking.
How to prepare your site for the next core update
1. Fix keyword cannibalization
When two or three of your pages target the same query, Google has to choose, and often picks neither strongly. Mapping one keyword to one page is the single most common fix I make for clients. Here’s my process: One Keyword, One Page.
2. Update, merge, or remove weak content
Go to Search Console and find pages with impressions but almost no clicks, and pages with no impressions at all over 12 months. Improve the best ones, merge the overlapping ones, and remove the truly useless ones.
3. Show real experience
Core updates keep rewarding content that shows first-hand experience: your own photos, data, results, and process. Generic “10 tips” posts written from other blogs keep losing. A real example: our hospital SEO case study.
4. Strengthen author and brand signals
Add clear author bios, an About page, and consistent brand details across the web. If you’re eligible, claim your Google Search profile. It doesn’t change rankings directly, but it helps Google understand who you are: Google Search Profiles in India.
5. Get your technical foundation right
A core update magnifies existing weaknesses. Check indexing, page speed, internal linking and site structure now, not after a drop.
6. Write for AI answers too
More searches now end in an AI Overview or AI Mode answer, and Google Discover is moving in a similar direction (here’s what’s changing). Clear structure, direct answers and original insight help you both rank and get cited.
What to do when the core update starts
- Don’t make big changes during the rollout. Wait until Google confirms it’s complete.
- Note the start and end dates. Compare two weeks before vs two weeks after in Search Console.
- Check by page and query. Find out which pages lost, then compare them with the pages that now outrank you.
- Improve, don’t just tweak. Changing a title tag rarely reverses a core update drop. Making the page genuinely better does.
- Expect slow recovery. Gains often show up after the next core update, not within days.
FAQs
When is the next Google core update in 2026?
Google hasn’t announced one. Google usually confirms core updates on its Search Status Dashboard when they start. I’ll update this post as soon as that happens.
How often does Google release core updates?
Usually a few times a year, often every two to four months, though the gaps vary.
Can I recover from a core update without waiting for the next one?
Some improvement can happen between updates, but bigger recoveries often appear when the next core update rolls out.
Should I stop publishing until the update is over?
No. Keep publishing quality content. Just avoid major site changes in the middle of a rollout.
Want your site checked before the next core update hits? Book a free SEO audit, or see how I work on my SEO services page.
