On September 24, 2026, at 9:15 a.m. Pacific Time, Google began rolling out the September 2026 Spam Update. Unlike the previous spam sweeps of 2026 (March, June, and August), which ended in a few days, this update has an extended rollout window of up to two weeks. On the same day, Google Search Console (GSC) introduced a major diagnostic upgrade by adding a multimodal filter to the Performance report for image-initiated searches.
This convergence of a prolonged global spam update affecting all regions and languages and a new way to measure search traffic creates a complex environment for SEO teams. As the SERPs experience extended volatility, the main directive is to avoid panicky content changes. Instead, teams should focus on diagnostic isolation using the new GSC filters and prepare compliance audits against Google’s spam policies.
Search Console Diagnostic Shift: “Web (text)” vs. “Web (multimodal)”
Google’s new multimodal search type filter gives website owners a combined view of performance from image-initiated Google searches. The data covers interactions from Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, image uploads to Google Search, and Chrome’s right-click “Search this image” feature.
This option is under the “Web” search type in GSC. Specific query data isn’t available for this filter because multimodal searches mostly use images rather than text. For SEO reporting, comparing your current Performance report against a pre-September 24 baseline without segmenting your data might create the illusion of sudden text-search traffic drops. By splitting your analysis, you can accurately identify whether your visual assets capture traffic from these visual and multimodal experiences.
Deconstructing the 14-Day Spam Sweep Targets
While Google hasn’t confirmed the exact tactics this update targets, the global sweep means any violation of Google’s spam policies is at risk. For enterprise SEO, three primary risk areas require immediate review during this 14-day window:
- Scaled Content & AI Aggregation Abuse: AI-generated content abuse remains a likely focus. Google’s systems are actively hunting for programmatic text and unedited AI outputs that add no original value.
- Site Reputation Abuse (Leased Subdirectories): Re-evaluating white-label commercial subdirectories, third-party coupon hubs, and hosted licensing sections that borrow host domain authority is critical.
- Expired Domain & Parasite SEO Enforcement: Repurchasing expired authoritative domains solely to siphon their residual trust into unrelated commercial verticals continues to be a high-priority target for Google’s spam classifiers.
The “Wait & Audit” Execution Framework
Because this update may take up to two weeks to complete, making structural changes now is a mistake. Here is your actionable protocol:
- Freeze Structural Refactoring: Monitor your website for sustained changes instead of reacting to daily ranking volatility.
- Establish Dual-Baseline GSC Reports: Update your reporting workflows to use the new multimodal filter. Separate your text-based web search data from image-initiated queries to get an accurate read on your true position shifts.
- Run an On-Page Entity & Proof Audit: Check your top-performing pages. If they lack first-hand evidence or primary author credentials, prioritize them for editorial review. If penalized, it can take many months for Google’s systems to recognize that a site now complies with its spam policies.
- Review External Link Neighborhoods: While some reports suggest this update doesn’t exclusively target link spam, auditing recent link acquisitions or directory submissions ensures you are insulated against broader algorithmic sweeps.
October Action Plan
The most important step now is measurement, not guesswork. Hold steady on drastic site overhauls until Google confirms the update is complete.
Immediate Checklist:
- Update client-facing reporting templates to account for the new GSC multimodal filter.
- Flag any programmatic or AI-scaled publishing pipelines for immediate editorial review.
- Prepare a post-rollout audit roadmap for mid-October once the SERPs stabilize.
Expert Value-Add Tip When analyzing traffic drops following the September 24 update, do not rely on total GSC performance views. Because Google introduced multimodal reporting on September 24, pulling a standard comparison without selecting the specific search type sub-option will skew your click and impression trends. Always pull fresh, explicitly filtered reports for both “text” and “multimodal” separately to isolate actual organic drops from UI metric reclassifications!