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Google’s September 2025 SEO Updates: Spam Update Rollout & Documentation Changes

  • Writer: Search Optimax
    Search Optimax
  • Sep 22
  • 2 min read

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Google has been busy in the past few weeks, rolling out its August 2025 Spam Update and releasing new documentation changes in September 2025. These updates highlight Google’s stronger commitment to fighting spam, simplifying structured data, and supporting high-quality, user-first websites. If you own a website or run SEO campaigns, here’s everything you need to know.

August 2025 Spam Update – Still Rolling Out

On August 26, 2025, Google officially began rolling out the August 2025 Spam Update, the first spam-focused algorithm change of the year. The rollout is expected to take up to three weeks and will impact all languages and regions worldwide.

Key Highlights:

  • Penalty: Sites using manipulative SEO tactics may face ranking losses.

  • Target: Thin content, auto-generated pages, link schemes, cloaking, and harmful websites.

  • Recovery: May take months — sites must align with Google’s spam policies.

If you’ve seen sudden ranking drops since late August, this update may be the reason. Focus on content quality, backlink cleanup, and E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) to recover.

September 2025 Documentation Updates

Google also published fresh Search Central documentation updates in September, reflecting changes in supported structured data and paywall guidance.

September 9 – Structured Data Deprecation

Google removed documentation for several structured data types that no longer appear in search results:

  • Course info

  • Estimated salary

  • Learning video

  • Special announcement

  • Vehicle listing

What it means: If your site still uses these schema types, they no longer add SEO value. Update your structured data to focus on supported features like product markup, FAQs, and reviews.

August 28 – Paywalls & Carousels

  • New Paywall Guidance: Google added rules for JavaScript-based paywalls, which can make it harder to identify paywalled content.

  • Carousels Expansion: Structured data carousels (beta) are now available in South Africa.

What it means: Publishers using JS paywalls should review the new guidance to avoid indexing issues.

Why These Updates Matter

Google’s August Spam Update and September documentation changes send a clear message:

  • Low-quality, spammy tactics won’t survive.

  • Deprecated schema won’t help your SEO anymore.

  • Websites that prioritize user experience, clean structure, and E-E-A-T are rewarded.

For SEO professionals and site owners, this is the time to:

  1. Audit and remove outdated schema.

  2. Improve content quality and expertise.

  3. Monitor rankings in Google Search Console during the spam update rollout.

Final Thoughts

The September 2025 SEO updates combine algorithm changes and documentation cleanup, both pointing toward the same goal: a cleaner, safer, and more useful search experience.

If your site is built on authentic, helpful, and policy-compliant content, these changes are actually good news — because your competitors using spam tactics are likely losing visibility.

Stay updated by checking:

  • Google Search Status Dashboard

  • Google Search Central Documentation

 
 
 

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