On Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. French time, Google launched its annual summer update. But this time, it is a Spam Update rather than a Core Update. We explain.
Google updates its algorithm for the third time in 2025
After the latest June 2025 Core Update, Google announces a Spam Update aimed at improving detection of spam and new types of spam, via the Google Search Central social accounts:
In French:
Today we published the August 2025 spam update. It may take a few weeks. This is a regular spam update, which will be rolled out in all languages and locations. Once the rollout is complete, we will publish a post on the Google Search status dashboard.
Find all the latest Google updates on our dedicated page.
Spam Update: impacts different from a Core Update
A "spam update" specifically targets spam practices on websites, such as mass automatically generated content, low-quality or duplicated content, deceptive redirects, and other abuses intended to manipulate rankings. It aims to clean search results of misleading or abusive content by improving Google's automated anti-spam systems.
A "core algorithm update" (Core Update) is a broader and deeper update to Google's main algorithms which globally re-evaluates the quality, relevance, and user satisfaction of content shown in search results. It does not specifically target spam.
Every year, Google carries out its updates in August, usually “Core Updates”, but not always:
What to do if affected by a Spam Update?
During the update: nothing. Wait until the update finishes before running analyses and identifying affected pages or sections. You can also conduct an SEO audit to help you fix the issues.
If you are affected by a Spam Update, review Google's spam policies to ensure you're complying. Making changes can help your site recover if Google no longer detects spam on it. However, in the case of an update specifically targeting link spam, making changes may not lead to improvement:
When our systems remove the effects that spammy links can have, any ranking benefit those links previously provided to your site is lost. The potential ranking advantages generated by those links cannot be recovered.
If this concept of an Update is new to you or worries you, we recommend these articles:
- 'Don't panic!': how to handle Google's announcements?
- Google Updates: understanding Google's updates
- Google Algorithms: Definitions, History and How They Work [2025 Guide]
- FAQ: Understanding and resolving a manual action related to spam
Check back in a few weeks to review the impact of this Spam Update!
The importance of staying informed about core updates
Staying informed about the latest changes to Google's algorithm is essential for all site owners. Core updates can have a major impact on traffic, and anticipating these changes provides a competitive advantage. We explain which tools to use to track Google's algorithm updates !
The article “Spam Update August 2025: Google rolls out its anti-spam algorithm update” was published on the site Abondance.
