Google has officially completed the rollout of its August 2025 Spam Update, which began on August 26, 2025, and finished on September 22, 2025. This update ran for 27 days, making it one of the longer spam update rollouts in recent history.
Unlike a link spam update, this was a broad spam update, similar in scale to the December 2024 update, but it took almost three weeks longer to fully deploy.
Key Highlights of the August 2025 Spam Update
- Name: Google August 2025 Spam Update
- Launched: August 26, 2025 (12:00 pm ET)
- Completed: September 22, 2025 (2:00 am ET)
- Target: Websites violating Google’s spam policies
- Not Targeted: Link spam and site reputation abuse policies
- Impact: Global, affecting all languages and regions
- Penalty: Sites using spammy techniques against Google’s guidelines were penalized
- Recovery: Websites hit by this update should review and comply with Google’s spam policies. Recovery may take months and depends on periodic refreshes.
What Happened During the Rollout?
The rollout was unpredictable. Initially, the update hit fast and hard around August 27, then cooled for a few days before heating up again around September 9.
Tracking the update became especially difficult after Google removed the num parameter, which previously allowed users and SEO tools to view more results per page. This change impacted third-party rank tracking tools and caused noticeable impression declines in Google Search Console.
What Google Said
Google confirmed the update with a brief statement:
- “Released the August 2025 spam update, which applies globally and to all languages. The rollout may take a few weeks to complete.”
On September 22, 2025, Google officially declared the rollout complete.
While Google has not revealed the exact percentage of queries impacted, many in the SEO community reported fluctuations throughout the 27-day rollout.
How to Recover If You Were Impacted
If your site was affected, the best course of action is to:
- Review Google’s spam policies thoroughly.
- Audit your content for low-quality, duplicate, or manipulative tactics.
- Improve user experience with original, helpful, and trustworthy content.
- Wait for refreshes – recovery usually happens only after future spam updates or refreshes, which can take months.
The August 2025 Spam Update reinforces Google’s ongoing commitment to fighting search spam and rewarding sites that provide valuable, high-quality content.
For website owners, SEOs, and digital marketers, staying updated with Google’s spam policies and prioritizing content quality is more important than ever.
At SEO Guru NYC, our team of expert SEO consultants in NYC keeps a close eye on every Google algorithm update, including the August 2025 Spam Update. We help businesses stay compliant with Google’s search policies while improving visibility and traffic. If your website was impacted by this update, our consultants can guide you through recovery strategies and build a stronger SEO foundation for long-term success. Ready to protect and grow your online presence? Contact today and let us optimize your website for lasting results.
