Google Algorithm Update: A Running List (November 2026 Update)

Latest update at a glance (as of November 2, 2026)

• Most recent confirmed update: September 2026 spam update, September 24 to October 8, 2026
• Most recent core update: May 2026 core update, May 21 to June 2, 2026
• Rolling out right now: Nothing confirmed by Google
• Lost traffic because of an algorithm update? Book a free traffic drop consultation

This is every confirmed Google algorithm update, newest first (with rollout dates), what changed and what to do about it. We update this list each time Google posts a new ranking update to its Search Status Dashboard.

If you’re here because your traffic just fell, start with the 5-minute check below. It’ll tell you whether an update is the likely cause before you start rewriting pages.

Is there a Google algorithm update rolling out right now?

No. As of November 2, 2026, Google hasn’t confirmed any ranking update in progress. The last confirmed update was the September 2026 spam update, which finished on October 8.

SEO trackers and forums did report volatility through October, and many SEOs expect a core update before the end of the year. Until Google posts one on the dashboard, treat any October swings as unconfirmed.

Did a Google update hit your site? A 5-minute check

1. Find the day your traffic changed. In Google Search Console, open Performance, set the range to six months and find the day clicks broke from the trend.
2. Match it to a rollout window. Compare that day with the dates below. A drop that starts mid-rollout points to the update. A drop weeks before or after usually doesn’t.
3. Compare clicks with impressions. If impressions held steady but clicks fell, you may be losing clicks to AI Overviews, not rankings. That’s a different fix.
4. See what dropped. Sort pages by click change. A site-wide slide suggests a core update. One page or one section suggests something narrower, like a technical issue or a lost backlink.
5. Wait a week after the rollout ends. Google recommends waiting at least a full week after a core update finishes before judging the impact, because rankings shift during the rollout.

Running a local business? Check your Google Business Profile performance separately. Map pack rankings and organic rankings don’t always move together.

Not sure what caused your drop?

Book a free traffic drop review. We’ll line up your Search Console data against every recent update and tell you whether it was an algorithm update, AI Overviews, a technical problem or plain seasonality. You’ll leave the 30-minute call with a prioritized fix list.

Book your free review

2026 Google algorithm updates

Google has confirmed seven ranking updates so far in 2026: two broad core updates, four spam updates and one Discover-only core update. It’s been the busiest year for spam updates since 2021.

September 2026 spam update

Type: Spam

Rollout: September 24 to October 8, 2026 (about 14 days)

The longest spam update of the year by a wide margin. Earlier 2026 spam updates finished in one to three days, while this one ran close to two weeks, with a second wave of volatility reported around September 30. Google didn’t announce any new spam policies with it.

If you were hit: review your site against Google’s spam policies, especially scaled content, thin affiliate pages and anything published for search engines first. Check Search Console for a manual action.

August 2026 spam update

Type: Spam

Rollout: August 18 to August 21, 2026

A normal, global spam update that applied to all languages and wrapped in under three days. Google didn’t name a specific target.

June 2026 spam update

Type: Spam

Rollout: June 24 to June 26, 2026

Another short, global spam update, about two days long.

May 2026 core update

Type: Core

Rollout: May 21 to June 2, 2026 (about 12 days)

The second broad core update of 2026, and the bigger one. Practitioners reported much stronger ranking swings than in March, with large movement within two days of launch. Google described it as a regular update to surface relevant, satisfying content and published no new guidance.

It also landed while Google was expanding AI Mode, which made it harder for many sites to separate ranking losses from click losses.

March 2026 core update

Type: Core

Rollout: March 27 to April 8, 2026 (about 12 days)

The first broad core update of 2026. It started two days after the March spam update finished, which made early drops hard to attribute. Most SEOs saw it as milder than May.

March 2026 spam update

Type: Spam

Rollout: March 24 to March 25, 2026 (under 20 hours)

The fastest confirmed spam update in the dashboard’s history.

February 2026 Discover core update

Type: Discover core

Rollout: February 5 to February 27, 2026

The first core update Google labeled as Discover-only. It affected traffic from the Google Discover feed, not regular search rankings. If your search clicks held but Discover traffic fell in February, this is the likely cause.

2025 to 2023 Google algorithm updates

Here’s our list of older confirmed updates (newest first). Core updates in this stretch ran anywhere from 6 to 45 days.

Landmark updates that still shape SEO

These older updates changed how Google ranks pages for good. Most of their logic now lives inside Google’s core systems.

• Panda (2011): Demoted thin, low-quality and duplicate content.
• Penguin (2012): Targeted manipulative link building. Now part of the core algorithm.
• Hummingbird (2013): Shifted Google toward understanding query meaning instead of matching keywords.
• Pigeon (2014): Tied local results more closely to traditional ranking signals, a big moment for local SEO.
• Mobile-friendly update (2015): Boosted mobile-friendly pages in mobile results.
• RankBrain (2015): Brought machine learning into ranking.
• BERT (2019): Improved how Google reads the context of words in a query.
• Page experience (2021): Made Core Web Vitals a ranking signal.
• Helpful content update (2022): Started demoting content written for search engines rather than people.

Core update vs. spam update: Why it changes your recovery plan

The type of update tells you what to fix and how long recovery takes.

• Core updates re-score quality across the whole web. They aren’t penalties, and there’s often nothing “broken” to fix. Recovery comes from making your pages genuinely more useful than the competition, and it often doesn’t show until the next core update.
• Spam updates target sites that break Google’s spam policies. If you were hit, there’s usually a specific practice to stop: scaled low-value content, link schemes, cloaking or hosting third-party content that doesn’t fit your site. Cleaning it up can bring rankings back once Google recrawls.

Landmark updates that still shape SEO

These older updates changed how Google ranks pages for good. Most of their logic now lives inside Google’s core systems.

• Panda (2011): demoted thin, low-quality and duplicate content.
• Penguin (2012): targeted manipulative link building. Now part of the core algorithm.
• Hummingbird (2013): shifted Google toward understanding query meaning instead of matching keywords.
• Pigeon (2014): tied local results more closely to traditional ranking signals, a big moment for local SEO.
• Mobile-friendly update (2015): boosted mobile-friendly pages in mobile results.
• RankBrain (2015): brought machine learning into ranking.
• BERT (2019): improved how Google reads the context of words in a query.
• Page experience (2021): made Core Web Vitals a ranking signal.
• Helpful content update (2022): started demoting content written for search engines rather than people.

Core update vs. spam update: why it changes your recovery plan

The type of update tells you what to fix and how long recovery takes.

• Core updates re-score quality across the whole web. They aren’t penalties, and there’s often nothing “broken” to fix. Recovery comes from making your pages genuinely more useful than the competition, and it often doesn’t show until the next core update.
• Spam updates target sites that break Google’s spam policies. If you were hit, there’s usually a specific practice to stop: scaled low-value content, link schemes, cloaking or hosting third-party content that doesn’t fit your site. Cleaning it up can bring rankings back once Google recrawls.

When is the next Google core update?

Google doesn’t announce core updates in advance. It released four in 2024, three in 2025 and two so far in 2026. The gap since the May 2026 update finished is now the longest of the year, and many SEOs expect the next one before the end of 2026.

The best time to prepare is before it lands. Fixes made after an update usually don’t register until the following one.

What to do if a Google update hit your site

1. Confirm it was the update. Run the 5-minute check above before you change anything.
2. Find the pages that lost the most. Then look at who replaced you for those queries and what their pages do better.
3. Audit content honestly. Is it written from real experience? Does it answer the query better than the pages now ranking? Google’s own self-assessment questions are a good gut check.
4. Clean up technical problems. Broken pages, slow load times and crawl issues won’t cause a core update drop, but they make recovery harder.
5. Don’t panic-delete pages. Mass deletions and rewrites during a rollout make it impossible to tell what worked.
6. Give it time. Recovery from a core update often takes months, and sometimes waits for the next one.

What to do if a Google update hit your site

1. Confirm it was the update. Run the 5-minute check above before you change anything.
2. Find the pages that lost the most. Then look at who replaced you for those queries and what their pages do better.
3. Audit content honestly. Is it written from real experience? Does it answer the query better than the pages now ranking? Google’s own self-assessment questions are a good gut check.
4. Clean up technical problems. Broken pages, slow load times and crawl issues won’t cause a core update drop, but they make recovery harder.
5. Don’t panic-delete pages. Mass deletions and rewrites during a rollout make it impossible to tell what worked.
6. Give it time. Recovery from a core update often takes months, and sometimes waits for the next one.

Google algorithm update FAQ

How often does Google update its algorithm?

Google makes changes to search almost every day. Most are small and unannounced. It confirms the big ones, usually two to four core updates and a few spam updates a year.

How long does a core update take to roll out?

Usually one to three weeks. Both 2026 core updates took about 12 days.

Can you recover from a Google core update?

Yes, but rarely overnight. Sites that improve content quality often see gains at the next core update.

Is every traffic drop caused by an algorithm update?

No. Seasonality, technical errors, lost backlinks, tracking problems and AI Overviews taking clicks can all look like an update. Check the dates first.

Lost traffic after an update? Let’s find out why

Redefine Marketing Group has been helping businesses through Google updates for years. Book a free traffic drop review and we’ll tell you what happened, what it’s costing you and exactly what to fix first.

Book your free traffic drop review

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Article sources

• Search Engine Watch: September 2026 spam update and October rumors
• Search Engine Roundtable: November 2026 webmaster report
• Search Engine Land: August 2026 spam update complete
• Search Engine Journal: August 2026 spam update, with June and March timings
• Search Engine Journal: May 2026 core update complete
• Search Engine Journal: March 2026 core update complete
• Search Engine Roundtable: core update history to May 2026
• Coalition Technologies: is another core update coming
• Datashake: core updates per year, 2024 to 2026