Blog Google updates
Google updates.
Algorithm updates, policy changes, and what they mean for real sites. 12 posts, newest first.
Google September 2026 spam update: what changed and what to doGoogle's fourth spam update of 2026 began 24 September and may take two weeks. What Google said, how to tell if you were hit, and what not to touch yet.
CrUX ad metrics: what Google's four new ad measurements actually trackCrUX ad metrics explained: ad count, ad density and two ad weight measures, where the data shows up, and whether Google says they affect ranking.
Why do Google search results differ by country? Google just documented itGoogle published a regional differences page on 8 September 2026. Aggregator units, supplier units, and why a UK site sees none of them.
Is programmatic SEO bad? What John Mueller actually saidMueller called programmatic SEO a play that often leads to spam on 7 September 2026. The qualifiers the headlines dropped, and the GSC read.
Google's site reputation policy update: what changedGoogle splits site reputation manual actions by region from 30 August. What the change does, the four factors behind a review, and who should care.
How long do Google updates take to roll out?Ten rollouts from Google's status dashboard, timed. Core updates cluster around two weeks, spam updates do not cluster at all, and the gap matters.
google.com/goto in search results: what it is and what it breaksgoogle.com/goto is a redirect Google now puts on search result links. Tested 28 August 2026: what it breaks, what stays fine, and what happens to referral data.
Google changed JSON-LD escaping: what to check on your siteGooglebot now applies one pass of HTML unescaping to JSON-LD. Double-escaped entities stay literal. What breaks, and the check I ran on 120 pages.
Site name not showing in Google Search: how to fix itGoogle picks your site name automatically from the home page. The WebSite markup it reads, the one name per domain rule, and how long a change takes.
Favicons disappearing from Google Search: what happenedSites lost their favicons in Google Search from about 17 August 2026. Google has confirmed the bug is on its end. What I checked, and what not to do.
What to do during a Google update: my checklistA Google update is rolling out. What to do in Search Console while it runs, what not to touch, and the before and after comparison that works.
August 2026 spam update: what Google said and what to checkGoogle's third spam update of 2026 began 18 August. What Google actually said, which policies it skips, and how to read Search Console until it ends.Nothing in that category yet.
Or browse every post, and the evergreen answers in the guides.