Google 2025 spam update

Google’s August 2025 Spam Update reinforced its existing spam policies across all regions and languages. The update was active from 26 August to 22 September 2025. During early September, many properties recorded sharp drops in Google Search Console impressions. These changes coincided with Google’s removal of the num=100 search parameter, which altered how deep-rank results were measured.

This article outlines observed effects, diagnostic methods, and advisory steps for WordPress and Payload CMS environments.

Update

Google identified this as a normal spam update rather than a core re-ranking event. The rollout strengthened enforcement of policies against hidden or manipulated content, doorway pages, cloaking, and auto-generated text. Recovery typically follows gradual re-crawling and content review rather than immediate gains.

Key notes:

• Multi-week rollout completed by 22 September 2025.
• Enforcement activity confirmed on Google’s Search Status dashboard.
• Affected content includes thin, scraped, or machine-generated material.

Impact

Sites containing repetitive or low-depth content experienced measurable ranking declines. Large publishers and information-rich platforms observed relative stability. Volatility persisted through mid-September as search systems were adjusted.

Google Search

Around 10 September 2025, impression counts dropped sharply for many accounts. Desktop data was generally more affected than mobile. Average position values improved while click levels remained steady.

This indicates a measurement shift rather than a universal ranking loss. Approximately 77 percent of analysed sites displayed reduced keyword visibility.

The num=100 parameter previously enabled display of 100 results per page. Its removal required search tools to issue multiple paginated requests. This altered impression accounting within Search Console and increased resource requirements for third-party ranking platforms.

Deep-rank impressions were no longer registered, creating a new performance baseline.

Diagnostics

Before assuming a ranking penalty, organisations are advised to confirm whether user traffic, sessions, or conversions have changed. Baseline verification assists in distinguishing between algorithmic effects and reporting adjustments.

Recommended

• Confirm user traffic with analytics and server logs.
• Review indexing coverage and canonical signals in Search Console.
• Identify low-quality or duplicative content.
• Group URLs by ranking depth and monitor affected templates.
• Establish a post-September baseline for ongoing assessment.

Recovery

Remediation is most effective when progressive and documented. Content should be rewritten or consolidated where value is limited. E-E-A-T principles, experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trust, remain central to content quality. Technical factors, such as structured data and meta information, should also be verified.

Improvement

• Evaluate duplicate or short articles and merge where logical.
• Remove hidden text, off-screen elements, or doorway patterns.
• Update author details and include supporting references.
• Validate page titles and descriptions for relevance and clarity.
• Confirm pagination and crawl coverage with service providers.

Reporting

Executives and analysts are encouraged to annotate both events within Search Console and Looker Studio timelines. Comparisons between pre- and post-September metrics should be interpreted cautiously. Focus should remain on metrics reflecting genuine engagement such as sessions, conversion rate, and revenue contribution.

Maintain an internal record of all content adjustments, removed URLs, and revised structures. This documentation supports compliance reviews and external audits. For regulated sectors, ensure professional accreditation and reliable citations for expert content.

Timeline

The following table summarises key dates and milestones associated with the August 2025 Spam Update and the September Search Console parameter change.

Metric

The table below compares essential performance metrics before and after the num=100 removal to illustrate how reporting baselines have shifted.

Checklist

This checklist provides structured recommendations and corresponding tools to guide verification, remediation, and monitoring activities following the update.

Organisations are encouraged to view the August 2025 Spam Update and the September num=100 parameter removal as two related but distinct events. Validation of real traffic, systematic content remediation, recalibrated baselines, and well-annotated reporting environments will support recovery and transparency.