Google's August 2025 Spam Update: What You Need to Know

Adam Taylor
Wed, 10 Sep 2025 19:59:49 +0000
Core web vitals, Google algorithm updates

Did you notice that your rankings moved suddenly after August 26, 2025? On that date, Google rolled out its new (and much hyped) spam update. It’s the first spam update since December 2024 and follows the March 2025 and June 2025 core updates.

Here’s a quick breakdown about the spam update:

Start: August 26, 2025

Type: Spam update

Scope: Applied globally to all languages

Rollout: A few weeks

Goal: To have improved control and better enforcement against spammy, low-value patterns. The focus is on scaled/thin content, expired domain abuse, and site reputation abuse.

Action: It’s basically an audit for scaled templates, near-duplicates, and third-party/“parasite” placements on your domain. You’ll need to take action by removing or rebuilding thin clusters, improving intent match, and enhancing authorship signals.

?Why This Update, and Why Now

Since March 2024, Google has targeted three abuse patterns:

1. Scaled Content Abuse

2. Expired Domain Abuse

3. Site Reputation Abuse

Later that year, Google had noticeably tightened language around site reputation abuse to make it clear that hosting third-party content to exploit a host site’s signals is a violation. It didn’t matter if it was an oversight or not.

So now that you’re aware of what occurred in 2024, you can pair that knowledge with the 2025 guidance that warns against mass-producing pages with generative AI “without adding value.”

Understanding that everything set the stage for an even bigger arc helps you decide whether you’re dealing with policy enforcement (spam) or broad rebalancing (core).

?What Google Means by “Spam” in 2025

Things continually change, which makes it imperative that you remain on your toes when it comes to staying current and ahead. You basically need to know what “spam” means in 2025 because things have changed considerably.

Google’s spam policies, which were expanded, cover the following:

Scaled Content Abuse: This refers to very large volumes of what are deemed low-value pages, which have been primarily created with the sole goal of ranking in AI search. This also targets human-created content in much the same way if it has been mass produced, is of low value/quality, and only has the goal of ranking.

Expired Domain Abuse: Recently, it started to become commonplace for people to buy aged domains and then fill them with irrelevant content to pass authority. This is now considered a big no-no.

Site Reputation Abuse (“Parasite SEO”): Parasite SEO is also being pinpointed. This is when third-party content is hosted on reputable sites. Basically, it's piggybacking on the host site’s rankings.

Does it seem confusing? Well, the things listed above are policy violations and not just considered low quality. Getting hit in a spam update typically means Google’s systems detected patterns that break these policies, so the fix is to remove the violations and not chase temporary ranking tweaks.

What’s Different From a Core Update?

Core Updates: Focus on rebalancing multiple ranking systems, and not just focusing on changing or fixing policy breaches.

Spam Updates: Enforce published spam policies. Remember that pages/sites can be demoted or excluded if they violate them. If you’re impacted here, your first stop is a policy audit and not a “core update” content refresh.

What’s Actually Changing Under the Hood

When Google rolls out a spam update, it’s basically decided to push improvements to its spam-detection systems, like SpamBrain and related classifiers.

Google describes spam updates as updates to these systems. They’re not simple tweaks. It recommends reviewing their Spam Policies if you see an impact.

SpamBrain has been Google’s AI-based backbone for years. Google claims it continually retrains it to spot new abuse types (including link schemes and scaled content patterns). That’s why an announced spam update can feel fast and even unexpected. The models have effectively expanded coverage and can suddenly catch behaviors that slipped by before.

Interestingly, even if you clean up violations, recovery still depends on Google recrawling and reprocessing your changes as the rollout continues, so nothing is going to happen overnight.

?Your Four-Phase Response Plan (48 Hours → 90 Days)

Think of the plan as a controlled reset. The reset is very straightforward and focuses on trading volume for unmistakable value. In the first 48 hours, you should have confirmed the time of losses against Google’s rollout window. This would have let you isolate which page templates or sections moved so you can more effectively flag spam policy risks.

Moving forward to days 3–14, you should have removed or non-indexed, programmatic clusters. Then unwound third-party/“parasite” content living on your domain, and consolidated near-duplicates into a single canonical that actually solves the query.

From days 15–45, it’s time to start the rebuild process. And by rebuild, we do not mean reword. You need your content to have firsthand expertise. In addition, it needs clear authorship, original assets, and tighter intent match, then strengthen internal links so equity flows to your one best page per topic.

During days 46–90, monitor recovery by template (not sitewide), keep publishing genuinely useful pieces, and iterate based on Google Search Console signals as Google recrawls and reprocesses your fixes.

?“What to Do Next” Exploring Practical Tasks

Here’s our advice:

1. Start with a quick audit.

2. List your page templates.

3. Look closely for near-duplicates.

4. Flag anything that exists mainly to rank.

5. Cull or noindex thin clusters and doorway-style pages.

6. Consolidate to one canonical that truly solves the query.

7. Bring third-party/partner content under strict editorial control (or move it off of the domain).

8. Always align any expired domain projects with real user intent.

When focusing on content, you’ll need to rebuild/rewrite it so that it offers things such as the following:

Firsthand expertise

Clear authorship

Original assets

Tighter internal links

Submit key URLs for recrawl in Google Search Console and track recovery by template, so you can iterate where it actually moves the needle.

Kill the zombies. Identify pages with negligible impressions and near-duplicate text. Delete or noindex and route users to a stronger canonical. (Fewer, better pages beat many thin ones in a spam clampdown.)

De-template your templates. For location or programmatic pages, add local proof (e.g., photos, staff, specifics), pricing transparency, and genuine examples. Remove spun intros and repetitive filler.

Lock down third-party content. If you host commerce/review/affiliate pieces for partners, require editorial control, relevance, and clear labeling, or move them off of your domain.

Reinforce authorship. Real bios, expertise, and sourcing. Make it crystal clear who wrote it and why their take is trustworthy. Remember, content that ranks well is being rewarded for expertise.

Measure by cluster, not sitewide. Set up Looker Studio dashboards for each template so you can see which clusters recover as the rollout proceeds. Confirm the update window through Google’s dashboard before concluding.

?Why This Matters for Publishers Using RebelMouse

RebelMouse is built to scale quality, not spam. That makes compliance easier even during aggressive spam crackdowns:

Template governance without thinness. Our content blocks and editorial controls help you produce consistent UX and schema while avoiding boilerplate bloat.

Structured content that’s fast by default. Performance, image handling, and Core Web Vitals-friendly delivery ensure that your best work gets fully crawled and surfaced.

Guardrails for third-party content. Role-based permissions, approval flows, and contributor policies help prevent site reputation abuse from sneaking onto your domain.

Cluster-level analytics. Build dashboards by section and template to see where to prune, where to invest, and how changes perform across an update window.

Want an expert second set of eyes on your templates and content clusters? Reach out to RebelMouse about a fast, policy-aligned audit and an editorial plan that helps you rank with fewer and better pages.