Search Engine OptimizationArtificial IntelligenceGoogle

Google August 2025 spam update: Website's With AI Spam Content At Risk

Google has initiated the August 2025 spam update, a globally applied change affecting all languages.

Nishaan Vigneswaran
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4 min read
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The incident began Aug 26, 2025, 09:00 PDT with the release noted at 09:02 PDT (Aug 27, 2025, 01:32 ACST). The impacted product category is Ranking, and Google states the rollout may take a few weeks to complete. As of today, the incident remains Active on the Search Status Dashboard. status.search.google.com+1

What this update is: Google classifies “spam updates” as notable improvements to systems that detect and prevent search spam (for example, SpamBrain). Sites that violate Google’s spam policies may see reduced rankings or removal from results; recovery, if warranted, can take months as automated systems reassess compliance. Google for Developers+1

Key facts

  • Name: August 2025 spam update
  • Scope: Global, all languages
  • Affected area: Ranking (not crawling, indexing, or serving)
  • Start: Aug 26, 2025, 09:00–09:02 PDT (Aug 27, 2025, 01:30–01:32 ACST)
  • Rollout: Ongoing; may take weeks
    status.search.google.com+1

Where AI-generated “spam” fits

Google allows AI-generated content if it’s helpful and people-first. Problems arise when sites generate large volumes of low-value pages primarily to manipulate rankings—what Google classifies as scaled content abuse. The March 2024 policy refresh also formalized actions against site reputation abuse (third-party content hosted on trusted domains to exploit their rankings) and expired-domain abuse. These areas are likely pressure points for spam updates. Google for Developersblog.google

Google’s documentation reiterates that spam updates refine automated systems (for example, SpamBrain) that detect and neutralize abusive behavior. Sites affected by a spam update should review the spam policies and remediate violations. Google for Developers+1

Indicators of AI-scale content abuse

  • Mass-produced pages with thin or redundant copy created to target many variations of queries.
  • Pages offering little original value, compiled or reworded at scale.
    Such patterns fall under scaled content abuse even if generated by humans, AI, or a mix. Google for Developers+1

Spam backlinks and link schemes

Google’s spam policies prohibit link schemes, including buying/selling links that pass PageRank, excessive link exchanges, large-scale guest posting with optimized anchors, and similar manipulative tactics. Outbound links must be qualified with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow" where appropriate. Google for Developers+1

How Google handles link spam. Google’s systems (including SpamBrain) attempt to ignore or nullify unnatural links and may apply manual actions for egregious violations. If you receive (or expect) a manual action for unnatural links, Google’s guidance is to remove the problematic links where possible; use the Disavow tool only in those cases. Google for DevelopersGoogle Help

What site owners should do now

  • Monitor impact in Search Console. Track impressions, clicks, and positions. Use the Links report to review inbound link patterns. Google Help
  • Audit content at scale. If rankings drop across many pages, evaluate whether any sections exhibit scaled content patterns or host third-party content that could trigger site reputation abuse. Remediate by consolidating, rewriting for user value, or removing abusive parts. Google for Developersblog.google
  • Fix linking practices. Remove paid/arranged links that pass PageRank; add appropriate rel attributes to sponsored or untrusted links. Google for Developers
  • Use Disavow sparingly. Reserve for confirmed manual actions or clear, unremovable unnatural links. Google Help
  • Timing. For broader analysis (separate from spam-specific fixes), Google advises assessing performance after a rollout completes and comparing like-for-like date ranges; a week post-completion is a practical minimum before drawing conclusions. Google for Developers

Bottom line

The August 2025 spam update tightens enforcement against manipulative content at scale and unnatural link acquisition. Sites maintaining people-first content and compliant linking should not need structural changes, but any section relying on scaled, low-value pages or link schemes risks losses until violations are corrected. Google for Developers+1

References

Note for site owners: Monitor performance in Search Console during and after rollout; if changes occur and spam policy issues are present, remediation is required for potential recovery over time.

About the Author

Nishaan Vigneswaran

Nishaan Vigneswaran