Technical SEO checks that come before any content change

Technical SEO comes first because a technical fault can look exactly like a spam penalty.

Crawling and indexing

Open the Page indexing and Crawl stats reports in Search Console. Look for spikes in server errors, excluded pages or blocked resources that line up with 24 September to 8 October.

Cloaking, hidden text and sneaky redirects

Google's spam policies name all three. They are not always deliberate: Google notes that hackers often use cloaking to make a hack harder to spot. Use the URL Inspection tool to compare what Googlebot sees with what a visitor sees.

Hacked or injected pages

Picture a Leeds plumbing firm that suddenly gains impressions for unrelated pharmacy terms. That pattern points to injected pages, not to a ranking success. Check the Security issues report, then search site:yourdomain.co.uk for URLs you do not recognise.

Doorway-style structure

Google describes doorway abuse as pages made to rank for similar queries that funnel people onward. Fifty near-identical "plumber in [town]" pages leading to one contact form fit that description.

Quick wins

• Compare indexed URLs with your sitemap and remove strays.

• Fix server errors and redirect chains first.

• Keep a dated change log, so you can link any recovery to a specific fix.

Content strategy checks: was every page made for people first?

Google's guidance on helpful, reliable, people-first content is our yardstick. It asks whether content was created mainly to help people or mainly to attract search visits. Our content strategy review puts three questions to every important page.

Who wrote it?

Is the author visible, with a short bio that shows real experience? Google warns against fabricated profiles, such as invented names or AI-generated headshots.

How was it made?

If automation helped, would a reader expect to be told? Google's scaled content abuse policy covers many pages produced mainly to manipulate rankings, however they were created.

Why does it exist?

This is the big one. Would the page deserve to exist if search traffic did not?

A practical example

Imagine a Manchester accountancy practice that published 120 short posts last year, each rewording the same HMRC guidance. We would merge the weakest into about ten thorough guides, redirect the retired URLs, name a real accountant as author, and add worked examples drawn from the firm's own work.

Warning signs to look for

• Many topics covered in the hope that some will rank.

• Pages that only summarise what other sites say.

• Writing to a target word count, because Google has no preferred length.

• Dates changed to look fresh when the content has not.

One practical rule: add something only your business can add, such as pricing, process photos, local detail or original data.

Local SEO checks for UK businesses

Local SEO is where honest UK businesses most often drift towards spam without meaning to. Two areas deserve attention first.

Your Google Business Profile

Google's Business Profile guidelines say your name must match your real-world name and that address lines must not carry keywords or URLs. A listing called "Smith Plumbing | Emergency Plumber Leeds" fails that test. Service-area businesses should stay within about two hours' driving time of their base, and virtual offices are only acceptable if staffed during business hours.

Location pages

A genuine branch page earns its place. A template with the town name swapped does not, and Google names region-targeted pages that funnel visitors elsewhere as doorway abuse.

Picture a Bristol dental group with four clinics. Each clinic page lists its own dentists, parking and bus routes. That is helpful. Thirty "dentist in [suburb]" pages for areas with no clinic are not.

Quick win: make your name, address and phone number identical across your website, Business Profile and directories, and remove duplicate listings.

Links, third-party content and reputation

The last step is to look at what points to your site, and at what sits on it that you did not write.

Your backlink profile

Google's link spam examples include buying or selling links for ranking, automated link creation, low-quality directories, and guest posts with keyword-rich anchors. Paid links are not banned, provided they carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". Export your links from Search Console and look for patterns, such as identical anchor text or clusters from unrelated sites.

Google also says that when its systems neutralise spammy links, any benefit they gave cannot be regained. The lasting fix is to earn better links through useful content and genuine PR.

Third-party content on your domain

The site reputation policy targets third-party content published mainly to borrow a host site's ranking signals. Imagine a UK trade publication that lets a partner run a loan-comparison section with no named author and no editorial oversight. Partner sections need clear authorship, real oversight and a design that matches the rest of the site, or they should be kept out of the index.

Comments, forums and old domains

Moderate user-generated spam on blogs and forums. If you recently bought an old domain, check that it is not hosting unrelated content, which Google calls expired domain abuse.

Your 30-day plan after the September 2026 spam update

Recovery is steady work, not a sprint. This is the plan we use as a starting point.

After week four, resist the urge to keep changing things. Re-check every few weeks, because Google says its systems can take months to recognise improvements.

How to choose a top SEO company in UK

Nobody controls Google's rankings, so treat guaranteed positions and bulk link packages with caution. Both can land you on the wrong side of the spam policies. Instead, ask any agency:

• Will you show me the audit before you start fixing things?

• Which reports and tools will you use, and will I get access?

• How do you handle links, content and local listings in line with Google's guidance?

• Will reports connect rankings to enquiries and sales?

At GSS Tech Solutions, every SEO engagement starts with an audit of your technical health, content and backlink profile, before strategy and fixes follow. You can see how we work on our SEO services page.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are the answers of your most asked queries.

What was Google's September 2026 spam update?

It was a notable improvement to Google's automated spam detection, released on 24 September 2026 and completed on 8 October. It applied worldwide, and Google has not said which tactics it targeted.

How do I know if it affected my site?

Compare Search Console clicks and impressions for 24 September to 8 October with the previous period and the same weeks last year. A change that tracks the rollout is a clue, not proof.

Will AI-generated content be penalised?

Google's policy targets pages produced at scale mainly to manipulate rankings, however they are made. Google has not said this update focused on AI content. Original, accurate content made to help people is the safe course.

How long does recovery take?

Google says its systems may need months to recognise that a site now complies. Fix the causes, keep a change log and check progress every few weeks. No honest agency can promise a date.

Do the August site reputation changes affect UK sites?

The 30 August change affects manual actions for people searching in the EEA. The UK sits outside the EEA, so UK searchers see the policy applied as before.

Does a top SEO company in UK need to cover both local SEO and technical SEO?

Yes, because spam risks sit in both: injected pages and cloaking on the technical side, and doorway location pages or stuffed listings on the local side.

Final Words

The September 2026 spam update was long, loud and light on detail. The right response is not panic. It is a clear order of checks: confirm the cause, rule out technical faults and hacks, review content and local pages, then tidy links and partner content. Fix what the evidence shows, record every change and give Google time to notice.

If you would like a second pair of eyes, the GSS Tech Solutions team will review your site in exactly that order. Get your free SEO audit or call 0203 599 8122, and see what a top SEO company in UK checks first.