If I were handed a course or edtech site after Google's September 2026 spam update, I would audit in this order: templated pages (city, course and "best of" variants), third-party or guest content on the main domain, thin or copied program pages, unverifiable claims about placements and salaries, and who is named as the author. I would not rewrite anything until I had matched the pages to specific spam policies. I'm Younus Fardeen, I work in edtech organic growth, and this is my approach, not a guaranteed fix. Facts are as of 9 October 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Google called the September 2026 update "a normal spam update", applying globally and to all languages, without naming a policy it targeted (per Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Journal).
- Because no policy was named, audit against the full spam policies list, starting with scaled content abuse, site reputation abuse, doorway abuse, thin affiliation and expired domain abuse.
- Edtech sites are exposed through templates: "course in [city]", "[course] vs [course]", "best [x] bootcamps" at scale.
- Do not rely on FAQ or course structured data for a SERP feature; Google's documentation notes FAQ rich results stopped appearing from 7 May 2026.
- Recovery can take months, according to Google, so plan a staged audit, not a weekend rewrite.
- I make no ranking promises and have no data on any specific course site's recovery to share here.
What happened, briefly
Google's Search Status Dashboard lists the September 2026 spam update as starting on 24 September 2026. Search Engine Journal reports a 9:15 a.m. PDT start and Google's estimate that the rollout "may take up to two weeks". Search Engine Roundtable quotes Google calling it "a normal spam update" for all languages and locations, and says Google would not give a percentage of queries affected.
On the end: Google's Search Status Dashboard logged the update as complete on 8 October 2026, after about 13 days 16 hours, as reported by Search Engine Roundtable and ppc.land. Google has said periodic refreshes will follow. I cover the basics of how spam updates work in what a Google spam update is.
Google's general guidance after a spam update: review the spam policies; sites that violate them may rank lower or drop out; recovery can take months as automated systems learn compliance. That is why I audit methodically.
Why edtech sites are exposed
Course sites have a structural problem: lots of near-identical pages are tempting. "Data science course in Pune", "Data science course in Jaipur", "Data science vs MBA", "Top 10 coding bootcamps in India". Each can be useful on its own, but produced as templates at scale they can look like what Google's spam policies describe: scaled content abuse is "when many pages are generated for the primary purpose of manipulating search rankings", however they are created.
I am not saying any particular edtech site is penalised. I'm saying the typical page inventory is where I'd look first.
The audit, in order
1. Templated page families
Export every URL, group by pattern (/course-in-*, /vs/*, /best-*), and for each family answer:
- Do pages differ in substance, or only in the city or course name swapped in?
- Is there something a user can't get elsewhere: real schedules, local facts, student questions, current fees from an official source?
- Do these pages get any engagement or links, or do they only exist to catch queries?
Keep pages that serve a user. Merge thin ones into one strong page with a 301. Remove those with no purpose. Google's policies cover doorway abuse as a separate item, so city pages that funnel to the same enrolment form deserve special scrutiny.
2. "Best of" and comparison listicles
Comparison content is valuable for learners deciding between programs, but it is also where claims go wrong. For every comparison I'd check:
- Are criteria stated, or is "best" just an opinion?
- Is each fact sourced to the program's official page with a date?
- Is the site disclosing its own commercial relationship with any option?
I use this standard on my own posts. In my education comparison posts I disclose my Masai work and label fees and dates as volatile. See, for example, my IIT Jodhpur BS in Management and Technology guide, where the fee total shown on the official page and the sum of its yearly fees do not match, and I say so.
3. Third-party and guest content on your domain
Google defines site reputation abuse as third-party content published on a host site "mainly because of that host's already-established ranking signals". If your blog, a /guest/ folder or a subdirectory runs partner or sponsored pages that you do not closely supervise, list them. I explain the policy in my site reputation abuse post. Questions to ask:
- Who produces it, and did your editors approve each piece?
- Is it relevant to what your site is known for?
- Would it exist without your domain's authority?
If the answer to the last question is no, I'd noindex it, move it or remove it.
4. Thin, copied or scraped program pages
Pages that repeat a provider's brochure text, or copy a university page, add nothing. Google's thin affiliation policy refers to product descriptions and reviews "copied directly from the original merchant" with no added value. For course aggregators, the equivalent is lifting program descriptions from the provider. Add original content: who the program suits, who it does not, a verified fee table with a source and a "last checked" date.
5. Expired domains and old microsites
If you bought a domain or acquired an old site to host course content, check whether it fits the expired domain abuse description in the spam policies: purchased and repurposed primarily to manipulate rankings. Legitimate acquisitions with real continuity are different, but you should be able to explain the continuity.
6. Claims you cannot support
This is less about a specific Google policy and more about trust. Look for "100% placement", salary figures without a source, "ranked #1" badges, and testimonials you cannot trace to real people. Remove or substantiate them. Education is a regulated, high-stakes category in many markets, and unsupported claims also create risk with advertising regulators and with students. This is not legal advice.
7. Authors and expertise
Show who wrote and reviewed a page, and why they are qualified, only if it is true. Do not invent author bios or credentials. I have seen reports that Google has warned against fake author information, but I did not verify that against a primary source for this post, so check Google's own communications before acting on it.
Structured data: don't chase features that ended
Edtech teams love markup. Two reality checks from Google's own pages:
- The FAQ structured data page records that FAQ rich results are no longer shown in Search, with a notice dated 8 May 2026 and a removal of the documentation on 15 June 2026.
- Google's course info page lists a September 2025 changelog entry saying the course info documentation was removed and that these types are no longer shown in Search results.
You can still use Schema.org types such as EducationalOccupationalProgram for clarity, but treat it as descriptive markup that must match visible text, not a ranking lever. My program-page structure is in how I'd structure a program page for AEO.
What to do in the first two weeks
| Day | Task | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Export URLs, group into families, pull Search Console data from before and after 24 Sep | Page inventory |
| 3-4 | Score each family against the spam policies | Keep / merge / remove / noindex list |
| 5-7 | Review third-party and guest sections | Supervision rules |
| 8-10 | Fix claims, add sources and "last checked" dates to fee and date pages | Updated pages |
| 11-14 | Redirects, sitemap clean-up, log changes | Change log with dates |
Do the clean-up in batches and write down dates so you can read Search Console afterwards. Do not make everything at once; you will not know what mattered.
What I would not do
- Mass-delete pages without checking traffic and links.
- Buy links or "recovery" packages. Google says link spam fixes may not restore benefits from earlier spammy links.
- Rewrite everything with AI to look different. Volume was the problem; more volume is not the answer.
- Promise management a recovery date.
My broader checklist is in content audit after a Google spam update, and the recovery framing is in how to recover from a Google spam update.
Disclosure and limits
I worked on organic social growth for Masai School (Instagram 26K to 117K, LinkedIn 50K to 200K), described in my case study. That is social, not search recovery, and I have no spam-update recovery results to quote. Everything above is a method, informed by Google's public documentation and press coverage, that I would apply to a course site.
FAQ
Did Google's September 2026 spam update target education sites?
Google did not say what it targeted. It called it a normal spam update across all languages and did not name a policy, so no sector can be singled out from Google's statements.
What is the first thing to check on an edtech site after a spam update?
Group your URLs into templated families (city, comparison, listicle pages) and ask whether each page offers something unique to users. That is where scaled content issues most often hide.
Are city-specific course pages against Google's policies?
Not by themselves. Pages that serve a real local need are fine. Large numbers of near-identical pages built to capture queries can fall under scaled content or doorway abuse.
How long does recovery take?
Google says changes can help over time as its automated systems learn that you comply, and that recovery can take many months. Google also says it will run periodic refreshes.
Should I remove my comparison pages?
No. Fix them: state criteria, source each fact to an official page, date it and disclose commercial ties. Remove only those with no value.
Is guest posting on my course blog risky?
It can be if it is third-party content published mainly to borrow your site's ranking signals. Supervise and relevance-check it, or separate it.
Should I add FAQ or Course schema?
Not for a rich result. Google's documentation says FAQ rich results no longer appear and course info is no longer shown. Use markup only when it matches visible content and helps clarity.
Can I recover faster by disavowing links?
Google says fixing link issues may not restore past benefits from spammy links. A disavow is a niche tool, not a general recovery step.
How do I know if I was affected?
Compare Search Console performance before and after 24 September 2026, by page family and query group. A drop that lines up with the rollout is a lead, not proof.
Do I need an agency?
Not necessarily. The audit above can be run in-house, but outside review helps if you cannot objectively judge your own templates.
Work with me
If you run a course, bootcamp or degree brand and want a methodical post-update audit, see my work and reach me through the contact form at https://younusfardeen.in. I have 4+ years of marketing experience in organic growth, SEO and AEO, mostly with edtech and startups, and I will be straight about what is and is not within your control.
Want help with search and AI visibility for your own site? Get in touch through the contact form.