Is Google’s next core update already overdue? Based on Google’s own update history, the honest answer is: it’s due, not early. Google’s last core update ran from May 21 to June 2, 2026, and as of October 6, 2026, that is 138 days with no core update since. That gap already runs longer than Google’s typical pace between updates.
Is Google Overdue For Another Core Update?
From 2022 to 2025, Google averaged about 3.3 core updates per year, roughly one every three to four months. A firm that has gone 138 days without a core update is not ahead of that pace. It is behind it.
What Is Happening Right Now?
Google’s September 2026 spam update began September 24, 2026, and as of October 6 it was still listed as active, about 12 days into the rollout. Google itself said the process could take up to two weeks.
Does An Active Spam Update Mean A Core Update Is Coming Next?
Not reliably. A spam update does not reliably predict that a core update is next, but it does not make one less likely either. Google has a history of running the two close together. In March 2026, a core update began just three days after a spam update.
Why Has 2026 Been Such An Active Year?
Google announced four spam updates in 2026 alone, in March, June, August, and September. Compare that with one spam update in 2023, three in 2024, and one in 2025. By that measure, 2026 has been an unusually active year for Google algorithm activity, core updates included.
What Should A Small Firm Actually Do About It?
Stop trying to guess Google’s calendar. Every time rankings move, it is tempting to scroll for “which update hit me” and start rewriting pages around a theory. With four spam updates and no core update in over four months this year, there is always a plausible update to blame, which makes guessing easy and useless at the same time.
Use the quiet stretch instead. The clearest advice on this comes from the source itself: watch Google’s Search Status Dashboard and official announcements, and treat the gap between updates as a measurement window for auditing content quality, rather than scrambling to explain a swing after it happens.
For a small firm, that means building a running baseline in your own Google Search Console before the next update lands, not after.
- Pull current traffic, impressions, clicks, and average position by page, and save a copy outside Search Console’s rolling data window.
- Date it. When the next update is confirmed, you compare against this exact snapshot, not memory.
- Audit your weakest pages now, while nothing is moving, instead of during a scramble later.
Why Look Beyond Rankings At All?
Rankings on a results page are the measure Google’s updates move most directly, and they matter. But a growing share of people ask an AI assistant for a recommendation instead of scanning a results page. Citation Share, the share of AI-assistant answers in your market that name your firm directly, is a separate visibility signal, one that does not rise or fall with any single Google algorithm change. It is worth tracking alongside your Search Console baseline, not instead of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I rewrite my site every time rankings move?
No. Rankings fluctuate for ordinary reasons, and in a year with this many updates, there is almost always something to blame whether or not it actually caused the move. Check your baseline, traffic, impressions, clicks, and position over time, before you change anything.
What is Citation Share?
Citation Share is the percentage of AI-assistant answers in your market that mention your firm by name. It is a visibility metric your firm can track, not a guarantee of any outcome tied to a particular update or platform.
Is this legal advice?
No. This is informational commentary on search industry trends, not legal advice. Talk to your own counsel about matters specific to your firm.
See where your own site stands before the next update hits: run it through SiteScan, a free tool that grades five pages and shows a before-and-after score in about two minutes, no card required.
