The past year has been particularly unusual for SEO professionals, especially those working in the iGaming industry.
Google announced plans to release algorithm updates more frequently, beginning with the June 30, 2025 Core Update. Since then, major updates have arrived roughly every seven weeks. Some have had only a limited impact, while others have significantly reshaped search rankings.
Performance across the iGaming sector has reflected this ongoing volatility. Many websites have experienced sharp gains followed by equally significant declines, making it difficult to identify any consistent long-term winners or losers.
Affiliate websites that performed strongly during the second half of 2025 have generally lost visibility throughout spring 2026. Conversely, many sites that struggled during late 2025 have recovered this year.
Websites heavily affected by Google’s August 2025 Spam Update, however, have largely failed to regain their previous rankings.
Spam Updates Vary in Their Impact
Google’s Spam Updates have historically produced very different outcomes.
Some updates cause only minor ranking fluctuations, while others fundamentally reshape entire industries. Much depends on the specific signals Google chooses to target.
Although Google does not disclose the technical details behind these updates, Spam Updates often appear to focus on particular SEO tactics. Previous updates have been associated with links, expired domains, and other commonly used optimization strategies.
Whenever Google targets link-related signals, the iGaming industry typically experiences greater volatility than many other sectors.
Many SEO professionals believe the August 2025 Spam Update significantly improved Google’s ability to identify manipulative link-building patterns, contributing to the sharp decline of several long-established affiliate websites.
At the same time, criticism of Google’s search results continues. Discussions across the SEO community frequently point to expired-domain abuse, parasite SEO, and AI-generated content as ongoing problems that still appear prominently in search results.
The challenge for Google remains balancing spam reduction while avoiding unnecessary disruption to legitimate websites.
What Could This Spam Update Target?
Google has confirmed that the latest Spam Update will take several days to complete.
Historically, faster rollouts have sometimes been associated with narrower updates, although Google has not confirmed whether rollout speed reflects the scale of ranking changes.
Search volatility had already been observed before Google’s official announcement, following a pattern seen during several previous algorithm updates.
Possible areas of focus include:
- AI-generated content at scale
- Spammy link networks
- Paid link schemes
At this stage, however, any conclusions remain speculative until the rollout is complete.
Patience Is Usually the Best Strategy
Major Google updates often create significant short-term ranking fluctuations before search results stabilize.
Rather than reacting immediately to daily ranking movements, website owners are generally better served by waiting until the rollout finishes before making major SEO decisions.
The coming weeks should provide a clearer picture of which signals Google has adjusted and whether any lasting ranking changes emerge.
Will Another Core Update Follow?
Google’s recent update schedule suggests this Spam Update may conclude the current rollout cycle following the May Core Update.
The company has not released a major algorithm update during July since 2022, aside from the June 30, 2025 Core Update, which technically arrived just before the month began.
For now, the SEO industry will continue monitoring ranking changes as Google’s latest Spam Update completes its rollout.
