October 2026

Google Rankings During a Website Redesign: How to Protect Your SEO A website redesign can boost your brand image, increase user satisfaction rates, improve the website performance, and raise conversions. However, a website redesign can hurt the existing Google rankings and traffic if not executed correctly. Many companies tend to overlook the existing value of their website and the benefits they can bring to their new website. The website redesign process alters URLs, content, internal linking structure, and hosting settings in a way that search engines might not be able to properly understand the new website structure. Website redesign does not have to hurt your website’s rankings if executed correctly. A professional website redesign should be performed with care, technical expertise, and post-launch optimization. In this blog, Rayans Creative talks about how to secure website rankings during a redesign. Does a Website Redesign Affect Google Rankings? Yes, a website redesign can affect Google rankings, but the impact depends on the changes made during the process. A redesign that improves mobile usability, page speed, navigation, and content accessibility may support a better user experience. However, removing important content, changing URLs without redirects, or accidentally blocking search engines can cause ranking and traffic fluctuations. For example, imagine a business website that ranks well for several valuable keywords. During a redesign, its service pages are removed or their URLs are changed without proper redirects. Google may struggle to identify the new destinations, and users following old links may encounter errors. This is why SEO should be part of the redesign process from the beginning, rather than something added after the new website goes live. Why Do Google Rankings Drop After a Website Redesign? Understanding the common causes of ranking fluctuations helps you prevent avoidable SEO problems. 1. Changing Website URLs Without Redirects Here URLs are the backbone of search engines, and their proper use helps increase the relevance of both web surfers and search engines. With that said, if you change the URL of a page that already has backlinks pointing to it, you will need to make sure to redirect these links to the new address.An example of such a scenario may be seen below: Old URL: “example. com/ digital- marketing- services/” New URL: “example. com/ marketing- services/” Note: Should you change the URL, it is essential to redirect it with a permanent 301 redirect to the most relevant page. Before making the switch, it may be helpful to devise a spreadsheet with all of the existing URLs, their replacements, and the redirect rules. 2. Removing Valuable Website Content During a redesign, businesses sometimes shorten their service pages or remove blog posts to achieve a cleaner appearance. However, existing content may attract organic traffic, earn backlinks, answer customer questions, and help Google understand a page’s relevance. Before removing or rewriting content, review its organic traffic, ranking keywords, backlinks, conversions, and business value. Preserve useful information and improve weak content instead of removing it without analysis. 3. Changing Important Headings and Metadata Your title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and page content help communicate the purpose of each page. If a redesign removes relevant headings or changes a page’s main topic, its search performance may change. Review your existing SEO titles, meta descriptions, H1 headings, and target keywords before launch. Update them when necessary, but avoid changing high-performing content without a clear reason. 4. Technical SEO Problems A redesigned website may introduce technical issues that prevent Google from crawling or indexing important pages. Common problems include: – Accidental “noindex” directives. – Incorrect canonical tags. – Blocked pages in robots.txt. – Broken internal links. – Missing XML sitemap entries. – Redirect chains and redirect loops. – Pages returning 404 errors. Test these elements before launch and repeat the checks after the website becomes publicly accessible. 5. Website Speed and Mobile Usability Changes A new design can introduce large images, unnecessary scripts, animations, or additional plugins. These elements may affect loading performance and Core Web Vitals. Optimize images, use efficient caching, reduce unnecessary scripts, and test key pages on mobile devices. A visually attractive website should also be fast, accessible, and easy to navigate. How to Protect Google Rankings Before a Website Redesign Preparation is one of the most important stages of an SEO-friendly redesign. Step 1: Record Your Existing SEO Performance Before making changes, establish a baseline for comparison. Use Google Search Console to review: – Organic clicks and impressions. – Average position for important search queries. – Pages receiving the most organic traffic. – Search queries generating business enquiries. – Indexing issues and crawl-related reports. Use Google Analytics 4 to review organic sessions, engagement, and conversions. If available, also record backlink information and technical audit results. Save these reports before the redesign so you can compare performance after launch. Step 2: Crawl Your Existing Website Use a website crawler such as Screaming Frog SEO Spider to identify the pages and technical elements that need to be preserved. Record important information, including: – Existing URLs and HTTP status codes. – Page titles and meta descriptions. – H1 headings. – Canonical URLs. – Internal links. – Indexability status. – Images and important resources. This crawl provides a reference for checking whether the redesigned website retains its important SEO elements. Step 3: Protect High-Performing Pages Identify the pages that contribute the most to your organic visibility and business results. These might include service pages, location-specific landing pages, blog posts, and pages that receive valuable backlinks. Keep their purpose, useful content, and relevant internal links intact wherever possible. If a page needs a major change, plan and test that change carefully. Step 4: Prepare a Redirect Map If URLs will change, create a spreadsheet mapping every affected old URL to its most relevant new destination. Use 301 redirects for permanent URL changes. Avoid redirecting every old page to the homepage when a relevant replacement exists, because an unrelated destination may not preserve the original page’s purpose. Check the redirect map before launch and test the redirects after

Why Every Business in Kannur Needs a Professional Corporate Video In today’s competitive business scenario, it is no longer enough to have a website or a social media page that houses your brand. Businesses must now work harder to gain customer trust and provide them with the necessary information that encourages them to choose their product or service over others. This is where a professional corporate video makes all the difference. From big brands and manufacturers to clinics and medical services, educational institutions, retail shops, and even small-scale businesses, corporate videos help these business entities get their brand out there. For businesses based in kannur looking to establish a foothold in their respective markets where the competition is stiff and customers are turning to the online space more and more, a corporate video can be a great way to stand out. But what makes it so special? Why do businesses need it? Why now? Let’s delve into the details. What Is a Corporate Video? A corporate video is a professional video that presents the company, its qualities, services, products, achievements, and activities. Unlike a regular promotional reel, it allows you to effectively convey to the audience more about the business you represent. For example, you can show your office space, talk with your employees, describe your products and services, tell about your achievements and expertise, and highlight your unique selling points. These kinds of videos can be used both on the company website and in social media accounts. They can also be used in slides, digital ads, and business presentations. 7 Reasons Why  Every Business in Kannur Needs a Professional Corporate Video 1. Build Trust and Credibility Trust is essential in influencing customers’ purchasing behavior. A potential buyer should do a background check on the business in order to ascertain who created the product or service and if the company is able to meet the promise. A corporate video can help customers become acquainted with the business’s work environment, workers, product, and other features. For instance, a manufacturing company in Kannur may use corporate videos to display their production line and another health organization may use the corporate video to show their working environment and personnel. This will be helpful in providing the potential buyers with the necessary information required about the business or product and offer avenues to build trust and credibility. 2. Make Yourself Different From The Competitors Kannur is home to businesses belonging to a diverse range of industries like retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, construction, manufacturing, and professional services. Within these industries, there are plenty of similar businesses offering almost a similar set of products or services. It becomes crucial to distinguish the business you are in from others. You might want to narrate your story through the lens of your corporate video production services, Kannur, which can help your business connect to the customers on a much deeper level. Instead of merely talking about being different from competitors, talk about the qualities that distinguish your business from others. 3. Better First Impression For The Website The website is the first point of interaction between the business and the customer. If the customer has landed on the website through a Google search or any other organic means, there is a fair chance they have reached the right place. A corporate video on your website’s homepage or on the About page will give the website visitor an idea about your business at a glance. A well-made corporate video can enhance the website’s user experience. It has the potential to make the website’s data understandable and compelling. But, the video should not hamper the website’s performance in terms of higher rankings on SERPs and lesser bounce rates. You might want to avoid hosting large video content that can hurt the website’s performance if the video is not optimized properly. 4. Reach More Customers Through Social Media Social media platforms have made videos a significant way of communicating. Companies in Kannur can use corporate video content to create different social media-friendly pieces like Instagram Reels, Facebook, YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn, etc. For instance, one corporate video can provide several opportunities for creating social media content, including a company intro behind-the-scenes employee intro product/service customer testimonial short advertisement. This way, companies can double their effort in brand-building while getting more out of their video investment. 5. Showcase Your Products, Services, and Expertise Sometimes, it can be hard to describe or depict what you do in words, photos, or images. However, a corporate video can help you show customers how your business does what it does, how its products are produced, how the service is delivered, and how the company tackles a specific project. For instance, with a corporate video, a construction company can show its projects and how it does its work, and a hotel can display its rooms. Manufacturers can display their products, how they are made, and the facilities where they are produced. This allows the company to help the customers understand what the business offers and how it operates. 6. Support digital marketing and lead generation Your corporate video fits right into a digital marketing strategy. You can use it in Google Ads and social media, share it through email marketing, post it on landing pages, put it into sales presentations. If it conveys a strong value proposition and call to action, it can help drive website traffic, qualified leads, and even sales, after being shared through email, on social media, and embedded into web pages. For local companies, investing in video content marketing along with Google Ads and well-optimized service pages could provide a nice boost. Keep in mind that video cannot magically drive sales; it has to find the right audiences and deliver the right message, in the right channels, with the right offer, and proper follow-up. 7. Build a strong brand A recognizable brand requires a strong and well-defined personality. Your corporate video builds brand equity by bringing the brand to life through visual storytelling,

Amul Branding Strategy: Lessons Businesses Can Learn from India’s Iconic Brand There are brands that sell products and there are brands that integrate themselves into people’s daily lives. The former applies to brands like Amul, which have made a mark with their distinct butter packs and humorous advertisements with the famous Amul girl. The achievements of the Amul brand go beyond just the dairy products category. It has much to do with branding, storytelling, culture, and trust of customers in the long run. In the highly competitive environment where firms compete for customers’ attention all the time, Amul shows how important it is to have a good brand identity and marketing strategy to be successful. Let us analyze the Amul brand strategy and useful insights that other businesses can derive from it. What Is Amul’s Branding Strategy? Amul’s branding strategy is based on building a recognisable identity through consistent visual elements, relatable advertising, memorable messaging and strong connection with Indian consumers. Familiar packaging, accessible communication, humour and topical advertising keep the brand relevant to its audience. Instead of merely pushing its products, Amul often links its messaging to current events, popular culture and day-to-day life. This strategy helps Amul to connect with different generations of consumers and at the same time, retain the brand recognition. What Makes Amul’s Branding Strategy So Successful? Amul’s branding success comes from several elements working together. Its consistent identity makes the brand easy to recognise, while its creative advertising keeps audiences interested. The Power of the Amul Girl One of the most recognisable elements of Amul’s branding is the Amul Girl, the cartoon mascot associated with its famous butter advertisements.Introduced in 1966, the Amul Girl became a distinctive part of the brand’s identity. Her playful appearance, blue hair, red polka-dot dress, and witty comments make the advertisements memorable. The character also gives Amul a recognisable voice. Instead of using conventional product advertisements every time, the brand often uses humour and topical references to communicate with its audience. Branding lesson: A memorable mascot, character, or visual element can help a business build a distinctive identity. Small businesses can develop a consistent brand personality that customers recognise across websites, advertisements, and social media platforms. Consistent Brand Identity Amul maintains a familiar visual identity across its products and advertising. Its well-known logo, packaging, colours, and typography help customers recognise the brand quickly. Consistency is important because customers encounter brands through multiple touchpoints, including product packaging, retail displays, advertisements, and digital platforms. When a business uses the same visual elements and tone of voice consistently, it becomes easier for customers to remember and identify that business. Branding lesson: Businesses should establish clear brand guidelines covering their logo, colours, fonts, imagery, and communication style. Consistency across marketing channels helps create a professional and recognisable brand. Topical Advertising and Real-Time Marketing Amul is widely known for its topical advertisements, which creatively respond to current events, sports, entertainment, and social conversations. These advertisements often combine humour, wordplay, and the familiar Amul Girl character to connect the brand with topics people are already discussing. This approach demonstrates how advertising can become more than a product promotion. It can also create conversations and encourage people to engage with a brand. However, successful topical marketing requires good timing, creativity, and sensitivity to the subject being discussed. Branding lesson: Businesses can use relevant trends, festivals, industry news, and audience interests to create timely content. The key is to choose topics that fit the brand instead of following every trend. Emotional Branding and Cultural Connection Amul has built a strong connection with Indian consumers by making its brand part of everyday food habits, family experiences, and familiar cultural moments. Its advertisements often use relatable situations and humour rather than focusing exclusively on product features. This makes the communication accessible to a broad audience. Emotional branding helps customers associate a product with experiences, memories, and feelings. Over time, these associations can contribute to trust and brand loyalty. Branding lesson: Businesses should understand what matters to their target audience. Content that reflects customers’ needs, values, and everyday experiences can create a stronger connection than advertisements focused only on selling. Simple and Memorable Messaging Amul’s topical advertisements are known for short, witty lines that connect a current event with the brand. Simple messaging is powerful because people often encounter advertising while scrolling through social media, browsing websites, or moving through their daily routines. A message that is easy to understand and remember has a better chance of making an impression.   Branding lesson: Businesses should communicate their value clearly. Instead of using complicated marketing language, focus on a simple message that explains what the business offers and why it matters to customers. Staying Relevant While Maintaining Brand Identity Marketing trends and consumer preferences change constantly. Amul demonstrates how a brand can respond to changing conversations while retaining familiar elements of its identity. The Amul Girl, the brand’s established visual style, and its distinctive use of humour provide continuity, even when individual advertisements address different topics. This balance between consistency and adaptation is important for long-term branding. Branding lesson: Businesses should update their content and marketing methods as audiences change, while maintaining the core elements that make their brand recognisable.   Key Elements of Amul’s Branding Strategy at a Glance Branding elements How amul uses it Lesson for businesses Brand identity Familiar logo,packaging and mascot Maintain consistent visual branding story telling Humorous and relatable advertisement. Make content interesting and memorable. Real time marketing Topical advertisement Respond to relevant trends and events Emotional connection Familier cultural and everyday references Understand your audiences Brand personality Witty and distinctive communication Develop a consistent tone of voice Long tern consistency Repeated use of recognisable brand elements Build recognition overtime How Small Businesses Can Apply Amul’s Branding Strategy Amul’s branding strategies are applicable not only among giants but also small companies, start-ups, and local brands managed to create remarkable images within their limited budgets. There are six essential strategies that might be implemented by an

AI in Digital Marketing:Tools,Types and Trends Artificial Intelligence (AI) is playing a significant role in changing the way organizations work and connect with their customers and promote their offerings and services. AI is playing an important role in helping marketers create social media content, analyse customer behaviour, manage marketing data and devise smart marketing plans. Today all types of organizations are using AI tools for improving productivity, gaining insights into consumers, and remaining relevant in the digital world. However, what exactly is AI, and what are its main forms? How organizations can benefit from AI tools in digital marketing? In this post, we will investigate what artificial intelligence is, what types of AI exist, and what the best AI tools for digital marketing are. 1. What Is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Artificial Intelligence, commonly known as AI, is a branch of computer science that enables machines and software to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. These tasks include understanding language, recognising images, identifying patterns, generating content, making predictions, and solving problems. For example, when you ask ChatGPT to write a blog outline, use Google Maps to find a route, or receive personalised product recommendations while shopping online, you are interacting with AI-powered technology. AI can process large amounts of data, identify useful patterns, and assist people in making informed decisions. In digital marketing, AI helps businesses research keywords, create content, analyse campaign performance, automate repetitive tasks, and personalise customer experiences. Example: A digital marketing agency can use AI to generate social media content ideas, analyse website traffic, and identify potential improvements to an SEO strategy. A marketer still needs to review the output and make decisions based on business goals. 2. What Are the Main Types of AI? Artificial intelligence can be categorized in various ways. A common categorization is made according to capabilities.2.1 Narrow AI (Artificial Narrow Intelligence)Narrow AI has the capability to carry out a particular task or a series of tasks closely related to each other. Thus, most of today’s AI applications are of narrow AI type.Some examples would be: Chatbots providing answers to customers. Recommendation systems suggesting consumer products. AI assistants that help with writing the texts. Image recognition systems that are responsible for object identification. AI-driven tools that assist with marketing analysis. Digital marketing example: An AI tool generating text for ads or discovering keywords performs the necessary job instead of possessing a human-like intelligence.2.2 General AI (Artificial General Intelligence)General AI means hypothetical AI capable of learning, understanding, and performing a range of intellectual processes comparable to humans.This technology is a goal of research and development, and it is not available at present.Digital marketing example: Hypothetical general AI technology can independently analyze a company, develop a marketing strategy, and make several decisions in various areas of business. 2.3 Super AI (Artificial Superintelligence) The definition of Artificial Superintelligence refers to the type of AI that might exceed human intelligence level in all the information-related tasks. Thus, it can be concluded that it does not currently exist as a marketable product in present. Thus, it can be said that the distinction of the above categories is necessary for understanding the available AI types used today as compared to future developments. 3. What Is AI in Digital Marketing? Using artificial intelligence technology is referred to as “AI in Digital Marketing” to create strategies and enhance marketing campaigns. Typically, for traditional marketing, marketers look for information manually as they create content, analyze data and monitor campaigns. AI provides assistance with the process of information gathering and processing in order to get insights from the data available. Here are some examples of AI applications:Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): conducting keyword research and creating content briefs, clustering topics and analyzing technical problems.Content marketing: creating outlines for blog entry and drafts for articles, repurposing content and conducting gap analysis.Social media: coming up with ideas for posts and captions, planning the content and coming up with creative ideas.Paid advertising: creating different versions of ads and getting insight about audiences.Email marketing: personalizing content and brainstorming subject lines.Customer service: using chatbots, answering frequently asked questions and replying automatically.Analytics: searching for patterns and presenting reports on the effectiveness of campaigns.AI is most effective when it serves to implement a clear marketing strategy and complements human creativity, experience and decision-making. 4. Best AI Tools for Digital Marketing There are a range of platforms reliant on AI technology that can help marketers to enhance productivity. But your choice should take into account your marketing goals, budget, available tools, and business processes.4.1 ChatGPT – Ideal for Content and Marketing IdeasChatGPT provides marketers with the opportunity to generate ideas, create a blueprint for the blog posts, formulate marketing copy and design effective marketing campaigns.Best for: Creating blueprints for blog posts. Generating ideas for social media posts. Generating variations of marketing texts. Formulating a marketing strategy and conducting brainstorming. Responding to various queries or creating documents. Case: A digital agency can hire ChatGPT to make a monthly content plan for a beauty salon and adjust each post according to the brand identity.4.2 Google GeminiGoogle Gemini can support the process of conducting research, writing, brainstorming, summarising, etc. The availability of its functions is determined by the version of the product and connected Google services.Best for: Generating ideas for content. Summarising the needed information. Brainstorming ideas for advertising campaigns. Drafting various marketing materials. Supporting the process of conducting research. 4.3 Semrush — SEO Research ToolSemrush is an SEO and digital marketing tool that has SEO, keyword research, competitor analysis, site audit, and content tools. Some tools utilize AI.Suitable for: Keyword research. Competitor analysis. SEO audit. Search visibility tracking. Content opportunities identification. For instance, an SEO expert can leverage Semrush to find the right keywords and analyze competing web pages when developing an SEO content strategy.4.4 Ahrefs — SEO and Backlink Analysis ToolAhrefs is a software that offers keyword research, backlinks analysis, competitor research, and site investigation tools.Suitable for: Backlink profile analysis. Competitor keyword research. Finding link-building opportunities. Identifying content gaps. Organic search performance

Beyond SEO: How to Optimise Your Website for People, Search & AI Search is changing. People do not look for businesses with the old Google search. They also use AI search, voice search, social media and local search to find information and businesses. For businesses just picking keywords is not enough. A good digital presence must help people help search engines and help AI systems, at once. Why Businesses Need a Modern Search Strategy Traditional SEO focuses on helping search engines discover and rank your website. But modern search requires more than rankings. Your content should answer real questions, provide useful information and be structured clearly enough for both search engines and AI systems to understand.   Focus What matters Business benefits people Useful content,easy navigation and good UX Builds trust and conversions search engines SEO,keywords,technical structure and links improves organic visibility AI search Clear answers,context and trustworthy information Increases chances of being understood and referenced, The goal is not to create separate content for each one. It is to create high-quality content that works across all three. 1. Create Content for Real People Start with the audience, than keywords. Think about what the customers want to know. For example: What does the service include? How much does it cost? How can the service help my business? How long will it take? Why should I choose this company? Answering these questions clearly makes the content more useful. Helps the customers make decisions. 2. Make Your Website Search-Friendly SEO fundamentals are still important. Businesses should focus on: keywords and search intent Optimized page titles and headings Internal linking Mobile-friendly design Fast-loading pages Crawlable and indexable content Descriptive image alt text Clean website structure Good SEO makes it easier for search engines to understand what your website offers. 3. Structure Content for AI Search AI-powered search systems require an understanding of the meaning and context of your content. A good way to optimize your content for search is by creating clearly structured documents. Use question-based headings short answers bullet points tables topic-based sections relevant internal links and provide accurate, trustworthy information. For example, use questions like “What is SEO?” or “How long does SEO take?” as headings for sections instead of a generic “SEO.” This will help both users and search systems navigate and understand your content better. 4. Focus on Search Intent Not everyone searching for your business is ready to buy. A user may be researching, comparing options or looking for a specific service.   Intent Example search suitable content Informational What is SEO? Blog/Guide commercial best SEO agency in kannur Comparison/service page Transactional Hire an SEO agency Service/contact page Navigational Rayans Creative Brand/homepage Understanding intent helps businesses create the right content for different stages of the customer journey. 5. Build Trust With Useful Information AI and search engines can analyze vast amounts of content. Generic content will not give a business an advantage.Value is brought via: Case studies Original insights Client examples Statistics Industry experience Testimonials Author information The inclusion of reliable sourcesFor example, an analysis of how a particular campaign was designed and executed has more value than a generic statement such as “We deliver excellent marketing results.” 6. Don’t Ignore Local SEO For businesses targeting a specific location, local SEO is important.A strong local strategy may include: Google Business Profile optimisation location-focused service pages local keywords customer reviews local citations relevant local content consistent business information However, local SEO should not just be the same page, with the city name changed. Each location page should provide genuinely useful and locally relevant information. Final Thoughts SEO is no longer just about ranking for keywords. Businesses need to create digital content that people find useful, search engines can understand and AI systems can interpret. By combining strong SEO fundamentals with helpful content, good user experience, clear structure, local relevance and trustworthy information, businesses can build a stronger and more future-ready online presence. Frequently Asked Questions 1. Why should businesses optimise content for AI search? AI-powered search is changing how people discover information. Clear, useful and well-structured content gives AI systems better context about a business and its expertise. 2. Is traditional SEO still important for AI search? Yes. Technical SEO, quality content, website structure, internal linking and search intent remain important foundations for online visibility. 3. What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO? SEO focuses on search engine visibility, AEO focuses on providing direct answers to questions, and GEO focuses on visibility and understanding within generative AI search experiences. 4. How can a website become more AI-friendly? Use clear headings, direct answers, structured content, relevant internal links and reliable information. Avoid unnecessary keyword stuffing and poorly structured content. 5. Does AI search mean businesses no longer need SEO? No. SEO remains an important foundation. The difference is that businesses should now think beyond rankings and create content that is useful across multiple search experiences. 6. Why is user experience important for SEO? A website that is easy to navigate, fast, mobile-friendly and useful provides a better experience for visitors and supports overall search performance.

Google September 2026 spam update: What it means for your website. Spam Update September 2026 has finally been announced by Google as the new update to the detection and handling system for search spam.The update was started on September 24, 2026, at 9:15 a.m. PDT and is applicable on global level to all languages. Google indicates that the deployment process will take up to two weeks to finish. As of October 5, 2026, the Search Status Dashboard of Google shows the update is still in action.For webmasters, SEO specialists and digital marketers, the update is a good example that shows SEO has to be more than keywords and backlinks. Websites should concentrate on providing helpful content and using proper SEO techniques. 1. What is the Google September 2026 Spam Update? The Google September 2026 Spam Update is a Google Search update that aims to enhance Google’s spam detection and processing systems.According to Google, its automatic spam detection systems work at all times, but sometimes Google makes considerable improvements to those systems and refers to such changes as spam updates. The system used by Google to combat spam is SpamBrain, an AI-based system developed by Google. Webpages violating the spam policies set by Google are likely to be ranked low or will not even be included in Google search results.That is why the webmaster of the page should not concentrate solely on the ranking after the update. When Did the September 2026 Spam Update Start? Google officially released the September 2026 Spam Update on September 24, 2026, at 9:15 a.m. PDT.   Update details Information Update September 2026 spam update start date September 24,2026 Start time 9:15 a.m PDT Coverage Global Language All languages Type spam update Affected area Google search ranking Expected rollout upto 2 weeks status on oct 5 Active 3. Is the September 2026 Spam Update still being implemented? Yes.At least until October 5, 2026, Google’s Search Status Dashboard has not ceased labeling the September 2026 Spam Update as Active.Google said the implementation would be completed in two weeks.Hence, if you observe any shifts in rankings or traffic in this time period, then do not rush to make conclusions about their permanency.It is preferable to:Observe → Analyze → Audit → Address true problems → Reassessthan making big decisions based on a short-term observation period. 4.Is It a Google Core Update? No.The September 2026 update is spam-related, rather than a core update.This is because Google classifies spam updates separately from core updates within its history of ranking updates. The reason why this is significant is that the process of investigation will differ. spam update core update Focuses on spam detection Broadly reassesses search quality and relevance related to spam policies related to google’s broader ranking system requires a spam policy review Requires a broader content and quality review May affect sites using manipulative practices can affect many types of websites Focus on compliance and quality focus on overall usefullness and relevance If your website lost rankings during this update, start by checking Google’s spam policies. 5. What Is Google Targeting? Google has not yet identified a single SEO technique that will be targeted by the Google Spam Update in September 2026.Consequently, SEO experts should refrain from making false claims like:“The September update targets all AI content.”and,“The September update targets backlinks only.”However, webmasters can refer to Google’s spam policies that already exist.These include: Scaled content manipulation Keyword stuffing Link spam Hidden text and links Scraping Misleading functionality Sneaky redirects Hacked content Site reputation manipulation User-generated spam 6. SEO Practices You Should Review Keyword Stuffing Keywords play a key role in SEO; however, too much emphasis on them can be considered harmful.According to Google, keyword stuffing is described as placing keywords or numbers on pages to artificially improve ranking. Such instances may include unnecessary repetition of words and/or creation of lists of keywords and/or geographic locations without any real value. Instead of repeating the following throughout the page:“best digital marketing agency in Kannur”consider using variations like:Digital marketing agency in KannurDigital marketing services in KannurSEO agency in KannurDigital marketing companyOnline marketing servicesAnd so on… Scaled Content Abuse One of the most crucial sections to consider is scaled content abuse.Scaled content abuse, according to Google, refers to the creation of numerous pages for the sole purpose of manipulating search engine ranking than assisting users.This may involve producing vast quantities of pages through artificial intelligence or automated means, plagiarizing content, remixing content from various web sites without adding any value, and even producing keyword-based pages with no added value. What is essential here is that the problem does not lie in the quantity of pages.The critical question is:Is the content produced for the benefit of users or for the sole purpose of manipulating search engines? Link Spam Backlinks can help websites build authority, but links created primarily to manipulate search rankings can violate Google’s spam policies. Google’s examples of link spam include: Buying or selling links for ranking purposes Excessive link exchanges Automated link-building programs Links created through manipulative arrangements Paid articles containing links that pass ranking credit Optimized anchor text used in manipulative guest posts or press releases  A strong backlink strategy should focus on relevance, quality and genuine value rather than simply increasing the number of backlinks. Scraped or Unoriginal Content Copying content from other websites and publishing it without adding meaningful value can create a poor user experience. If you use information from other sources, improve it with: Original analysis Examples Data Expert opinions Case studies Practical recommendations Your article should offer something useful that readers cannot get simply by visiting the original source. Site Reputation Abuse Site reputation abuse is another area website owners should understand. Google describes it as publishing third-party content on a website primarily to exploit the host site’s existing ranking signals. Not all third-party content is automatically a violation. Google specifically distinguishes legitimate third-party content from content published without meaningful oversight or involvement primarily to manipulate search rankings.  Website owners should therefore be careful about

Why Are Your Backlinks Not Getting Indexed by Google? 10 Reasons and How to Fix Them Building backlinks is an important part of many SEO campaigns, but getting a backlink published does not necessarily mean that Google will discover, crawl, and index the page containing that link. If you have created guest posts, directory links, profile links, citations, or other backlinks and they are not appearing in Google’s systems, you may be wondering: Why are my backlinks not getting indexed by Google? The problem can happen for several reasons, including poor-quality pages, crawlability issues, weak internal linking, technical problems, or simply because Google has not discovered the URL yet. In this guide, we will explain the most common reasons backlinks are not indexed and what you can do to improve the chances of Google discovering and crawling them. What Does Backlink Indexing Mean? Backlink indexing refers to the process through which search engines discover and crawl a webpage containing a backlink. For example, suppose another website publishes a page containing a link to your website. The process may look like this: Backlink published → Search engine discovers the page → Page is crawled → Search engine evaluates the page → Page may be indexed It is important to understand that backlink indexing and backlink creation are two different things. Publishing a backlink does not automatically mean that Google will index the page where the backlink exists. Google ultimately decides which pages to crawl and include in its search index. Why Are Your Backlinks Not Indexed by Google? There isn’t always one specific reason why a backlink has not been indexed. Here are 10 common reasons to investigate. 1. Google Has Not Discovered the Page Yet The simplest explanation may be that Google has not discovered the webpage containing your backlink. This can happen with: New websites Newly published pages Pages with few or no internal links Low-traffic websites Pages with weak external signals Websites that are crawled infrequently If the page is difficult for search engines to discover, the backlink may remain unnoticed for some time. How to fix it Make sure the page is accessible through the website’s internal link structure and that the website does not have unnecessary crawl restrictions. You can also focus on building quality links to the referring page itself where appropriate. 2. The Referring Page Has Poor-Quality Content Google does not index every page it discovers. If the page containing your backlink provides little value, is extremely thin, duplicated, automatically generated, or exists primarily to place links, it may have a lower chance of being indexed. For example, a page containing hundreds of unrelated links and very little useful information may provide limited value to users. How to fix it Focus on earning backlinks from pages that contain: Original information Useful and relevant content Clear topical context A good user experience Genuine editorial value The quality of the referring page matters. 3. The Page Contains a Noindex Directive A technical noindex directive can tell search engines not to include a page in their index. If the webpage containing your backlink has a noindex directive, you should not expect that page to appear in Google’s index. How to fix it If you own the referring website, check its robots meta directives and HTTP headers. Make sure the page is not unintentionally marked with noindex. If you do not control the website, you may need to contact the site owner if the page was supposed to be publicly indexable. 4. The Page Is Blocked From Crawling A page can also have crawl-access problems. For example, restrictions in robots.txt, authentication requirements, server problems, or other technical configurations can prevent search engine crawlers from accessing a URL properly. How to fix it Check whether search engine crawlers can access the page. Also verify: The URL loads correctly The page returns a valid HTTP status There are no unnecessary crawl restrictions Important resources are accessible The website does not frequently return server errors Technical SEO problems should be resolved before focusing heavily on indexing tools. 5. The Backlink Is on a Very Weak or Inactive Website Not every website is crawled with the same frequency. A new website with very few pages, little content, limited internal linking, and few external signals may be crawled less frequently than an established website that publishes useful content regularly. This means a newly published backlink may take longer to be discovered. How to fix it When building backlinks, focus on relevant websites that are active and publish useful content regularly. Do not focus only on the number of backlinks. The quality and relevance of the referring websites should also be considered. 6. The Referring Page Has Weak Internal Linking Internal links help search engines discover relationships between pages on a website. If your backlink is placed on a page that is effectively isolated from the rest of the website, search engines may have fewer pathways to discover it. How to fix it If you control the referring website, connect important pages through relevant internal links. For example: Homepage → Blog category → Relevant article → Backlink page A logical internal-linking structure can make website navigation easier for both users and search engines. 7. The URL Has Technical or Canonical Issues Sometimes the page you are checking is not the version that search engines consider the primary URL. Canonical tags can indicate which version of a page should be treated as the preferred URL. Problems can also occur with: Redirects Duplicate URLs URL parameters HTTP/HTTPS variations www/non-www versions Incorrect canonical tags How to fix it Check whether the backlink is placed on the correct canonical version of the page. Make sure redirects and canonical tags are configured correctly. 8. The Backlink Is on a Duplicate Page Duplicate or near-duplicate content can create indexing challenges. If several URLs contain substantially similar content, search engines may choose one version to index rather than indexing every variation. Therefore, a backlink placed on a duplicate or low-value