Google serves most online searches, constantly improving through hundreds of different changes to its algorithms annually. In addition, its Knowledge Graph encompasses information about more than five billion real-world objects, which are persons, locations, and things, hence becoming an essential default tool used daily.
Google Lately: How the Search Is Changing
Google algorithm updates can shift traffic, so the priority stays the same: people-first content. Roughly 15% of searches each day are new, which means Google is constantly processing queries it has not seen before.
In 2025, Google released four algorithm updates, including three core and one spam update. In 2023, it ran 700,000+ experiments that produced 4,000+ search improvements. Google algorithm updates from February 2003 through March 2025, along with their volatility periods, are listed here.
Google’s February 2026 Discover Core Update
Google posted an announcement in the Search Central Blog about the February 2026 Discover core update, calling it an update to the systems that surface content in the Google Discover feed and not in the classic Search results. The update started to roll out as of February 5, 2026, for English users in the USA and will later on, expand to other countries. The purpose of the core update is to enhance the relevancy and utility of content by improving the relevance of material that is locally timely, valuable, and trustworthy. Furthermore, the update aims to reduce the presence of clickbait and sensational content on Discover.
Since the update is meant more for the recommendation systems of Google Discover, rather than general search ranking systems, publishers and creators will likely see a change in Discover referral traffic that is separate from their performance in Search. Google states that the update will be one of the many things that will make Discover a more user-driven and valuable tool.
Breaking Down the 2025 Google Algorithm Updates
Four Google updates rolled out in 2025 from March to December, mostly core updates plus one spam update. Here’s what each one aimed to improve and what it could mean for rankings and traffic.
March Core Google Update
The first Google update of 2025 was the March core update (March 13 to March 27). Google described it as a routine core update, with more creator-focused improvements planned in 2025. Here’s a table summarizing the key visibility gains observed after the March 2025 core update.
| Domains That Trended Up | Likely Reasons for the Trend |
| Reddit, Yelp | User-first content rewarded. |
| NotOnTheHighStreet, Uniqlo | Deeper product pages performed better. |
| Thesaurus.com | Strong reference intent helped. |
The launch has caused observable volatility in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) in various sectors, with tracking software registering drastic changes in rankings during the second week of March. Although no specific industry was affected, sectors such as healthcare, finance, e-commerce, and forums witnessed noticeable reshuffling.
June Core Google Update
The June 2025 Core Update was Google’s second broad ranking refresh of the year, rolling out from June 30 to July 17, with ranking changes rolling out gradually as Google updated its core systems.
The June 2025 update was widely discussed as a ranking recalibration that increased emphasis on topical authority and E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust). It also came with noticeable SERP volatility, especially across news, health, finance, and shopping. It also aligned with Google’s wider shift toward AI-enhanced search, where AI Overviews can divert attention from traditional organic listings and contribute to zero-click behavior even when rankings do not visibly change.
This table highlights how certain site-level factors influenced traffic growth after the update.
| Key insight | Growth Sites | Decline Sites |
| Using consistent, single-date logic for publication and updates boosts traffic. | 76% | 50% |
| Displaying a full author name adds credibility and drives traffic. | 84% | 67% |
August Spam Google Update
The August 2025 Spam Update rolled out globally from August 26 to September 21. Google noted it applied worldwide and across all languages, with the rollout expected to take a few weeks. Google described it as a routine spam update and said that it would roll out across all languages and locations.
Here is a table summarizing the key observations from the spam update:
| Factor | Observation |
| Network impact | Food sites → slight page view dip.Non-food → mostly steady.Sports → moderate drop. |
| Share shift (sports) | ESPN and Yahoo Sports gained share; smaller publishers lost ground. |
| AI Overviews effect | AI Overviews in sports → +45% since quarter 1.CTR down up to 60%. |
| Authority | DA 40+ and stronger branded searches held up better. |
| Ad experience | Balanced ad density was steadier.>25% ads-to-content was more likely to decline. |
| Content depth | Posts under 500 words tended to underperform due to limited depth. |
December Core Google Update
The December 2025 Core Update, the year’s final broad refresh, ran from December 11 to December 29. This update was a broad ranking refresh that adjusted how content quality and overall site value are evaluated across search.
Here is a quick table summarizing the observed impact of the December 2025 core update:
| Insight Area | Core Update Impact |
| Top 10 dropouts | ~15% of pages that were top 10 fell out of the top 100 (about 1 in 7). |
| New top 3 entries | ~13% of the top 3 URLs came from outside the top 20. |
| Domain age | The top 10 average ages stayed 15+ years.0–2-year domains were less than 2% of the top 10. |
| Stability by depth | Stable positions: Top 3: 33%.Top 10: 16.9%.Top 20: 10.16%. Top 100: 3%. |
| Niche volatility | E-commerce/Retail: 23%+ new top 3 entries.Healthcare: ~8% new top 3 entries. |
Conclusion
Clearly, the 2025 changes continue to affirm a single direction, and it is content, proper depth, clear structure, and strong trust. While there is volatility and change with AI on SERPs and clicks, the advice is to continue making your highest-value content even better. Staying focused on delivering high-quality, user-centric content will always be the key to long-term success in search.
