Digital Marketing Consultant

Google Algorithm Updates 2025

Google Algorithm Updates 2025

Google Updates You Should know Before 2026

This year, Google kept shaking things up with major updates.

Love it or not, we can’t ignore them. Before 2026, let’s quickly recap the key changes of 2025.

  1. March 2025 Core Update

Started: March 13 | Finished: March 27
Key Points

  • Google prioritized articles and pages that genuinely answer user questions and solve real problems
  • Google now rewards detailed, comprehensive content over thin or repetitive pages
  • Stricter evaluation of AI-generated content; only valuable, original AI content ranks well
  • Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness became primary ranking factors
  • Pages that match what users actually want rank higher than keyword-focused pages

Impacts

Here are the major impacts of this update on SEPR :

  • Blogs with surface-level information dropped significantly in visibility
  • Content written by subject matter experts and thought leaders gained rankings
  • Low-quality, generic AI content was deprioritized across all industries
  • Sites saw significant fluctuations (±50+ positions) within the first week of rollout
  • Sites that recovered updated content with real expertise and original examples

Google Algorithm Updates 2025

  1. June 2025 Core Update

Launched: June 30 | Rolled out: 16-18 days
Key Points

  • Google increasingly showed AI-generated summaries in search results, affecting organic CTR
  • Sites covering topics in-depth with clustered content (pillar + supporting articles) ranked better
  • Outdated pages were deprioritized, even if historically ranking well
  • Core Web Vitals became tie-breaker factors between equally valuable pages
  • Sites with clear authorship, credentials, and transparent information performed better

Impacts

Here are the major impacts of this update on SEPR :

  • Second major update of 2025 caused turbulent ranking shifts across all verticals
  • AI Overviews captured ~30-40% of clicks that would’ve gone to organic links
  • Sites with pillar pages + 10-15 supporting articles outperformed single-topic sites
  • Sites with weak mobile usability lost disproportionately more traffic
  • Most sites stabilized after the 16-18 day rollout completed
  1. August 2025 Spam Update

Released: August 26, 2025 (NOT a core update)
Key Points

  • Google targeted spam, thin content, and manipulative SEO tactics
  • Websites full of AI-generated, low-value content faced manual reviews
  • Unnatural link patterns and PBN (Private Blog Networks) were heavily penalized
  • Sites with irrelevant or promotional comment spam lost authority signals
  • Pages with poor UX, excessive ads, or misleading content were deprioritized

Impacts

Here are the major impacts of this update on SEPR :

  • VLow-effort content factories lost 80%+ of search visibility overnight
  • Cloaking, keyword stuffing, and hidden text were aggressively filtered
  • High-quality AI content combined with human expertise performed well
  • Established brands and trusted websites gained a comparative advantage
  • One of the longest spam updates, causing extended ranking uncertainty
  1. December 2025 Core Update

Started: December 11 | Still rolling out (3 weeks)
Key Points

  • Google is clearly separating pages written to rank from pages written to help users
  • Comprehensive guides, case studies, and detailed explanations are winning over quick answer pages
  • Clear author bios, credentials, and firsthand experience matter more than ever
  • Google now evaluates entire site quality, not just individual pages
  • Pages that feel helpful and honest outperform heavily optimized but generic content

Impacts

Here are the major impacts of this update on SEPR :

  • Expect continued ranking movements through early January 2026, as the rollout is still in progress.
  • Websites with genuine expertise and user focus are gaining the most rankings
  • Google is reducing visibility for similar pages, favoring the absolute best answer
  • Generic content struggles; sites need proven expertise and trustworthiness
  • This marks the shift from keyword optimization to user-intent satisfaction as the primary ranking driver

Google launched four official and confirmed algorithmic updates in 2025

I haven’t seen any clear signs that the 2025 Core Updates have directly impacted my current clients.

Ranking fluctuations appear normal. While many clients are seeing positive trends, these gains are more likely due to ongoing optimization rather than the algorithm update itself.

SEO remains a long-term investment. As long as your site stays relevant and trustworthy, there’s no cause for concern. I’m monitoring the December 2025 Core Update closely and will share updates if any significant changes emerge. Keep in touch with your digital marketing consultant for more information.