SEO is changing faster than ever. With AI-powered search tools reshaping how users discover and engage with content, and Google still dominating around 89% of global search, staying ahead requires more than traditional optimisation.
Algorithm updates now influence not just rankings, but how content is surfaced, interpreted, and recommended in AI-driven contexts. This blog tracks Google and other important updates, helping you adapt your SEO strategy, maintain visibility, and navigate the evolving search landscape with confidence.
February 2026 | Confirmed Discover Core Update
On 5 February, Google began rolling out a confirmed core update focused specifically on Google Discover, rather than traditional Search. The update initially launched for English-language users in the US, with a rollout of up to two weeks before expanding to additional countries and languages.
The update aimed to improve the relevance and quality of content shown in the Discover feed. Publishers producing timely, engaging, and people-first content aligned with user interests may have seen improved visibility, while content that relied on click-driven tactics or lacked originality may have experienced declines. Google’s guidance remains consistent: focus on creating content that delivers genuine value.
Key areas of focus included:
- Improved assessment of freshness and topical relevance
- Refined interpretation of user interest and engagement signals
- Greater emphasis on original, authoritative content
The February 2026 Discover Core Update highlights Google’s continued efforts to surface high-quality, relevant content within the Discover experience.
December 2025 | Confirmed Core Algorithm Update
On 11 December, Google began rolling out its December 2025 Core Algorithm Update, impacting search results globally. The rollout completed on 29 December, taking 18 days in total. As with previous core updates, the focus was on improving the relevance, quality, and reliability of search results across all industries.
Sites publishing helpful, authoritative, and people-first content may have seen visibility gains, while those relying on thin, outdated, or low-value content were more likely to experience declines. Google reiterated its consistent guidance: there’s no quick fix for core update losses — long-term success depends on delivering genuinely useful content that aligns with user intent.
Key areas of emphasis included:
- Stronger evaluation of content quality and depth, rewarding expertise and originality
- Refinements to ranking systems that better assess relevance and user satisfaction
- Continued devaluation of low-quality, unhelpful, or overly optimised content
The December 2025 Core Update underlines Google’s continued push to surface trustworthy, high-quality content and improve the overall search experience.
August 2025 | Spam Update
On 26 August, Google began rolling out its August 2025 Spam Update, with the rollout completing on 21 September after 26 days. The update focused on strengthening Google’s ability to detect and neutralise spammy practices, reinforcing its commitment to surfacing trustworthy, high-quality content in search results.
Sites using manipulative tactics may have seen ranking declines, while those aligned with Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and focused on genuine user value were largely unaffected. As with previous spam updates, Google reiterated the importance of creating content for users first, not search engines.
Key areas of focus included:
- Improved detection of spam techniques, including keyword stuffing and auto-generated content
- Stronger enforcement against link spam and unnatural backlink patterns
- Enhanced systems to identify deceptive practices designed to manipulate rankings
The August 2025 Spam Update highlights Google’s continued efforts to protect search quality and reward sites that demonstrate transparency, relevance, and user-first intent.
June 2025 Core Update
Announced on 30th June 2025, this is Google’s second broad core update of the year, and may take up to 3 weeks to roll out completely.
2. Google Search Console Insights
At the end of June, the Search Console Insights feature began rolling out. This tool offers a consolidated view of key metrics, including impressions, clicks, and trending content performance over time.
3. Google Simplifies SERP UI
On 12th June, Google began phasing out certain structured data types to “simplify the Search results page.” ‘This simplification means that for some results, the specific visual enhancements powered by these lesser-used markups will no longer appear, leading to a more streamlined presentation’. – Google
4. Google’s AI Mode
Google’s AI Mode continues to mature.
Click Cannibalisation: Studies (BrightEdge, May 2025) show organic CTR can decline by up to 30% on AI-impacted SERPs, particularly for featured snippet-style queries
March 2025 | Confirmed Algorithm Update
On the 13th March, Google began to roll out its first confirmed core algorithm update of the year. It lasted for exactly two weeks, ending on the 27th March. This update aimed to improve the quality and relevance of search results. Websites with high-quality and authoritative content may have experienced improved rankings. While those with thin, low-value or suspected AI spam content might have seen declines. Google’s guidance remains consistent: focus on creating helpful, reliable, and people-first content to align with these adjustments.
The update introduced a few key changes:
- Enhanced content evaluation, to help better assess original content and usefulness
- Crackdown on “parasite SEO” where reputable sites host low-quality, third-party content
- Refined spam detection to combat manipulative ranking practises
The March 2025 Core Update highlights Google’s ongoing efforts to improve the overall search experience.
January 2025 Local Search Update | Unconfirmed
In early January, many businesses and SEOs noticed quite significant changes in Google’s local search rankings, with some mentioning that their rankings ‘fell off a cliff’ overnight.
There was widespread speculation about a possible algorithm update, that may have caused these large changes, but Google did not confirm one to have taken place.
The consensus within the community is that these ranking shifts were most likely the result of an unconfirmed bug rather than a deliberate update.
According to Search Engine Round Table, local SEO tracking tools noticed a decent amount of volatility during this time but stabilised shortly after the initial disruption.
December 2024 – January 2025 | Confirmed Algorithm & Spam Update
While there were no confirmed algorithm or spam updates at the beginning of the year, we noted continuing ranking fluctuations throughout early January.
These movements can be attributed to the lasting effects of late December’s significant algorithm and spam updates, which caused widespread volatility across many industries and sectors. A lot of websites saw large peaks and troughs in their rankings, as the update’s impact carried over into the New Year, reflecting Google’s adjustments.
The December updates focused on improving search quality by targeting low-quality content, addressing manipulative link-building practices, and refining how Google identifies helpful content.
Websites that relied on thin content, AI-generated copy, or aggressive link-building were particularly affected, with some experiencing ranking declines. On the other hand, websites that prioritised original, user-focused content and adhered to Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) guidelines often saw improved performance.
Industries such as e-commerce, travel, and health were among the most impacted, likely due to their competitive nature and reliance on search visibility. E-commerce websites, in particular, experienced volatility during the crucial post-holiday period, prompting many site owners to reassess their content quality and user experience.
In line with these updates, Google also issued a warning in December about the excessive use of JavaScript, emphasising its potential to hinder search engine crawlers—especially with the rise of AI-driven search tools. With AI crawlers making up approximately 28% of Googlebot’s traffic, reliance on JavaScript can affect content accessibility. This shift is significant as AI search tools often struggle with rendering JavaScript-heavy websites, prioritising server-side rendering and HTML content instead. To mitigate potential visibility issues in both traditional and AI-based search results, Google recommends embedding essential content within the initial HTML and adopting server-side rendering strategies.
Struggling to keep up with the evolving SEO landscape, Google algorithm updates, and the rise of AI search? As a leading SEO agency, Found’s team of experts can help you build a future-ready strategy that strengthens your visibility across traditional search and AI-driven platforms, ensuring your website is fully optimised for sustainable growth in 2026 and beyond.
SEO & GOOGLE ALGORITHM UPDATES FAQ'S
Don't stress, we've got
Google rolls out hundreds of updates to their search engine every year, some are minor, while others, known as core algorithm updates, have large impacts on search rankings.
The purpose of these updates is to improve and refine the quality of search results, making sure that only the most relevant information is shown for your query. The idea of these updates is to ensure the engine is a more accessible and trustworthy space.
The main areas the core algorithm updates focus on are:
– Prioritising high-quality content
– Combating spam
– Understanding and interpreting user intent
