How Google Algorithm Updates Affect Rankings

1. Core Updates (June 2025 Core Update)

Impact: These affect overall search quality and relevance. Effect on Rankings: High-quality content may gain visibility. Thin, outdated, or low-value content may drop in rankings. Authority and trustworthiness are reevaluated. What to do: Improve E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) Update and expand outdated or shallow content Remove duplicate or unhelpful pages

2. Helpful Content Updates

Impact: Targets content made for search engines, not users. Effect on Rankings: Pages with AI-generated or keyword-stuffed content drop. User-focused, informative content rises. What to do: Write content that answers user intent. Avoid generic AI-written articles. Focus on original insights, not just SEO tricks.

3. Spam Updates

Impact: Targets manipulative SEO tactics (e.g., fake backlinks, cloaking, keyword stuffing). Effect on Rankings: Sites using black-hat SEO can be penalized or deindexed. Clean sites may benefit as spammy competition is filtered out. What to do: Avoid buying links or using PBNs. Keep internal linking natural and relevant. Use clean, white-hat SEO methods.

How to Recover or Improve Rankings

Audit your content: Use tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or Semrush to identify declining pages. Enhance content quality by adding value, examples, videos, FAQs, and user experience improvements. Update regularly: Keep your website content fresh and relevant. Build clean backlinks: Focus on relevant guest posting, digital PR, and partnerships. Follow Google’s guidelines: Stay aligned with Google Search Essentials.

Important Reminder

Don’t rush to make changes right after a major update. Wait at least 2–3 weeks for the full rollout to complete, as rankings often fluctuate during this period. Let things settle before deciding on any major SEO adjustments.