Contents

EN Underline
  1. Executive Summary
  2. What is a Google Core Update?
  3. Who's Affected by the June 2025 Core Update?
  4. What's Changing during the June 2025 Core Update
  5. Why Your Rankings Might Drop During a Core Update
  6. Your Action Plan for the June 2025 Core Update
  7. Next Steps
  8. Resources Mentioned
  9. In Conclusion
  10. Watch This Next

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The digital landscape is constantly shifting, and for marketing leaders, staying ahead of Google’s algorithm updates isn’t just about curiosity – it’s about survival.

The June 2025 Core Update has sent ripples through the search engine results pages (SERPs), leaving many businesses wondering what’s next for their organic visibility and traffic.

At Exposure Ninja, we understand that these updates can feel like navigating a stormy sea. That’s why we’re here to break down the complexities, offer clarity, and provide you with actionable insights to safeguard your digital presence.

In this podcast episode, we’ll explore the specifics of this significant update, its immediate impact, and arm you with the knowledge to adapt and thrive.

Executive Summary

The June 2025  Core Update, currently in a three-week rollout, represents a substantial shift in Google’s ranking mechanisms, leading to widespread volatility across various sectors, particularly in the US and UK. This update is not merely a routine tweak; it signifies Google’s intensified focus on content quality, user experience, and – crucially – the aggressive integration of AI Overviews into search results.

Key takeaways include:

  • Significant Volatility: Expect considerable fluctuations in rankings and traffic as the update unfolds.
  • AI Overviews Surge: A dramatic increase in AI Overviews visibility is impacting organic click-through rates, pushing towards a “zero-click” search environment.
  • Quality and E-E-A-T Remain Paramount: Websites with thin, outdated, or technically poor content are most vulnerable to drops. Google continues to prioritise Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust (E-E-A-T).
  • Strategic Patience is Key: Rash, immediate changes are ill-advised. Instead, focus on meticulous analysis and a well-considered action plan post-rollout.

For marketing leaders, understanding these dynamics is critical. This update underscores the imperative to produce genuinely valuable content, maintain robust technical SEO, and prepare for a search landscape increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

What is a Google Core Update?

Imagine Google’s search algorithm as a colossal, ever-evolving brain. While it makes minor adjustments daily – tiny neural firings that refine its understanding of the web – a “broad core update” (or “core update“) is akin to a major software overhaul. These are significant, sweeping changes to the core algorithm that impact how Google assesses content quality and relevance across all websites and industries.

Historically, Google rolls out these updates a couple of times a year. The last major one, for instance, was around November of last year, preceded by one in March. The June 2025 Core Update, despite landing right at the tail end of June (and running through the first half of July) is officially dubbed the “June” update.

What makes this particular update noteworthy is its extended three-week rollout period. This means that for a full three weeks, we’re likely to see considerable volatility in search rankings – pages spiking up, then down, then perhaps back up again.

For business owners and marketing professionals, this translates into a period of unpredictable organic search performance and potentially fluctuating traffic. It’s a time when the digital ground beneath your feet can feel decidedly shaky.

Who’s Affected by the June 2025 Core Update?

The impact of a broad core update is rarely uniform. While these changes are designed to affect all websites, some sectors invariably experience more turbulence than others. Looking at data from tools like Semrush’s Sensor, which tracks search engine results page (SERP) volatility, we can already see some clear trends.

On the mobile front, where approximately 65% of web traffic originates, the US market is currently experiencing extremely high volatility. This means significant position drops and gains across a wide range of sectors. The UK is also seeing high volatility, though not quite at the same intense levels as its transatlantic counterpart. Interestingly, our friends across Europe are enjoying a much calmer ride, with very normal ranges of volatility – suggesting they’re currently the least impacted.

When we drill down into specific sectors, the picture becomes even clearer:

  • Heavily Impacted in the US: Arts and Entertainment, Hobbies and Leisure, Home and Garden, and Internet and Telecom are showing massively high volatility. If your business operates in these areas, you’re likely feeling the tremors.
  • Less Impacted (Surprisingly): Sectors like Health, Education, and Real Estate are, so far, not exhibiting the same level of volatility. This is particularly surprising for the Health sector, which often falls under the “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) umbrella.

Speaking of YMYL, for those unfamiliar, these are industries where the information found online can significantly impact a person’s health, financial stability, or safety.

Traditionally, finance, healthcare, and legal sectors are prime examples, as decisions made based on online content in these areas carry high stakes. While Health is unusually calm this time, the Finance sector is indeed seeing high volatility, indexing at 8.1 out of 10 on the Semrush Sensor for the US. This confirms that Google continues to scrutinise content quality in areas where accuracy and trustworthiness are paramount.

What’s Changing during the June 2025 Core Update

Beyond the general volatility, this June 2025 update is revealing some significant shifts in Google’s approach, particularly concerning AI and video content.

One of the most striking observations is the massive surge in AI Overviews visibility. Just in the last couple of days, the percentage of AI Overviews appearing in search results has shot up dramatically – reaching 10.97% on mobile and an even higher 15% on desktop. This isn’t just a gradual increase; it’s a huge overnight jump, indicating Google’s aggressive push to integrate AI directly into the search experience. This is merely the initial phase before the full rollout of AI Mode, which is poised to fundamentally transform traditional search as we know it. Google is clearly trying to familiarise users with AI-generated content within the SERPs, especially in key markets like the UK and US.

This increased visibility of AI Overviews has a direct, measurable impact on organic traffic. Data from sources like Similarweb, shared by industry experts such as Barry Schwartz, shows a concerning trend: zero-click searches have grown from 56% to 69% since the launch of Google AI Overviews a year ago. This means more users are finding their answers directly on the SERP, without clicking through to a website. For news publishers, this has already translated into a steady decline in organic traffic. As AI Overviews become more prevalent across all sectors due to this broad core update, businesses across the board should brace for potential impacts on their website traffic.

In addition to AI, we’re also observing a notable increase in video carousels across both desktop and mobile search results. This makes a lot of sense, given that Google owns YouTube. Expect to see more YouTube videos prominently featured in the SERPs, reflecting a broader shift towards visual content consumption.

Interestingly, early observations suggest that informational websites are currently among the “losers” in this core update, with many seeing drops in rankings. This trend aligns with the rise of AI Overviews and zero-click searches, as Google increasingly attempts to provide direct answers on the SERP, often drawing from informational content. While very well-known news sites like the BBC seem to be benefiting, more general magazine-style publishers are struggling. This indicates a potential re-evaluation of how Google values and surfaces broad informational content, especially when it can be summarised or generated by AI.

Why Your Rankings Might Drop During a Core Update

When Google rolls out a broad core update, it’s not about penalising specific websites for bad practices. As Google Search Central vaguely puts it, these updates are simply “designed to surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites.” However, our decade of experience in SEO reveals consistent patterns for why sites might see a dip in rankings:

  • Rubbish Content: This is perhaps the most common culprit. If your content is thin, weak, lacks value, or is simply generated by AI without genuine editorial oversight and human refinement, it’s unlikely to perform well. Google’s algorithms are increasingly sophisticated at identifying content that doesn’t truly serve user needs.
  • Poor E-E-A-T: Google has been relentlessly pushing for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust (E-E-A-T) for years. If your content doesn’t clearly demonstrate these qualities – especially for “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) topics – you’re on shaky ground. This means ensuring your content creators are credible, your information is accurate, and your site is a trustworthy source.
  • Outdated Information: In an age of rapidly evolving information and AI-driven search, Google has a strong preference for fresh, accurate content. If your site is a graveyard of old, un-updated articles, it could be a significant drag on your rankings. Content pruning – merging old, valuable content and deleting irrelevant, outdated pieces – is becoming more of an SEO priority than ever.
  • Technical Debt and Poor Website Health: It’s not just about the words on the page. A slow website, one that isn’t well-optimised for modern internet usage, or is riddled with technical issues (what we call “technical debt”) can significantly impact your performance during an algorithm update. Google factors in everything from page loading times to how quickly elements become clickable. Unlike chatbots that just “crawl your words,” Google assesses the entire user experience.
  • Low-Quality Backlink Profile: The quality of your backlinks matters immensely. If you’ve been building links from or guest posting on websites that themselves have poor user experience, slow loading times, or are generally not well-optimised, those “bad neighbourhoods” can have a knock-on effect on your own rankings. Quality over quantity is always the mantra when it comes to link building and brand mentions.

Understanding these underlying reasons is crucial. It allows you to move beyond panic and towards a strategic, data-driven approach to improving your site’s long-term health and resilience against future updates.

Your Action Plan for the June 2025 Core Update

When a broad core update hits, the immediate gut reaction for many marketing leaders is to panic and start making drastic changes. Resist this urge! Our decade of experience has taught us that patience and methodical analysis are your best allies.

Here’s your actionable plan for navigating the June 2025 Core Update:

  1. Don’t Panic – Observe First:
    • It’s entirely common for rankings to fluctuate wildly during the initial rollout phase. Many sites that drop in the first few days will recover by the end of the three-week rollout period, particularly in the third week as Google “tweaks a few knobs” and refines its understanding.
    • Google itself doesn’t fully understand the immediate, granular impact of these AI-dependent systems, which is why they advise a “wait and see” approach. Trust the process, for now.
  2. Monitor Your Traffic and Landing Pages:
    • Instead of immediately trying to “fix” things, focus on data. Dive into your analytics:
      • Which pages are experiencing significant traffic increases or decreases?
      • Are there specific landing pages that are disproportionately affected?
    • Objectively assess these pages. Be honest with yourself: “Does this page truly deserve to rank as well as it did?” or “Has this content been updated recently? Could it benefit from a refresh?“
  3. Make Notes, Not Immediate Changes:
    • If you’re prone to acting quickly, channel that energy into making detailed notes. For any pages that concern you based on ranking or traffic drops, document your observations:
      • What aspects of the content could be improved?
      • Is the E-E-A-T clear and strong?
      • Are there any technical issues that might be contributing?
      • Is the information outdated?
    • Hold off on implementing these changes for at least a week, ideally until the end of the three-week rollout period. This prevents you from making reactive changes that might obscure the true impact of the update or, worse, inadvertently cause further issues. If a page recovers on its own, you’ll be glad you didn’t rush in.
  4. Prioritise Content Quality and E-E-A-T:
    • This update reinforces Google’s long-standing emphasis on high-quality, valuable content. Focus on:
      • Depth and Originality: Is your content genuinely insightful, unique, and comprehensive?
      • Accuracy and Trustworthiness: Especially for YMYL topics, ensure your information is factually correct and supported by credible sources.
      • Demonstrating E-E-A-T: Clearly showcase the experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness of your content creators and your brand. This might involve updating author bios, citing sources, or even featuring testimonials.
  5. Address Technical SEO Debt:
    • A healthy website is a resilient website. Use this period to address any long-standing technical SEO issues:
      • Improve page loading speed.
      • Ensure mobile-friendliness and responsiveness across all devices.
      • Optimise for crawlability by modern LLMs and search bots.
      • Review your backlink profile: focus on the quality of your linking domains, not just the quantity. Remember, a poor user experience on a linking site can negatively impact your own.

The waiting game can be frustrating, but it’s a necessary purgatory for informed decision-making. By taking a strategic, data-led approach, you can not only weather this update but also build a more robust and future-proof digital presence.

Next Steps

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure about how the June 2025 Core Update is impacting your business, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our team at Exposure Ninja is always happy to provide a fresh perspective.

Resources Mentioned

In Conclusion

Google’s June 2025 Broad Core Update is a powerful reminder that the world of search marketing is dynamic and ever-evolving.

While periods of volatility can be unsettling, they also present an opportunity for strategic growth and refinement. By focusing on creating truly valuable, high-quality content, ensuring a robust technical foundation, and patiently analysing the data, you can not only mitigate immediate impacts but also position your business for sustained success in an increasingly AI-driven search landscape.

Watch This Next

Amongst the huge updates Google is making to the search results are AI Overviews, the AI-powered successor to Featured Snippets, and they’re impacting website tracking more than many would have predicted.

Just in the last few months, we’ve started to see figures released from several data providers that paint a picture of increased website impressions, but simultaneously decreased clicks, leading to fewer website visits.

One of the most recent studies showed that clicks from Google were down 58%, which is not only a staggering drop but also a forecast of what the future looks like for organic search traffic as the in-testing AI Mode replacement for Google’s traditional results pages nears global release.

So what should you do about it?

Our founder, Tim Cameron-Kitchen, has all the details on this and recommendations on what you should do next in the video below. Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast audio recording and get the show notes here: 58% of Google Clicks Are Gone. What Now?

*Disclaimer: Exposure Ninja may get a commission through the marked links above, at no cost to you