Google’s June 2025 Core Update launched on June 30, 2025, sparking widespread ranking volatility across industries. According to Google’s Search Status Dashboard, the update was released on June 30, 2025 and “the rollout may take up to 3 weeks to complete”. This was Google’s second confirmed broad core algorithm update of 2025 (the first was in March), affecting search results globally across all languages and verticals. As with all broad core updates, the June 2025 update involved broad changes to Google’s ranking system aimed at improving the overall quality, relevance, and helpfulness of search results. Google emphasizes that core updates do not target specific sites or pages, but rather reassess content across the web to better reward high-quality, relevant content (often causing ranking shifts for many sites). In Google’s own analogy, a core update is like refreshing a “top 100” list – new excellent content can rise and push some older entries down, even if those older pages haven’t become bad. Below we provide a detailed overview of what changed in the June 2025 Core Update, expert insights on its impact, and a complete guide of actionable steps to align your website with the update’s priorities.
1. What Changed in the June 2025 Core Update
Broad Focus on Content Quality and Relevance: The June 2025 Core Update was a “broad core update,” meaning it made wide-ranging adjustments to how Google’s ranking algorithms evaluate content, rather than targeting any one issue. Google’s goal with core updates is to “present helpful and reliable results” by better surfacing high-quality content that satisfies user intent. There were no specific new “features” rolled out, but rather refinements to many ranking factors. Notably, Google reiterated that pages which drop in rankings after a core update haven’t violated guidelines and aren’t being penalized; instead “the changes are about improving how [Google’s] systems assess content overall”. In other words, Google got better at recognizing content that deserves to rank.
Rollout Timing and Volatility: The update rollout began on June 30, 2025 (7:34 AM PDT) and officially lasted about three weeks through mid-July. During this period, the search results experienced significant turbulence. Website owners and SEOs reported notable ranking fluctuations – it was advised to expect ranking volatility throughout the rollout. Many tracking tools (Semrush, MozCast, Sistrix, etc.) recorded sharp spikes in algorithmic “temperature,” indicating that this update was one of the more impactful updates in recent times. The volatility affected virtually all categories (news, e-commerce, health, finance, etc.) and multiple locales, consistent with a broad core update’s wide scope.
No Niche-Specific Target – But Emphasis on Helpful Content: Google did not identify any particular niche or content type as being targeted (unlike, say, a “Product Reviews Update” which targets review content). Core updates “can affect rankings across all industries and topics”. That said, Google’s standard guidance for core updates heavily emphasizes “helpful, reliable, people-first content”. The June 2025 update continued to reinforce Google’s site quality criteria, especially the concept of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness – more on this below). Google’s Search Liaison and documentation stressed that there is nothing special you need to “fix” if your site was impacted – instead, the focus should be on improving overall content quality in line with Google’s quality guidelines. In short, “there’s nothing new or secret to do” for this update beyond the usual best practices of creating great content for users rather than trying to game the algorithm.
Key Algorithmic Themes: While Google doesn’t publish the specific changes, SEO experts observing this update noted a few key themes in what types of content and sites were affected:
- E-E-A-T and Content Trustworthiness: Many in the SEO community reported that the update rewarded content demonstrating clear expertise and first-hand experience, while demoting content that was thin or lacked authority. In fact, some analysts noted that Google’s algorithms seem to better detect “poorly written, AI-generated fluff” content and downgrade it, while elevating content backed by real expertise, credible sources, and authentic experience. This was especially apparent in YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) categories (such as health, finance), where authoritative, accurate information is crucial. Content with strong E-E-A-T signals (e.g. author bylines with credentials, cited facts, positive reputation) fared better post-update, suggesting Google further refined how it evaluates trust and authority.
- User Experience & Page Experience Signals: There are indications that page experience factors played a slightly larger role in this update’s outcome. For instance, Google had introduced the new Interaction to Next Paint (INP) metric (replacing First Input Delay) as a Core Web Vitals metric in 2024, and by mid-2025 was using it in page experience evaluations. SEO commentators noted that sites with poor Core Web Vitals – slow load times (LCP), high layout shifts (CLS), or poor interactivity (INP) – and sites not fully mobile-friendly saw relative declines in rankings after the update. While content relevance remains king, the technical performance and usability of a site have become more important refinements; Google wants to reward not just the most relevant information, but also the best experience delivering that information. (Google’s Page Experience update from prior years underscores this, and core updates seem to continue that trajectory.)
- Frequency of Core Updates & Continuous Adjustments: Another noteworthy aspect is the pace of Google’s core updates. The June 2025 update arrived only ~3 months after the March 2025 core update. Such frequency is slightly higher than the historical norm (where major core updates were ~4–6 months apart). Industry observers have pointed out that this accelerated cadence means sites have shorter recovery windows and need to be in a constant state of improvement. Additionally, between these official updates, Google’s algorithms undergo many smaller tweaks. In forums and analysis, SEOs reported unconfirmed “mini-updates” in the weeks leading up to June 30 (e.g. notable ranking shakes on June 25–26). All of this suggests Google’s ranking system is evolving continuously, with core updates being the big “checkpoints” of broad recalibration.
2. Impact on Rankings, Traffic & Visibility – Expert Insights
Winners and Losers: As with any core update, the June 2025 update created clear “winners” and “losers” in search rankings. Some websites saw significant gains in visibility and traffic, especially those that had been investing in high-quality, user-focused content. For example, sites that updated old thin articles into comprehensive resources or built out authoritative content silos often reported improvements. On the other hand, many site owners experienced traffic drops – in some cases dramatic – for pages that previously ranked high. On SEO forums (WebmasterWorld, Reddit r/SEO, etc.), publishers shared stories of 20–40% declines in Google organic traffic for July compared to prior months. Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable noted “numerous site operators report dramatic drops in organic visibility and earnings” during the rollout. Some even saw previously top-ranked pages fall to page 2 or beyond. Notably, these declines often hit content that had not been refreshed in a long time or that was borderline in meeting user needs – reinforcing that the update favored fresher, more relevant content over stale or generic pages.
Industry Sectors Affected: No sector was immune, but YMYL niches (health, finance, legal, etc.) appeared particularly volatile, consistent with Google’s heightened quality standards for these topics. Many health and finance sites with insufficient E-E-A-T saw declines, while those with medical or financial experts as authors saw gains. E-commerce and affiliate sites also reported mixed outcomes – thin affiliate content or product pages with shallow descriptions suffered, whereas sites with robust product info and user reviews sometimes gained. Local SEO experts observed shake-ups in local search results and map packs as well (e.g. some businesses saw changes in their local rankings), indicating the core update’s reach extended to local algorithms too. Across the board, content quality was a common thread: lower-quality, aggregate, or duplicate content got hit; unique, value-adding content was rewarded. An analysis by one marketing firm summarized that Google “reinforces its long-standing focus on E-E-A-T… especially for YMYL content” with this update.
Signs of Algorithmic Adjustments: Several search data providers captured interesting patterns during the rollout that give insight into the algorithm’s behavior:
- Many sites experienced a “shake then settle” traffic pattern – i.e. initial spikes or drops in the first week (as Google re-ranked certain results), followed by partial rebounds or further adjustments in the second and third weeks. For example, some publishers reported “traffic spikes until Monday, then drops off a cliff” by mid-week. This suggests the update rolled out in phases, and possibly that Google tested new rankings then dialed back or fine-tuned them as data came in. It’s a reminder that during a core update, rankings can fluctuate day-to-day and one shouldn’t jump to conclusions from a single-day change.
- Global consistency: Unlike some updates that start in one region/language and expand, the June 2025 update appeared global from the outset. Rank monitoring in Europe, Asia, and the Americas all showed volatility starting around June 30. This aligns with Google’s statement that core updates impact all Google Search markets.
- Continuous quality systems: Google has multiple overlapping algorithms (core ranking, helpful content system, spam detection, etc.). The June 2025 core update likely incorporated improvements in the Helpful Content system and SpamBrain (Google’s AI-based spam filter). Evidence for this is that sites with obvious “SEO-first” content (made just to rank, not help users) were among the hardest hit – suggesting the helpful content classifier may have been strengthened. Also, some sites with unnatural link profiles or link schemes saw drops, implying that Google’s spam link detection (which runs constantly and saw a major update in Dec 2022) played a role. We can infer that Google is integrating these quality signals ever more tightly into core updates.
SEO Community Reactions: The SEO community had mixed feelings about this update. For those who saw gains, the update was vindication of investing in quality: many commented that their improved rankings came after months of content audits, pruning low-value pages, and bolstering E-E-A-T signals. On the flip side, those hit hard were frustrated at the lack of specific guidance from Google. On forums, one site owner lamented “My business, like many others, died after [the] May 2022 update… [this June 2025 update] will probably make it worse”, reflecting ongoing struggles to recover. Another commenter noted “Even if you rank first now, your traffic can still be horrible”, referring to the rise of zero-click search features like AI summaries that reduce clicks to sites. Indeed, beyond the algorithm changes, Google’s introduction of AI-generated answers (SGE – Search Generative Experience) and rich snippets means even maintaining rank #1 might deliver less traffic than before. This broader shift in search behavior is an added challenge that SEOs in 2025 voiced concern about.
Key Takeaway: The June 2025 Core Update underscored that SEO success now requires a truly holistic approach. You need excellent content, technical soundness, positive user experience, and demonstrable authority. No single “trick” or tweak will secure rankings. Quick fixes during the rollout are discouraged – Google’s advice is explicitly not to make hasty changes while an update is in progress. Instead, monitor your metrics, wait for the dust to settle, then perform a thoughtful analysis of what might have caused drops or gains. In the next section, we compile a comprehensive guide of actionable steps to help your site align with Google’s core update criteria and maximize your chances of ranking well post-update.
3. Post-Core Update SEO Best Practices – Complete Action Plan
If your site was impacted by the June 2025 core update (or you want to update-proof your site), Google’s consistent message is to focus on quality. Below is a step-by-step guide covering all major aspects – from content and E-E-A-T to technical SEO and user experience. Use this as a checklist to enhance your site’s alignment with what Google’s algorithms reward:
Content Quality and Relevance
Creating people-first, high-quality content is paramount. In Google’s own words, “helpful, reliable, people-first content” is the north star for rankings. Core updates primarily reassess how well content meets users’ needs. Here’s how to ensure your content hits the mark:
- Satisfy User Intent: For every page, ask what the searcher is really looking for. Your content should fully answer the query and provide value beyond what’s already on the SERP. Google’s algorithms favor pages that “provide original information, reporting, research or analysis” and comprehensive coverage of the topic. Make sure your content isn’t thin or just rehashing others – bring a fresh perspective, more depth, or updated info that sets it apart.
- Be Substantial and Relevant: Avoid fluff and filler. Core updates often demote pages with lots of words but little substance. Ensure every section has purpose. Include actionable insights, data, examples, or visuals that enrich the content. Compare your page to the top results: is it at least as informative, accurate and up-to-date as those? If not, beef it up. Google’s content quality questions include: “Does the content provide a substantial, complete or comprehensive description of the topic?” and “Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark or share?”. Strive to be bookmark-worthy!
- Avoid Clickbait & Disappointment: Your titles and descriptions should accurately reflect your content. A common issue is sensational or misleading titles that don’t deliver (“10 Secrets You Won’t Believe…”, etc.) – Google’s algorithms may downrank such pages after the update. Write compelling but truthful titles (and avoid exaggeration or shock-value headlines that aren’t backed by content). Likewise, ensure the introduction of your article gets to the point and reassures the reader they’ll find what they need – this helps user engagement and reduces bounce rates (positive user signals).
- Freshness Matters: Review your content for freshness, especially in niches like tech, finance, health. The June 2025 update showed older, stagnant pages often lost rankings. Keep content up-to-date – update statistics to the current year, add recent examples or case studies, and prune outdated info. If you have old blog posts or guides that still get traffic, consider a refresh (and indicate last updated date). Demonstrating that your content is maintained and current can improve its standing.
- Holistic Topical Coverage: Rather than many thin pages each targeting slight keyword variations, build in-depth resources. Google’s increasingly semantic algorithms (MUM, BERT, etc.) favor content that thoroughly covers a topic and its subtopics. Consider creating “ultimate guides” or topic clusters: a comprehensive pillar page with multiple sections, or a hub-and-spoke model where a main topic is supported by detailed sub-articles interlinked. This signals to Google that you are an authority in that area (and it keeps users on your site, exploring). For example, if you have a page about “Investing 101,” it should link out to subpages on “Investing for Retirement,” “Investing in Stocks vs Bonds,” etc., and vice versa. This depth and internal linking (discussed more later) showcases content relevance and completeness.
Content Quality Checklist: Ask yourself the following (Google provided similar self-assessment questions):
- Does our content demonstrate original thought or research rather than just summarizing what’s already out there?
- Is our content useful and informative to readers, providing substantial value they couldn’t get elsewhere easily?
- Would a visitor feel satisfied with the amount of detail and clarity on our page for their query?
- Are we avoiding common pitfalls such as: duplicate content, auto-generated text, or pages that exist solely to capture search traffic without delivering value?
By rigorously evaluating and improving your content quality, you align with the core of what the June 2025 update (and all core updates) seek to reward.
E-E-A-T: Demonstrating Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust
Google’s E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is crucial for content that performs well after core updates. E-E-A-T has become a cornerstone of SEO, especially for core updates. Google wants to rank content that comes from reliable, authoritative sources and creators. Here’s how to boost your site’s E-E-A-T:
- Show Real Experience: Experience in E-E-A-T means first-hand or life experience with the topic. If applicable, highlight the author’s personal experience. For instance, an article about marathon training is stronger if written by someone who has run marathons (and you state that). Add author notes or a snippet in the content like “Based on 10 years of marathon running experience…” if true. Include original insights, case studies, or examples from your experience – this type of content stood out positively after the June update, as it’s harder to fake with AI. Google’s algorithms are better at detecting whether content reads like it was written from personal experience or just aggregated.
- Credentialed Expertise: Ensure the author’s credentials or qualifications are communicated, especially on YMYL topics. Every article should have a byline with the author’s name, and that name should link to a detailed author bio page. On the bio, mention the author’s expertise (education, profession, years in the field, etc.) that is relevant to the topic. For example, health content should ideally be written or reviewed by medical professionals. If you can, get experts to either write or fact-check content – and then state it. You might add a line: “Medically reviewed by Dr. Jane Smith, MD” for health articles. Such signals of expertise build trust with both users and Google. As Google’s quality rater guidelines note, “Would you feel comfortable trusting this content for issues relating to your money or your life?” – your content should inspire that level of confidence.
- Authority Signals: Build your site’s authority in its niche. This is partly a long-term off-site effort (earning mentions and links from other authoritative sites – see Link Quality section), but also an on-site effort. Feature trust badges or affiliations if you have them (e.g., membership in professional associations, awards, certifications). Encourage experts to contribute quotes to your content and cite them. If your site has been referenced by reputable sources, consider a “As seen in…” section. Also, a comprehensive About Us page can tell your brand story and why you’re authoritative. After the update, sites that clearly presented who they are, who’s behind the content, and why they’re trustworthy tended to fare better (as reported by SEO analysts). In short, don’t be a faceless content farm – establish a reputation and make it visible.
- Trustworthiness & Transparency:Trust is the most critical element of E-E-A-T. You can bolster trust by being transparent and user-centric. Some best practices:
- Cite sources for facts and statistics in your content (and link to those reputable sources). Content that backs up claims with evidence is seen as more trustworthy. For example, if you state a medical fact, reference a scholarly article or official health site.
- Maintain accuracy – avoid even minor factual errors, as Google can pick up on signals (user feedback, Knowledge Graph, etc.) that your info isn’t reliable. If you discover an error, correct it publicly.
- User safety and data security: If you have a site that collects personal data or does transactions, ensure it’s secure (HTTPS, no mixed content errors) and display trust seals or privacy policy links prominently. Even for content sites, having a privacy policy, terms of service, and contact information adds legitimacy.
- Moderate user-generated content: If your pages have comments or reviews, keep an eye on them – a page full of spammy or misleading user comments can hurt perceived trust.
- Leverage Reviews and Testimonials: Positive user reviews and testimonials can indirectly boost E-A-T. For example, if you run a product or service site, the presence of genuine reviews indicates experience and trust. Google’s algorithms (and users) take note of overall reputation – beyond your own site, what is the web saying about you? While you can’t directly control third-party reviews, you can ensure you’re delivering quality so that your reputation remains positive.
In the wake of the June 2025 update, many SEO experts reaffirmed that “content backed by real expertise, with author credentials, fact-checked info, and cited sources, is rewarded”. Make E-E-A-T a focal point of your SEO strategy. Regularly audit your site against E-E-A-T principles: Google even suggests using the Quality Rater Guidelines as a reference to evaluate your own content. While E-E-A-T is not a single “score,” it influences many signals in Google’s algorithm. Enhancing E-E-A-T will not only protect you in core updates but also build a loyal audience.
Technical SEO Best Practices (Crawlability & Site Health)
While content is king, technical SEO forms the foundation that allows your great content to be discovered and indexed properly. A core update might not directly target technical issues, but sites with poor technical health can’t fully benefit from their content improvements. Plus, Google has indicated that core updates assume your site can be crawled and loaded efficiently – if not, you’re at a disadvantage. Here’s a technical checklist:
- Ensure Efficient Crawl and Indexing: Use Google Search Console to check Coverage reports. Fix any errors like pages “Crawled – currently not indexed”, server errors, or robots.txt blocks that might be keeping important content out of Google’s index. Submit an XML sitemap of your content and keep it updated. Implement proper canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues that can dilute ranking signals. If you made major site changes, use Search Console’s URL Inspection to verify Google can fetch your pages. A technically sound site allows Google’s crawlers to easily access and understand your content, which is crucial especially when algorithms are reassessing site quality.
- Site Structure and Internal Linking: A clear site architecture helps both users and search engines. Group content into logical categories and ensure every important page is reachable within a few clicks from the homepage. Use internal links liberally and naturally within your content to point to other relevant pages on your site – this not only helps users but also signals to Google which pages are related and important. After the June update, many SEO experts highlighted internal linking as an often overlooked way to boost page prominence. For example, if you have a high-authority page that did well, link from it to other related pages that need a boost (where relevant). Internal links with descriptive anchor text also help Google understand what the target page is about. (E.g., avoid “click here” and instead use “See our SEO case study for an example.”) Good internal linking can distribute ranking signals more evenly across your site and help any recovery.
- Fix Technical Errors and Improve Indexation Signals: Resolve 404 errors by implementing proper 301 redirects for moved content. Remove or update any broken outbound links as well (they hurt user experience and possibly how Google perceives quality). Make sure your URL structures are clean and descriptive (if you still have long query parameter URLs for key pages, consider using URL rewrites to make them SEO-friendly). Additionally, utilize schema markup like breadcrumb schema for site navigation – this can generate breadcrumb links in search results and reinforce your site hierarchy to Google.
- Page Speed & Core Web Vitals (Technical Aspect): We’ll cover user experience next, but from a technical standpoint, page speed optimizations are key. Compress images, leverage browser caching, use a CDN if needed, and minimize render-blocking resources (scripts, styles) in the page head. Use tools like Google Lighthouse or PageSpeed Insights to get specific recommendations. Core Web Vitals metrics (LCP, INP, CLS) are measured in part by how your HTML/CSS/JS is structured and delivered. For instance, ensure critical CSS is inline or prioritized, and non-critical scripts are deferred or loaded asynchronously. If you use a CMS like WordPress, look into caching plugins and image optimization plugins. Technically optimizing for speed not only pleases users but also satisfies Google’s criteria for a good page experience.
- Mobile-First Technical Setup: Google’s indexing is mobile-first, meaning it uses the mobile version of your site for ranking. Check your site on a mobile device (or use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test) to ensure all content is accessible and layouts are not broken. Avoid using separate mobile URLs if possible (responsive design is preferred). If you do use them, make sure you have proper rel=”alternate” and rel=”canonical” between mobile and desktop versions. Also verify that any important content or structured data present on desktop is also present on mobile. Sometimes sites hide certain text or images on mobile for design reasons – be cautious, as that content might not be indexed if not present. Post-update, some sites realized that content only visible on desktop didn’t count, affecting their rankings.
Technical SEO Maintenance: After a core update, do a sweep of technical factors that could be holding your site back. While these might not be the reason for a ranking drop (which is usually content-related), technical issues can compound problems. For example, if Google finds your content quality middling and also sees slow load times or intermittent availability, it might favor a competitor. On the flip side, a site with flawless technical execution makes it easier for Google’s improved algorithms to recognize its content merits.
In summary, keep your site technically healthy: fast, crawlable, logically organized, and error-free. This provides a solid platform for the content and experience enhancements discussed next.
User Experience & Core Web Vitals
User experience (UX) has become a significant part of SEO, especially with Google’s Page Experience signals and Core Web Vitals metrics being integrated into ranking systems. The June 2025 update continued to highlight that sites offering a superior UX can have an edge. Here’s how to optimize UX:
- Core Web Vitals – Optimize for LCP, INP, CLS: Ensure your site meets the recommended thresholds for Google’s Core Web Vitals.
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – Aim for LCP under ~2.5 seconds on mobile. Optimize your largest above-the-fold element (often an image or banner) by compressing images and eliminating slow server response.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP) – This newer metric (which effectively replaced First Input Delay) measures responsiveness. A good INP is < 200ms for most user interactions. Reduce heavy JavaScript, use efficient coding practices, and avoid long tasks that block the main thread. Basically, ensure when a user clicks something, the site responds quickly.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – Aim for CLS < 0.1, meaning your pages shouldn’t unexpectedly shift during load. Reserve space for images/ads with width x height attributes or CSS aspect ratios, and load webfonts smartly to avoid jarring shifts.
- Mobile Usability: Beyond speed, general mobile usability is crucial. Make sure text is readable without zoom (use legible font sizes), buttons and links are tap-friendly (not too small or crowded), and content fits the small screen (no horizontal scrolling). Avoid intrusive interstitials (pop-ups) that cover content on mobile – Google has a specific penalty for mobile intrusive interstitials. A smooth mobile experience is not just good for users; Google’s algorithms (which use mobile-first indexing) may downrank sites with poor mobile UX. If your site isn’t fully mobile-optimized by now, it likely was hurt by the core update. Use responsive design and test key pages on various devices.
- Site Design & Navigation: A clean, user-friendly design helps keep visitors on your site and find what they need – signals which Google likely monitors (through Chrome user data, etc.). Ensure your navigation menu is intuitive and present on all pages (especially on mobile via a clear hamburger menu or similar). Include a search function on your site if you have a lot of content – users who can’t find information will bounce. Break up long content with clear headings, bullet points, images, or infographics to enhance readability (this also helps Google parse the content structure). The June 2025 update, being content-focused, rewarded pages that delivered information in a digestible, user-friendly way rather than a wall of text. Good UX design (like proper use of headings , , etc., and sections with clear focus) can indirectly help your SEO by making it easier for Google to extract relevant snippets and for users to engage.
- Reduce User Frustration: Think from a user’s perspective – any element that might frustrate a visitor should be fixed. This includes:
- Broken links or images – do a crawl to find and repair these.
- Excessive ads, especially if they disrupt reading – Google’s “Page Layout” algorithm (and human raters) frown on sites that shove content below a bunch of ads. Ensure ads are reasonable in number and don’t cover content. One of Google’s quality questions: “Does the content have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?”.
- Auto-play videos or sounds – these can increase bounce rates.
- Accessibility issues (next section covers more) – if your site is hard to use for people with disabilities, that’s a portion of users getting a bad experience.
By improving user experience, you not only please your audience (which can lead to more sharing, returning visits, conversions, etc.) but also align with Google’s drive to promote sites that users love. In fact, Google’s internal metrics likely incorporate some user engagement signals (even indirectly via Chrome or Android). A positive trend in those can only help.
Remember, great content + poor UX is a waste – users might leave before they even consume your content if the page frustrates them. So pair your content improvements with top-notch UX. A fast, pleasant, user-first site is more likely to sustain rankings through core updates and changes in how Google evaluates pages.
Combating Spam and Low-Value Content
Google’s core updates often go hand-in-hand with refinements to its spam-detection systems and the Helpful Content system. To ensure your site isn’t flagged for spam or low-value content, consider the following:
- Purge or Improve Thin Content: Audit your site for low-quality pages – those with very little content, or content that provides no unique value (e.g. a 200-word blog post saying nothing new, or doorway pages created just to rank for a keyword). Either remove such pages or beef them up significantly with better content. Google’s Helpful Content system (launched 2022) assigns a site-wide classifier if a lot of your content is deemed unhelpful. Post-update, sites with a large fraction of thin or AI-generated filler content saw drops, suggesting Google became more stringent. It’s better to have 50 great pages than 500 mediocre ones. Consider noindexing or consolidating pages that target similar topics and don’t stand well on their own.
- Be Wary of AI-Generated Text: The rise of AI tools (ChatGPT and the like) means a lot of content online is auto-generated. Google does not outright ban AI content, but it stresses the content must be helpful and not exist just to manipulate rankings. The June 2025 update seemed to specifically detect “AI fluff” – content that reads as generic, lacks insight, or is rife with errors – and downgrade it. If you use AI for drafting, always edit and augment it with original insights. Ensure factual accuracy (AI can make mistakes) and add a human touch. If Google’s systems determine your site is largely AI gibberish or aggregated text, your rankings will suffer. Some sites hit by the update discovered a lot of their content had that AI-written tone; their remedy was to rewrite those with a human editor’s touch.
- Avoid Keyword-Stuffed or Auto-Generated Pages: Old-school spam tactics like stuffing keywords (e.g., listing a city name 100 times on a page to rank for local searches) or auto-generating pages by scraping content are firmly targeted by Google’s algorithms. Make sure your pages read naturally and aren’t over-optimized. Also, if you had created landing pages for every single keyword variation (like hundreds of near-duplicate pages changing only a city name or product name), consider merging or noindexing those – core updates often demote such pages in favor of one broader, authoritative page.
- Check for Duplicate Content (Internal & External): If your site has a lot of duplicated text (even if not intentionally spammy), it can be seen as low-value. Use plagiarism checkers or SEO tools to find duplicate content clusters on your site. Consolidate duplicates with 301 redirects or canonical tags pointing to the primary version. Externally, if you syndicate content, ensure canonical tags point to the original, or add enough unique commentary when reposting someone else’s info (so you’re not just another copy). Google filters duplicate content, and a core update might reassess which version is the most authoritative – you want your site to be that version if you’re the originator, or otherwise differentiate your content.
- Monitor User-Generated Spam: If you run forums, allow comments, or have guest posts, keep an eye out for spam content. Spam comments with links to shady sites or generic “Great post!” filler can harm the overall quality perception of your pages. Use moderation, CAPTCHA for comments, or trusted user status levels to combat this. For forums, having active moderators to remove spam threads is important. Google’s algorithms and quality raters do consider the overall page – a high-quality article with a comment section full of spammy links might be seen as less trustworthy.
- Respect Google’s Spam Policies: This should go without saying, but avoid cloaking, sneaky redirects, or hidden text on your site. Those can lead not just to algorithmic demotion but manual penalties. Also, avoid any form of paid or exchanged links that violate Google’s guidelines (more on links next). Google’s SpamBrain AI is continually improving; any tactics that try to deceive the algorithm are increasingly likely to be caught. The June 2025 update reinforced this by penalizing sites engaged in “manipulative tactics” like AI-spam and blackhat link schemes.
- Use the Disavow Tool if Necessary: If you suspect your site’s ranking troubles are due to a ton of spammy backlinks (perhaps from negative SEO or old link-building practices), consider using Google’s Disavow Links tool in Search Console to disassociate your site from those bad links. Google is pretty good at ignoring most spam links on its own, so this is a last resort for cases where you have an abnormally toxic link profile that might be confusing the algorithm about your site’s legitimacy. Focus first on cleaning on-site spam issues; off-site disavow is a minor tool.
Keeping your site spam-free and filled only with value-adding content is essential. The June 2025 core update, combined with parallel “spam updates,” made it clear that Google is intolerant of low-value tricks. By doing a thorough spring cleaning of your site’s content, you not only avoid penalties but create a stronger site overall. Many who recovered from past core updates attribute success to culling thin pages and improving content quality across the board.
Structured Data and Schema Markup
Structured data (schema markup) is code you add to your pages to help search engines understand the content better and potentially reward you with rich results (like star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, etc.) in SERPs. While the presence of schema by itself isn’t a major ranking factor, it enhances how your content is indexed and displayed. In an update focused on quality and relevance, proper structured data can give you an extra edge in visibility:
- Implement Relevant Schema Types: Identify which schema markup types suit your content and implement them according to Google’s guidelines. For instance:
- For articles or blog posts, use Article schema (or NewsArticle/BlogPosting as appropriate) to mark up the headline, author, publish date, etc.
- For product pages, use Product schema with review, price, availability info – this can show rich snippets like star ratings and price in search results.
- For recipes, use Recipe schema; for events, Event schema; for local businesses, LocalBusiness schema; and so on.
- FAQ schema is a popular one – if you have Q&A content on a page, marking it up can get you an eye-catching accordion snippet on the SERP.
- Follow Schema Guidelines (Avoid Spammy Markup): It’s crucial to implement schema correctly:
- Adhere to Google’s schema documentation: the content you mark up must be visible on the page to users as well. Don’t create schema for information that isn’t actually shown (that’s considered spammy markup).
- Use Google’s Rich Results Test tool once you add schema to catch any errors. Also monitor Search Console’s Enhancements reports for warnings (e.g., missing fields in schema).
- Do not mark up irrelevant or misleading info just to try to get a rich snippet. For example, don’t add FAQ schema with questions that aren’t actually answered on the page, etc. Google will likely ignore or even penalize misuse of schema. In one recent case, Google actually reduced support for certain schema that were being abused.
- Structured Data for E-E-A-T: Consider using schema to bolster E-E-A-T signals:
- Person schema for author pages – can include properties like “knowsAbout” or “affiliation” to emphasize the author’s expertise areas.
- Organization schema for your site – ensure your Organization markup (often in the site footer or head) is present, which can tie into Google’s Knowledge Graph and establish your brand as an entity.
- If appropriate, Review schema on product or service pages can highlight trust (through ratings and reviews).
- Use Speakable schema (if you have news content) to potentially get picked for voice assistants – showing Google you’re embracing multiple content formats.
- Monitor Rich Result Performance: After implementing schema, track if you’re getting rich results. Use the Performance report in Search Console and filter by search appearance (e.g., “Recipe result”, “FAQ result”). If your impressions/clicks for rich results increase, it means Google is leveraging your structured data. This can improve your overall click-through rate (CTR), bringing in more traffic even if your raw ranking position remains the same. During core updates, having an appealing rich snippet (like FAQ dropdowns or review stars) can make the difference in maintaining traffic levels even amidst ranking shifts.
In summary, structured data is an optimization layer that can complement your content efforts. It’s not a magic bullet for ranking higher, but it does make your listing more attractive and helps Google more confidently index your content. Given that core updates make the competition for top spots fiercer, every advantage helps. A page that is well-structured both in content and in code (schema) stands a better chance at success. Just remember quality comes first – schema should enhance already good content, not compensate for lack of it.
Link Quality and Internal Linking Strategy
Links remain one of the fundamental signals for Google’s ranking algorithm. Even in 2025, with AI and all sorts of new signals, backlinks and internal links still matter a great deal for establishing authority and context. The key is quality over quantity and a smart internal link architecture:
- Audit Your Backlink Profile: Core updates sometimes coincide with Google recalibrating how it evaluates links. The June 2025 update might have devalued certain links or networks. Use tools (Ahrefs, Moz, Google’s link report) to review the sites linking to you. Identify any patterns of low-quality or spammy backlinks – for instance, links from obvious link farms, irrelevant sites, or overly optimized anchor text (e.g., hundreds of links with exact-match keywords). While Google often just ignores bad links, if you have an extreme case of toxic links, consider cleaning them up or disavowing. More importantly, focus on earning new high-quality links: from reputable publications, industry blogs, news sites, etc. These act as votes of confidence for your content’s authority. One industry survey during 2025 found that despite changes in search, 68% of SEOs believe backlinks remain a crucial ranking factor, which reinforces the need to cultivate quality links.
- Disavow or Remove Harmful Links (if needed): If you engaged in link schemes in the past (buying links, PBNs, excessive link exchanges) and suspect those might be holding you down post-update, create a plan to remove what you can. Contact webmasters to take down spammy links (though success rate may be low), and use the disavow file for the rest. However, do this only after you’ve fixed on-site factors and content – content improvement typically yields more recovery than link cleanup. Still, link spam can’t be ignored. Google’s late-2024 Link Spam update (SpamBrain) likely carried into this core update, neutralizing manipulative links. So distancing your site from such links is wise.
- Build Authoritative & Relevant Links: Going forward, emphasize earning links naturally:
- Create linkable assets (great articles, infographics, research, tools) that others in your industry will reference.
- Conduct outreach to share those assets with relevant sites (without being spammy). For example, if you have original research data, pitch it to news outlets or bloggers who cover that topic.
- Leverage PR – a good PR story about your company can result in news coverage and high-quality links.
- Guest posting on reputable sites in your niche can build both awareness and a link if done with quality in mind (focus on the value of the content, not just the link).
- Community participation: answer questions on forums (using your real name/site), engage on industry social media – sometimes, citation links come from building these relationships and being known as an expert.
- Optimize Internal Linking: Internal links are completely under your control and can significantly influence how link equity flows through your site and how Google understands the importance of pages:
- Identify your site’s most authoritative pages (those with the most external links or that rank highly already). Add contextual internal links from those pages to other relevant pages you want to boost. For example, if you have a high-ranking “Beginner’s Guide” and a newer advanced guide on the same topic, link from the former to the latter within the content.
- Ensure every important page is linked from at least one other indexed page. Orphan pages (no internal links pointing to them) can be missed by Google or considered less important.
- Use descriptive anchor text for internal links. Instead of generic “read more here,” use a phrase that indicates the topic of the target page (e.g., “learn more in our technical SEO checklist”). This provides semantic clues to Google and improves user navigation.
- Create hub pages for key topics that link out to subtopics (and ensure the subtopics link back to the hub or to each other where it makes sense). This cluster approach was mentioned earlier and doubles as both a content and internal link strategy to emphasize topical authority.
- Site-wide navigation links (menu, footer) are fine but typically carry less weight than contextual in-content links. So prioritize linking within the main content body where relevant.
- Anchor Text Diversity and Over-Optimization: While optimizing anchors is good, be careful not to overdo exact-match keyword anchors internally either. If every internal link to a page uses the same exact keyword, it looks unnatural. Vary it (e.g., “our SEO guide” in one link, “learn SEO” in another). This happens naturally if you’re linking in context and not forcing it. It also avoids any risk of tripping spam algorithms that might see it as manipulative (though that risk is lower for internal links than external).
In essence, treat internal links as the roadmap for Google to navigate your site’s content, and treat external backlinks as votes of confidence you continually try to earn. Post-update, doubling down on a clean, strong link profile helps Google see your site as an authority and can accelerate recovery or growth. Remember, quality content and quality links feed into each other – great content makes it easier to get links, and a strong link profile makes Google more likely to trust your content. Aim for both.
Mobile-Friendliness and Accessibility
Lastly, two often under-appreciated aspects of site quality: mobile-friendliness and accessibility. Google’s mission is to provide results that are not only relevant and authoritative but also accessible to all users and on all devices. Ensuring your site meets these criteria will improve user experience and safeguard you during updates:
- Mobile-Friendliness as a Baseline: As mentioned, Google uses mobile-first indexing, so mobile usability is a must. This includes:
- Responsive design: Your site layout should adapt to various screen sizes. Users shouldn’t have to scroll horizontally or zoom to read text.
- Touch-friendly elements: Buttons and links need adequate spacing so that tapping is easy. Avoid tiny links that are hard to click on a phone.
- No Flash or deprecated tech: Use modern HTML5; old plugins don’t work on mobile and are a negative.
- Pop-ups on mobile: Be very careful with these. If you show a full-screen pop-up on page load on mobile (for example, an email signup), it can trigger Google’s interstitial penalty and harm rankings. If you must have one, use a timed delay or a less intrusive banner.
- Mobile Page Speed: We covered performance, but note that on mobile, networks can be slower – optimize images and use techniques like lazy loading for images/videos so that mobile users aren’t waiting long or wasting data.
- Web Accessibility (A11y): Making your site accessible to users with disabilities (e.g., those using screen readers, or who can’t use a mouse) is not just socially responsible, it can have SEO benefits. While Google has stated accessibility isn’t a direct ranking factor, there’s significant overlap between good SEO and good accessibility. Examples:
- Use proper HTML semantics – e.g., header tags in order, lists for lists, alt text for images. This helps screen readers and helps Google parse your content structure (which improves snippet generation and understanding).
- Provide alt text for images – so visually impaired users know what the image is, and Google’s crawler also gets context (Google’s image search can rank you better, and alt text can indirectly influence regular search by reinforcing topics).
- Ensure video content has transcripts or captions – those text alternatives can be indexed by Google, helping your video content surface.
- Use descriptive link text – “click here” is bad for screen reader users (they won’t know what it is); as we discussed, descriptive anchors help SEO too.
- Overall site navigation should be possible via keyboard only – try tabbing through your site, ensure menus can drop down without a mouse. An accessible menu is usually a well-coded one that Google can crawl easily as well.
- Contrast and font – good contrast and readable fonts not only aid users with low vision but also make for longer dwell time as people find your content easier to read.
- Accessibility Tools: Consider using accessibility checking tools or browser extensions that highlight issues (like missing alt tags, ARIA landmark issues, etc.). Address those issues just as you would address SEO recommendations. Often, improvements like adding alt text or fixing heading hierarchy simultaneously boost SEO and accessibility.
- Legal and Experience Considerations: Some regions have legal requirements for web accessibility (e.g., ADA in the US for certain sites). Being proactive not only avoids legal risk but also positions your site as user-friendly for all. A positive user experience for everyone can lead to positive engagement signals (lower bounce rates, more time on site, maybe even direct traffic from word-of-mouth recommendations), which indirectly help with SEO in the long run.
In the context of core updates, mobile-friendliness and accessibility form part of the overall page experience and quality that Google’s evaluative algorithms (and human quality raters) look at. A page that’s inaccessible or frustrating to use could be deemed lower quality even if the content is good. Conversely, a page that’s welcoming and easy for all users will shine. As an SEO best practice, treat Google’s Core Web Vitals as well as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as your dual checklist for technical excellence.
Conclusion and Final Checklist
The June 2025 Core Update was a reminder that Google is continually raising the bar for what it considers high-quality search results. It “aims to improve search result quality and better surface relevant content”, which translates to rewarding sites that deliver value, trust, and great user experience – and demoting those that do not. If your site was negatively impacted, it’s important to approach recovery systematically and patiently. Core updates are broad; thus, your response should be holistic rather than chasing any one magic fix.
Below is a final checklist summarizing the key steps to align with the update and future-proof your SEO:
- Content: Perform a thorough content audit. Remove or improve thin pages. Enrich your content with original insights, up-to-date information, and comprehensive coverage. Focus on satisfying user intent better than anyone else. Aim for people-first content – if your content is primarily aimed at manipulating rankings without helping users, rethink it.
- E-E-A-T: Boost your site’s credibility. Add expert author bios, cite trustworthy sources, and showcase your experience. Ensure your website has clear information about who you are, why you’re authoritative, and that all content is accurate and trustworthy. Where appropriate, get experts involved in content creation or review. Build a positive reputation in your industry (which often translates to mentions and links from other reputable sites).
- Technical SEO: Fix crawl errors, broken links, and dead pages. Improve site speed and Core Web Vitals (especially LCP, INP, CLS) to provide a fast, smooth experience. Make sure your site’s structure is logical and that Google can easily find and index all important content (use internal links and sitemaps wisely). In short, eliminate any technical hindrances that prevent your quality content from being fully recognized by search engines.
- User Experience: Optimize for humans. Ensure your site is mobile-friendly and looks great on all devices. Remove UX obstacles like intrusive pop-ups, confusing navigation, or too many ads. Make your design clean and content easy to consume (use headings, images, and formatting to break up text). A happy user often leads to better engagement metrics, which correlate with better rankings over time.
- Spam & Low-Value Content: Keep your site high-quality by scrubbing away anything spammy. Don’t try to outsmart Google with AI-generated drivel or link schemes – it won’t work post-update. Instead, focus on organic growth strategies. If you have user-generated content sections, moderate them to maintain quality. Uphold Google’s webmaster guidelines strictly – it’s easier to stay in Google’s good graces than to recover from a penalty or prolonged slump.
- Structured Data: Where relevant, add schema markup to help Google better understand and present your content. While this is a “bonus” step, it can improve your visibility via rich results. Just ensure your implementation is correct and aligns with your on-page content (no fakery). This can especially help highlight things like reviews, FAQs, events, etc., in the SERPs, possibly improving click-through rates.
- Links: Continue earning quality backlinks through great content and outreach. Simultaneously, refine your internal linking – it’s the easiest way to signal what content on your site is most important and related. Remove or disavow toxic backlinks if they’re a serious issue, but put more effort into building new, organic links the right way. Remember that authoritative sites with strong link profiles generally fare better in core updates, as Google trusts them to have reliable content.
- Monitor & Iterate: Keep a close eye on your performance in Google Search Console and analytics. When Google finishes the rollout (in this case, around late July 2025), do a comparative analysis: which pages dropped, which gained? Look for patterns (topic, content type, page speed, etc.). Use that to guide your next round of improvements. SEO is iterative; even if you don’t recover immediately, the improvements you make now could pay off by the next core update or gradually over time. Google itself notes that recovery often takes until the next core update once you improve things – so think long-term.
By following the above game plan, you’ll not only address the June 2025 Core Update, but also build a more robust SEO foundation for your site. Each core update Google releases is an evolution, nudging the web toward better content and experiences. If you align your site with these principles – quality content, expertise, technical excellence, and user-centric design – you stand the best chance of ranking well consistently, no matter how search algorithms change.
Sources:
- Google Search Status Dashboard – June 2025 Core Update release notice
- Search Engine Journal – Google’s June 2025 Core Update announcement (M. Southern)
- PPC Land – “Google confirms June 2025 core update amid website ranking volatility” (L. Rijo)
- LinkedIn (Reddensoft) – “Impact of the June 2025 Google Algorithm Update”
- Search Engine Roundtable – Google’s advice on core updates & quality (B. Schwartz)
- Google Developers – Structured Data Guidance (Google Search Central)
- ReciteMe Blog – Accessibility and SEO relationship (M. Halpin)