Google has rolled out a new core update, the June 2025 Core Update, which completed its rollout on July 17, 2025. This update is being described by many SEO data providers as one of the most significant in recent years, causing substantial volatility across various verticals and countries.

Key Themes of the June 2025 Core Update
This update appears to be a major refinement of Google's core ranking systems, with a particular focus on:

Content Quality and Usefulness: The update reinforces Google's commitment to surfacing "helpful, reliable, people-first content" and penalizing content that is primarily created for search engines.

The Helpful Content System: Data suggests that the core algorithm is now more closely coupled with the Helpful Content System. Interestingly, some sites that were negatively impacted by the September 2023 Helpful Content Update have started to see partial or even full recoveries. This indicates Google has made changes to help affected publishers.

AI-Generated Content: The update increases scrutiny on AI-generated content, especially pages that lack significant human editing or added value. Google seems to be rewarding content with original insights and a human touch.

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): The update enhances Google's ability to identify true expertise and experience, particularly in sensitive sectors like health, finance, and legal.

Winners of the June 2025 Core Update
Based on initial analysis from SEO data providers like SISTRIX and Similarweb, some of the top performers include:

Sites with Previously Suppressed Visibility: A major outcome of this update is that many sites, especially publishers, that were negatively impacted by the September 2023 Helpful Content Update are seeing substantial recoveries.

Arts & Entertainment Sites: This sector has shown major growth in SEO visibility.

Authoritative Retailers and Niche Sites: Major e-commerce brands are seeing visibility improvements for their branded terms, and highly specialized, niche retailers are gaining visibility for broader product searches.

Specific Domains: Analysis shows that sites like Shopify (specifically its blog content) and Macy's are seeing gains in visibility.

Losers of the June 2025 Core Update
While a complete list is still being compiled, the initial data points to a few trends for sites that lost visibility:

Sites with Thin, Unhelpful Content: The update heavily targeted sites with low-quality, unoriginal content, especially those created at scale to manipulate search rankings.

Sites with Poor User Experience: Sites that are slow to load, have a confusing layout, or are not mobile-friendly have likely been negatively impacted.

Pages with Keyword Stuffing: The update appears to be more aggressive in punishing deceptive techniques like keyword cramming.

What to Do If Your Site Was Affected
Google has not provided new advice for this update but points to its existing guidance. The general recommendations for recovery are:

Don't Panic: A core update is not a penalty. It's a re-evaluation of how Google ranks content.

Focus on People-First Content: Review Google's guidelines on creating helpful, reliable, and people-first content.

Address Site-Wide Issues: If your site was hit, it's likely a combination of issues, not just one thing. Take a step back and look at your site's overall quality, technical SEO, and user experience.

Be Patient: Recovery from a core update can take time. It may take several months or even another core update to see a significant improvement.