What To Do After A Core Update (Post June 2025 Core Update Edition)

Google officially concluded the June 2025 Core Update on July 17, 2025, after nearly 17 days of intense SERP volatility. As with all broad core updates, Google’s goal remains clear—reward helpful, people-first, authoritative content, while demoting thin, low-quality, or misleading pages.

This update has been impactful, reshaping the landscape of search results with noticeable shifts across multiple industries. Understanding these changes and proactively responding is crucial for maintaining—and enhancing—your website’s organic performance.

Understanding the June 2025 Core Update and its Impact

The June 2025 update introduced enhanced AI-powered systems, particularly Google’s MUVERA (Multi-Vector Retrieval Model) and its Graph Foundation Model, significantly refining how Google’s algorithms evaluate and rank content.

Key Impacts Observed

• Increased SERP Volatility: Tools like SEMrush, Mozcast, and Sistrix reported significant ranking fluctuations between July 10–17, extending even after the rollout concluded officially.
• Winners: Websites offering comprehensive, authoritative, first-hand experience-driven content benefited significantly. Niches involving health, finance, technology, and detailed guides saw the most notable improvements.
• Losers: Sites heavily relying on thin, generic, mass-produced AI-generated articles, affiliate-heavy content, or outdated pages experienced significant ranking drops.

Community feedback highlights mixed experiences—some publishers report significant traffic gains, while others face declines upwards of 30–50%. Ongoing chatter confirms continued volatility and emphasizes a renewed focus on content depth, originality, and quality.

Google’s AI Overviews & AI Mode

Alongside core algorithm shifts, Google’s AI Search features are further reshaping search interactions. AI Overviews (formerly known as Search Generative Experience or SGE) are rapidly expanding globally, now available across over 120 countries.

Additionally, Google’s experimental AI Mode is transforming searches into dynamic conversations powered by Gemini 2.5, allowing users multimodal interactions—text, voice, and image.

These AI features have notably increased zero-click searches. Reports suggest up to 69% of queries now end without a click, significantly impacting publisher traffic, particularly in news and informational niches.

What To Do After A Core Update

Navigating post-update conditions requires targeted actions to stabilize and regain organic visibility. Here’s your comprehensive, actionable checklist:

1. Conduct a Comprehensive Audit

• Assess the Impact: Use Google Search Console and analytics to pinpoint pages and keywords affected.
• Monitor Performance: Pay close attention to ranking shifts, especially fluctuations that continue weeks after the update.

2. Focus on E-E-A-T

Google continues prioritizing Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

• Clearly demonstrate author expertise and experience—update author bios and credentials.
• Cite authoritative external sources and build strong internal linking structures.
• Prioritize content that reflects deep, unique insights or first-hand experience.

3. Enhance Content Quality and Structure

• Expand thin or outdated content into comprehensive guides, adding visuals, clear headings, lists, and practical examples.
• Use structured data (Schema.org markup) to boost visibility and snippet opportunities.
• Regularly refresh evergreen content to maintain its relevance and authority.

4. Technical Readiness and User Experience

• Ensure impeccable mobile usability and page speed performance.
• Maintain secure HTTPS protocols across all pages.
• Regularly check structured data implementation to maximize rich snippet eligibility.

5. Align Your Strategy with Google’s AI Search

Given the rise of AI-driven search features:

• Craft concise, clear answers at the top of your content to boost AI Overview visibility.
• Offer deeper, more engaging insights beyond AI snippets to encourage clicks.
• Monitor AI-driven SERP features closely in Search Console, noting which content types gain visibility.

Revisiting Previous Core Update Strategies

The essential guidelines from our previous core update strategy remain relevant today:

• Real-time SERP monitoring during and after the rollout.
• Immediate improvement of underperforming or thin pages.
• Strong emphasis on author expertise, quality content, and regular updates.

These foundational practices remain crucial, especially with increased AI-driven scrutiny.

Related: What To Do During A Google Search Algorithm Update?

Thriving in the Age of AI Overviews and AI Mode

In this new era, publishers must evolve beyond conventional SEO:

• Optimize for Featured Snippets: Create content explicitly structured for inclusion in Google’s AI summaries.
• Make Content Click-Worthy: Go beyond basics, providing deeper insights, original data, downloadable resources, or interactive tools.
• Be the Source: Position your content clearly and authoritatively to be prominently featured as Google’s primary source in AI Overviews.

To offset the loss of traffic due to zero-click searches, invest in alternative traffic strategies—social media, newsletters, podcasts, video content, and niche communities.

Related: How to Succeed in Google’s AI-Powered Search: Strategy, Compliance, and Technical Readiness

Final Thoughts: Adapting to Google’s Evolving Search Landscape

Google’s June 2025 core update and evolving AI capabilities underscore one core truth: meaningful, authoritative, and user-centric content will always prevail.

SEO now requires a holistic approach—combining technical readiness, strategic content creation, proactive monitoring, and adaptation to AI-driven features. Those who navigate these changes proactively will not just recover; they’ll thrive, dominating the new search landscape that Google is actively shaping.

As always, remain agile, analytical, and proactive. SEO success is now defined by your willingness to adapt to Google’s increasingly intelligent systems. Embrace these changes, and turn them into your competitive advantage in this new era of search.