On June 30, 2025, Google officially began rolling out its June 2025 Core Update, with the update debuting at approximately 7:34 AM PDT, according to Google’s Search Status Dashboard.
What’s a Core Update?
Core updates are large-scale revisions to Google’s ranking algorithms. Unlike tweaks targeting spam or specific content types, these updates are global—impacting sites across industries. Their goal is to sharpen Google’s ability to surface helpful, high‑quality content for users.
Timeline & Scope
- Start: June 30, 2025, at 7:34 AM PDT
- Duration: May continue for up to three weeks
- Order: This is Google’s second core update of 2025, following the March rollout.
Google plans to update its public “ranking release history” once the rollout completes.
Early Signs & Impact
Data from SEO monitoring tools indicates a significant spike in ranking volatility starting around June 28, even before the update was officially announced.
SEO professionals reported sudden shifts, including:
“USA traffic to my global site is down 33%.”
These fluctuations are typical during core rollouts—sites may see dramatic, sometimes temporary changes.
Key Differences from March Update
March 2025 focused on site-wide strength—meaning weak domains dragged down all pages. The June update, by contrast, is much more granular, evaluating individual pages for relevance and quality. Thin, low-value content is penalized, regardless of the domain’s reputation.
What’s Affected: Key Changes
- Thin or AI-generated content with minimal depth saw sharp drops in visibility.
- Pages lacking E‑E‑A‑T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) underperformed, while content by experts gained traction.
- The “Helpful Content System” is now fully integrated into Google’s core ranking logic, reemphasizing content created for people, not search engines.
- Keyword stuffing and manipulative SEO tactics were de-prioritized; emphasis turned to clean, user-focused writing.
What You Should Watch
During the next few weeks, SEOs and site owners should closely monitor:
- Keyword rankings and sudden shifts up/down
- Organic traffic changes via GA4 or similar platforms
- Search Console metrics: impressions, clicks, average position
- Competitor movements—watch if others in your niche are rising or falling