The Ranking Impact of Google’s June 2025 Core Update—Explained
The June 2025 Core Update—which began rolling out on June 30 and was completed on July 17—brought another shift in Google’s search algorithm, impacting how content is ranked across multiple industries. As the second broad core update of the year, following the March 2025 Core Update, it reinforced Google’s focus on delivering relevant, user-centric content. These changes reflect an ongoing effort to improve search quality by prioritizing expertise-driven content and limiting the visibility of pages created primarily to target search engines.
How the Update Reshaped Visibility Across Sites
The June 2025 core update triggered widespread website ranking fluctuations, affecting various sectors regardless of site size or domain authority. Here are some of the most notable shifts observed across different site types:
1. Sites That Saw Gains
- Brands with strong E-E-A-T
Businesses demonstrating Google’s E-E-A-T signals—expertise, experience, authority, and trust—benefited from improved rankings. With 86% of users still turning to search engines for reliable information, the update favored websites that prioritized credibility over keyword tactics. Sites featuring detailed author bios, verified source citations, and clear editorial standards help strengthen these trust signals.
- Pages with structured topics and helpful FAQs
Content that is clearly organized around a specific theme performs better in search rankings. Instead of surface-level content, Google favored pages with in-depth discussions, well-defined subheadings, and helpful FAQ sections. These formats guide users from general understanding to specific questions, making it easier for search engines to assess page value.
A strong content structure supports both visibility and engagement, contributing to improved search performance. For instance, a company offering affordable seo services for small businesses Philippines attracted more interest by organizing its service pages into sections covering deliverables, timelines, cost breakdowns, and detailed FAQs.
- Topically consistent websites
Sites maintaining a consistent focus on a specific niche gained stronger visibility. Rather than covering unrelated topics, they built topical authority through thematic consistency, depth of content, clustered articles, and regular updates. This approach aligns with how Google evaluates relevance and helps elevate results in AI-generated summaries.
Image from Semrush
2. Sites That Lost Ground
- Pages with duplicated content
Websites that repeated the same text across multiple URLs or republishing lightly modified versions of external content were negatively affected. The June 2025 core update introduced stricter scrutiny on duplication, even when changes were minimal. Affiliate content, product review pages, and templated posts that reused high-performing formats without adding fresh details experienced declines in ranking. Conversely, sites that had previously addressed duplication before the update saw as much as a 20% increase in organic traffic, highlighting how Google interpreted repetition as clutter rather than value. - Over-reliance on AI-generated content
With nearly 50% of websites now using AI for content creation, those that relied heavily on it without human oversight saw noticeable traffic drops. Google’s ranking systems have become more adept at detecting content that lacks logical flow, contextual depth, or natural language coherence. Pages composed solely by AI, particularly those filled with generic statements or keyword-stuffed phrasing, are increasingly flagged as low-quality content by search algorithms. Even sites supported by scalable solutions like SEO packages Philippines were affected if editorial review and content refinement were missing.
Image from Authority Hacker
- Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) Content
Content related to finance, health, and legal advice underwent more rigorous evaluation during the update. Pages offering advice in these areas without credible authorship or transparent sourcing saw reduced placement in search results. For example, personal finance blogs with anonymous authors experience significant visibility drops, even if their formatting follows standard SEO best practices.
Image from Semrush
How to Recover from Core Update
Recovery from the June 2025 core update isn’t about quick technical fixes. It starts with understanding why a page or domain lost relevance and deciding how to restore its value. The following action steps are recommended:
1. Re-Evaluate Content Depth and Accuracy
Conduct thorough audits of underperforming audits. Content lacking meaningful substance should be rewritten or removed. Each page should offer in-depth, trustworthy information supported by reputable sources. Avoid relying solely on automated tools to create entire articles to ensure genuine expertise and originality.
2. Strengthen Internal Linking
Make sure internal links are natural and useful, guiding readers logically through related content. Avoid overusing exact-match anchor text or linking to unrelated pages just to improve crawlability.
Image from Demandsage
3. Refresh Author Pages and Signals
Search engines continue to refine ranking factors to effectively evaluate trust signals. Add complete bios to author pages, including qualifications, affiliations, and links to published work.
Whether managed in-house or through an affordable SEO service Philippines, strengthening author visibility remains essential, especially in sensitive niches like health, finance, and law, where proven expertise supports search credibility.
Image from Search Engine Land
4. Focus on Page Purpose and Intent
Every page should address a specific user need. Remove overlapping or duplicated topics that confuse search engines about the site’s focus. According to Ahrefs, pruning outdated or irrelevant content improves overall site health, helping high-value pages rank better. Align each page with the questions and intent patterns the audience actually expresses.
5. Audit Technical Infrastructure
Run updated Core Web Vitals reports and Page Experience tests. Optimize for mobile responsiveness, reduce script load times, and keep page layouts stable. Essentially, remove broken elements or excessive ads that may hinder usability and negatively affect rankings.
6. Consolidate Topic Clusters
Create structured content hubs around the main themes. Instead of dozens of scattered articles, build robust pillar pages that act as authoritative overviews. These pages can link to more focused subtopics, forming a coherent and navigable topic cluster. Avoid fragmentation that weakens overall authority.
Secure Long-Term Visibility with DMP
The June 2025 core update did more than shake up search rankings—it emphasized the critical importance of helpful, expert-driven content. Google continues to reward content built with real expertise and a clear understanding of user value. Websites that prioritize content depth, technical stability, and alignment with search intent are more likely to maintain strong visibility through future updates.
At Digital Marketing Philippines (DMP), we help businesses meet that standard. With over a decade of proven SEO expertise, focused strategy, and performance-driven execution, our team delivers sustainable results that adjust to every algorithm shift—not just react to them.
If your rankings were impacted or you want to strengthen your digital foundation ahead of the next updates, contact us today. Let DMP help you build a strategy that’s well-structured, credible, and built for long-term performance.
References:
https://medium.com/@babarkhanhussain01/google-rolls-out-major-core-update-in-june-2025-31be7c3c0b9c
https://searchengineland.com/data-providers-google-june-2025-core-update-was-a-big-update-459226
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-june-2025-update-analysis-what-just-happened/551501
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-ranking-volatility-heated-39794.html
Jomer B. Gregorio is a well-rounded expert when it comes digital marketing. Jomer is also known as a semantic SEO evangelist and practitioner. Check out our Digital Marketing Services today and let us help you in achieving positive and profitable results for your business.