If your website traffic has suddenly dropped or your rankings have shifted dramatically, it’s not your imagination. Google has just rolled out another core algorithm update—its second major shakeup of 2025—and it’s more ruthless than ever. For digital marketers, business owners, and content creators, this is your wake-up call.
The June–July 2025 Core Update marks a serious evolution in how search results are ranked. And for the first time, Google isn’t sugar-coating its stance on AI-generated content: low-quality, AI-spammy pages are being penalised.
In this post, you’ll learn:
- Exactly what changed in the latest Google update
- How it affects your site rankings
- What Google really thinks about AI content
- How to adapt using SEO best practices
- The rising importance of E‑E‑A‑T
- A new player in SEO: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
What Did the Latest Google Update Change?
Google’s updates always aim to refine how it delivers the most relevant, helpful, and trustworthy results. This time, the focus is even sharper—and less forgiving—on a few specific areas:
1. AI Content Gets Penalised (If It’s Low-Quality)
Let’s get the biggest shock out of the way: Google has finally admitted it penalises AI-written content that lacks originality, context, or value.
You can’t simply ask ChatGPT or another tool to write a bunch of fluff pieces, copy-paste them onto your blog, and expect to rank. Google’s systems are now smarter at detecting:
- Repetitive or “spun” AI content
- Pages with no real human editing
- Generic keyword-stuffed writing
“AI content isn’t banned—but if it’s useless or mass-produced, it will drop in rankings.”
If you’ve relied on AI without editing, enriching, or personalising the output—your rankings could take a hit.
2. Stronger E‑E‑A‑T Signals Now Matter More Than Ever
Google’s updated algorithms give more weight than ever to E‑E‑A‑T—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Here’s how this impacts your site:
| E‑E‑A‑T Element | What It Means for You |
|---|---|
| Experience | Share personal experience with the topic, especially in blog posts |
| Expertise | Content must be written by or reviewed by a knowledgeable source |
| Authoritativeness | Your website and author must have a recognised presence |
| Trustworthiness | Secure site, accurate information, and honest claims |
Tip: Make sure your “About Us” page, author bios, and blog content clearly reflect real-world experience, qualifications, and industry expertise. Add citations, statistics, and proof where appropriate.
3. UX is Still King (Especially Core Web Vitals)
Google wants fast, seamless, mobile-first experiences. If your website is clunky, slow, or hard to navigate, it will be penalised.
Key UX Signals:
- Mobile-friendliness
- Site speed
- No intrusive popups
- Stable layout (no shifting elements)
Action Step: Use tools like PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse to audit and improve your performance.
4. Structured Data and Schema Markup Are Essential
To help Google understand your content, you must now use structured data (schema) properly. This means adding code snippets to your pages that define:
- Articles
- FAQs
- Reviews
- Products
- Business details
Structured data also increases your chances of showing up in rich results or featured snippets—putting you ahead of competitors.
5. Google Cracks Down on Spammy SEO Tactics
Parasite SEO (where low-quality content is hosted on otherwise trustworthy sites) and manipulative backlinking tactics are now in Google’s crosshairs.
If you’re:
- Using blog networks
- Paying for dodgy backlinks
- Publishing on third-party sites with no editorial control
…you’re at risk.
6. Generative AI Visibility: Welcome to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
Here’s something new and forward-thinking. With Google rolling out AI-generated summaries and AI Mode responses directly in search results, SEO is expanding into a new realm: GEO—Generative Engine Optimization.
What is GEO?
GEO is the practice of formatting your content so that it:
- Is easily understood and cited by AI assistants
- Appears in AI Overviews (i.e., summaries that appear before traditional search links)
- Enhances your visibility in chat-style responses
How to Optimise for GEO:
- Use clear headers, bullet points, and Q&A formats
- Answer user-intent questions directly
- Add structured metadata
- Include citations and authoritative links
GEO is not optional. With the rise of AI search, this is the new battleground for visibility.
Why Many Sites Lost Rankings
Thousands of websites—especially affiliate sites, niche blogs, and small business service pages—lost rankings with this update. Here’s why:
| Problem | Google’s Reasoning |
|---|---|
| AI-generated fluff | Doesn’t help users or demonstrate expertise |
| Weak E‑E‑A‑T | No signs of real-world experience or authority |
| Poor site speed and layout | Frustrates users, fails Core Web Vitals |
| Spammy backlinks | Manipulative and non-organic linking practices |
| Lack of structured data | Hard for search engines to understand the page’s purpose |
| Not GEO-optimised | Invisible to AI-driven answers and summaries |
What You Should Change Immediately (If You Want to Rank)
Let’s keep it actionable. Here’s exactly what to fix:
1. Rewrite and Upgrade Your Content
- Add real experience, insights, stats, or quotes
- Cite credible sources
- Add original visuals (photos, infographics, charts)
- Use human editors to improve tone and clarity
2. Improve Your E‑E‑A‑T Signals
- Include author bios with qualifications
- Link to your credentials (LinkedIn, industry pages, etc.)
- Add testimonials and media mentions
- Show contact info and company details clearly
3. Optimise for GEO
- Use Q&A style sections
- Keep formatting AI-friendly: subheadings, short paragraphs, FAQs
- Use schema markup and metadata
- Anticipate how users ask questions and answer those exactly
4. Run a Full SEO Audit
- Clean up broken links, 404s, and duplicate content
- Remove or disavow toxic backlinks
- Check all pages pass Core Web Vitals
5. Speed Up Your Website
- Compress images
- Enable caching
- Use a reliable hosting provider
- Use CDNs (like Cloudflare)
Sample Checklist: Google-Proofing Your SEO Strategy in 2025
| Task | Status |
|---|---|
| Remove thin AI content | ☐ |
| Rewrite blogs with E‑E‑A‑T focus | ☐ |
| Add author bios and schema markup | ☐ |
| Improve Core Web Vitals | ☐ |
| GEO-format all long-form content | ☐ |
| Disavow low-quality backlinks | ☐ |
| Create FAQ sections | ☐ |
| Ensure mobile-first responsive design | ☐ |
Bonus Tip: Don’t Ignore Video, Image, and Voice Search
While text content remains king, Google’s update also gives preference to multimedia-rich pages:
- Add relevant videos with transcripts
- Optimise image alt tags
- Prepare your content for voice search queries (“Hey Google…”)
This supports your E‑E‑A‑T and makes your page more likely to appear in various Google features.
Final Thoughts: Google’s Message Is Clear
You can no longer rank just by stuffing keywords and pushing out robotic blog posts. Whether you’re a local business, national brand, or online creator—Google wants:
- Genuine expertise
- Authentic, experience-based content
- Sites built for users, not algorithms
And if you don’t adapt? You’re likely to watch your rankings—and traffic—vanish.
On the flip side, if you take these changes seriously, you have a huge opportunity to outperform lazy competitors and show up first across traditional search and new AI search experiences.
