- A core update is a broad change to Google's ranking systems. According to Google, it does not target any individual website and happens several times a year.
- Search Console shows whether you are affected. Google recommends comparing the week after the update completes with the week before it started.
- Rule out technical causes before you rework content. A noindex or a changed robots.txt looks similar in the click figures.
What is a Google core update?
Several times a year, Google makes fundamental changes to its search algorithms and systems. These changes are called core updates. Google describes them as broad and stresses that they do not target specific websites or pages. According to Google, most websites do not even notice that an update has run.
So if a page loses positions after a core update, that is rarely down to an error on that page. Google reassesses the content, and other pages now answer a query better. Between the big updates, Google also runs smaller core updates that it does not announce.
Core updates, spam updates and other updates
In the Search Status Dashboard, Google publishes spam updates and Discover updates alongside core updates. Spam updates target violations of the spam policies. The type matters for the analysis because it raises different questions.
List of core updates since 2024
The table shows every core update Google has published in the Search Status Dashboard since 2024. Google lists the start and duration of the rollout there, with times in US Pacific time.
| Update | Start | Rollout duration |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026 core update | May 21, 2026 | 11 days, 21 hours |
| March 2026 core update | Mar 27, 2026 | 12 days, 4 hours |
| December 2025 core update | Dec 11, 2025 | 18 days, 2 hours |
| June 2025 core update | Jun 30, 2025 | 16 days, 18 hours |
| March 2025 core update | Mar 13, 2025 | 13 days, 21 hours |
| December 2024 core update | Dec 12, 2024 | 6 days, 4 hours |
| November 2024 core update | Nov 11, 2024 | 23 days, 13 hours |
| August 2024 core update | Aug 15, 2024 | 19 days, 4 hours |
| March 2024 core update | Mar 5, 2024 | 45 days |
As of October 15, 2026. Since the May update, Google has published three spam updates, most recently the September 2026 spam update from September 24, 2026.
How to check in Search Console whether you are affected
Google sets out a clear process in its documentation. The steps below follow it and add what has proven useful for large websites.
- Check in the Search Status Dashboard whether the rollout has completed, and note the start and duration.
- Wait at least one full week after it completes.
- Open the Performance report and compare the week after completion with the week before the start.
- Check the Web, Image, Video and News search types separately. A loss often affects only one of them.
- Sort pages and queries by lost clicks. See whether the loss is concentrated in one directory, page type or country.
- Assess the position. For Google, a drop from position 2 to position 4 is no reason for drastic steps, while a fall from position 4 to position 29 calls for a closer look.
On a shop with hundreds of thousands of URLs, a list of individual pages does not help much. Group the pages by type, such as category, product, guide and brand. If only the guides lose while categories stay stable, you have a lead. A regex filter on the page lets you map this directly in the Performance report.
Core update or technical error?
A drop shortly after an update starts need not have anything to do with the update. Releases often go out at the same time, and a technical error looks similar in the click figures. That is why you check the technical side first.
| Signal | More likely points to |
|---|---|
| Pages drop out of the index, the Page indexing report shows “Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag” | Technical error, such as a noindex after a release |
| Impressions collapse across all queries at once | Technical or measurement issue, such as robots.txt, server or tracking |
| Status codes change, many 404 or 5xx in the crawl | Technical error |
| The ranking URL switches to another page on the same domain | Canonical, internal links or cannibalization |
| Positions fall while demand stays the same, the pages are technically unchanged | Core update |
| Clicks fall, positions hold, demand falls | Seasonality or declining search interest |
| Clicks fall, position and impressions hold | Changed search results page, such as an AI Overview or new SERP features |
To cross-check, compare the crawl before the update with the crawl after it. If the titles, canonicals, internal links or rendered HTML of the pages that lost have changed, the cause probably lies with you. If the pages have stayed technically the same, the update is the more likely cause.
What helps and what should you avoid?
For a large, lasting loss, Google recommends honestly assessing your own website against the questions in its guidance on helpful content. They include questions like these: Does the content provide original information, research or analysis? Would you bookmark the page or recommend it? Was the text written or reviewed by someone who demonstrably knows the topic? Google advises also asking people who are not involved for their view.
Compare the most affected pages with the pages that now rank above you. What do they answer better? According to Google, improvements should make sense for users and be built to last, such as a restructured text with better navigation.
Common mistakes
- Quick fixes because you heard an element hurts SEO. Google explicitly advises against this.
- Deleting entire sections. According to Google, this is a last resort, and it suggests rather that the content was built for search engines.
- Reworking pages that lost only a few positions and are still performing well.
- Starting the analysis while the rollout is still running. The figures fluctuate heavily during this time.
- Blaming the update for a technical error and working on the content while a noindex is still live.
How long does recovery take?
According to Google, some improvements take effect within a few days. Others take several months before Google's systems recognize them. If there is no effect after a few months, it may take until the next core update. There is no guarantee of regaining previous positions.
FAQ
What is a Google core update?
A broad change to Google's ranking systems that Google rolls out several times a year and publishes in the Search Status Dashboard. According to Google, it is not aimed at any particular website.
When was the last Google core update?
The last core update started on May 21, 2026 and ran for just under twelve days (as of October 15, 2026). The Search Status Dashboard shows the current status.
When is the next core update?
Google does not announce dates in advance. Since 2024 there have been two to four core updates a year, four in 2024, three in 2025 and two so far in 2026.
How long does a core update take?
Since 2024, rollouts have taken between just over six days and 45 days. According to Google, you then wait another week before evaluating.
Can my website recover after a core update?
Yes, that is possible. Some changes take effect after days, others only after months or with the next core update. Google does not promise a return to previous positions.
Is my traffic drop linked to the update?
Only a comparison will tell. If the drop falls within the rollout, the pages are technically unchanged and positions fall while demand stays the same, the update is the likely cause.
Sources
Retrieved on October 15, 2026. If something is out of date or missing, let us know.
- Google Search Status Dashboard, ranking updates: https://status.search.google.com/products/rGHU1u87FJnkP6W2GwMi/history · Retrieved Oct 15, 2026
- Google Search Central, Google Search's core updates and your website: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/core-updates · As of Dec 10, 2025
- Google Search Central, Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content · As of Oct 5, 2026
- Search Console Help, Performance report: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7576553 · Retrieved Oct 15, 2026
- Search Console Help, Page indexing report: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203 · Retrieved Oct 15, 2026