Algorithm Updates

Last week, I was analyzing my client’s traffic data when something weird caught my attention. One of their blog posts had jumped from page 3 to position 2 overnight, while another had completely vanished from the first page. After digging deeper, I realized we were witnessing the aftermath of not one, but two major Google algorithm shake-ups that have been quietly reshaping search results since June.

If you’ve been scratching your head over sudden traffic changes, ranking drops, or unexpected wins in your analytics, you’re definitely not imagining things. Google dropped two significant updates this summer, and honestly? They’ve been some of the most impactful changes I’ve seen in my eight years of doing SEO.

Let me walk you through what actually happened and, more importantly, how you can use this information to improve your content strategy moving forward.

My First Encounter with the June 2025 Core Update

I’ll never forget July 15th. I was having my morning coffee when my phone started buzzing with messages from fellow content creators. “Did you see what happened to rankings?” one friend texted. Another sent a screenshot showing her food blog’s traffic had doubled overnight.

The June 2025 Core Update had been rolling out since June 30, and by July 17, when it finally completed, the search landscape looked completely different. This wasn’t your typical algorithm tweak—this was Google making a statement about what kind of content it wants to promote.

The Personal Stories That Won

Here’s what fascinated me most: the sites that performed best weren’t necessarily the biggest or most technical. They were the ones where you could feel the human behind the keyboard.

Take my friend Sarah’s art blog, for instance. She’d been struggling for months to compete with larger art websites. But during this update, her personal essays about learning watercolor painting—complete with photos of her early disasters and breakthrough moments—started ranking above established art education sites.

Why did this happen? Sarah’s content had something those bigger sites couldn’t replicate: genuine personal experience. When she wrote about the frustration of mixing colors that looked muddy, or the joy of finally nailing a sunset gradient, readers knew they were getting advice from someone who’d actually been there.

The June update seemed to reward this type of authentic, experience-driven content. Sites in arts, entertainment, and established blogs with strong personal voices saw massive gains. It’s like Google finally figured out how to distinguish between content written by humans who genuinely care about their topics versus content created just to fill web pages.

When Big Isn’t Better

Here’s where things got really interesting, and frankly, a bit shocking. Major retail giants like Amazon, eBay, and Best Buy—sites that typically dominate search results—actually lost visibility during this update.

I remember checking the rankings for “best wireless headphones” and seeing smaller, specialized audio review sites ranking above Amazon’s product pages. These weren’t sites with massive marketing budgets or thousands of products. They were blogs run by audio enthusiasts who actually test headphones and share honest opinions about sound quality, comfort, and value.

This shift tells us something crucial: Google is prioritizing depth and authenticity over pure commercial scale. For those of us creating content as individuals or small teams, this represents the biggest opportunity we’ve had in years.

The Day Everything Changed: August 26th and the Spam Crackdown

I was actually in a client meeting when the August 2025 Google Spam Update launched on August 26th. Within hours, my Slack channels were lighting up with reports of dramatic ranking changes. Some sites lost 50% of their traffic by lunch. Others saw sudden improvements they’d been waiting months to achieve.

Unlike many algorithm updates that gradually roll out over weeks, this spam update hit fast and hard. I watched real-time ranking trackers showing volatility levels I hadn’t seen since the major updates of 2023.

What I’m Seeing in the Trenches

After spending the last few days analyzing dozens of affected sites, the patterns are crystal clear. The August 2025 Google Spam Update is systematically targeting specific types of low-quality content practices.

Programmatic Content Gets the Axe: One of my competitors had been publishing AI-generated “top 10” lists for every conceivable keyword variation. Their traffic dropped 70% in three days. Meanwhile, blogs publishing fewer but more thoughtful, human-written pieces are thriving.

Doorway Pages Are Done: I’ve seen multiple sites lose rankings because they created separate pages for “best coffee maker,” “best coffee machine,” “top coffee maker,” and “coffee maker reviews”—essentially the same content targeting slightly different keywords.

Content Spinning Backfires Spectacularly: A local business owner I know had hired a cheap content service that delivered “unique” articles that were obviously rewritten versions of existing content. Those pages have essentially disappeared from search results.

The update is rolling out globally, and Google warned it could take several weeks to complete. Translation: we’re still in the middle of this, and more changes are coming.

Here’s the official announcement about the June core update completion

The Real Story Behind AI Search Changes

Beyond these specific updates, there’s something bigger happening that every content creator needs to understand. I’ve been testing Google’s AI Mode extensively over the past few months, and the results are both fascinating and concerning.

Last week, I searched for “how to remove wine stains from carpet” and got a comprehensive AI-generated answer right in the search results. I didn’t need to click on any websites. The AI pulled information from multiple sources and presented a synthesized solution.

This is what industry experts call “zero-click searches,” and they’re becoming more common every day. For content creators, this presents a fundamental challenge: how do you drive traffic when users can get answers without visiting your site?

The Answer Engine Revolution

Smart marketers are already adapting by focusing on something called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Instead of just optimizing for traditional search rankings, we need to optimize for AI-generated responses.

I’ve been experimenting with this approach on my own blog. Instead of just targeting keywords, I’m structuring content to answer specific questions that AI systems can easily extract and present. This means using clear headings like “What causes wine stains to set?” and providing direct, actionable answers.

The results have been promising. Even when my content gets synthesized into AI responses, I’m still getting attribution and click-throughs from users who want more detailed information.

Get the technical details about the spam update here

What I’m Telling My Clients Right Now

After reviewing hundreds of sites affected by both updates, I’ve developed a practical framework that’s working for my clients. Let me share exactly what I’m recommending:

Week One Priorities: Stop the Bleeding

Content Quality Audit: I had my clients go through their last 50 published pieces and honestly assess each one. The question I gave them: “If a friend asked about this topic, would you confidently send them this article?” If the answer was no, we marked it for improvement or removal.

One client found that 30% of their content was essentially filler—articles created just to target keywords without providing real value. We consolidated similar pieces and dramatically improved the remaining content.

Source Check Reality Check: If you’ve been using AI writing tools, article spinning services, or content farms, the August 2025 Google Spam Update is specifically hunting for this stuff. I had one client completely rewrite their AI-generated product descriptions, adding personal testing notes and honest pros/cons lists.

Link Structure Review: We audited internal linking patterns to ensure they made logical sense for readers, not just search engines. Anything that felt forced or manipulative got cleaned up.

Month Two: Building Your Content Moat

Doubling Down on E-E-A-T: This isn’t just SEO jargon anymore—it’s your competitive advantage. I’m encouraging all my clients to weave their personal experiences directly into their content.

For example, instead of writing “meditation has many benefits,” one client now writes “When I started meditating three years ago during my divorce, I never expected it would help me sleep better, but here’s what happened…” The June update has been rewarding this type of authentic, experience-based content consistently.

AI-Snippet Optimization: I’m helping clients restructure their content for the new search reality. This means adding FAQ sections, using numbered steps for processes, and creating content that AI can easily extract and present while still encouraging click-throughs.

Intent-First Content Strategy: Instead of starting with keyword research, we’re starting with audience problems. What questions keep your readers up at night? What challenges do they face that only someone with your experience can address?

What’s Backfiring Right Now

I’ve seen too many creators panic during the August 2025 Google Spam Update rollout and make changes that hurt them even more. Don’t fall into these traps:

Hasty Content Overhauls: One blogger I know deleted 50 posts in a single day because their traffic dropped. Bad move. The update was still rolling out, and some of those posts recovered within a week.

Keyword Stuffing for AI: Some marketers are trying to game AI snippets by cramming keywords into FAQ sections. Google’s getting smarter about detecting this artificial optimization, and it’s backfiring spectacularly.

Copying Competitor Strategies: Just because another site gained traffic doesn’t mean their tactics will work for you. Focus on what makes your content unique instead of trying to replicate someone else’s success.

Learn how AI is fundamentally changing search behavior

Real Case Studies: What’s Actually Working

Let me share some concrete examples from sites I’ve been monitoring:

Case Study 1: The Personal Finance Blogger Maria runs a debt-free living blog and had been struggling with traffic for months. During the June update, her personal stories about paying off $40,000 in student loans started ranking for competitive finance keywords. Her secret? She shared the ugly details—the months she ate ramen noodles, the embarrassment of moving back with her parents, the exact budgeting mistakes she made.

Her traffic increased 120% because readers could tell her advice came from real experience, not theoretical knowledge copied from other finance sites.

Case Study 2: The Tech Review Site James runs a small tech blog focusing on budget smartphones. While major tech sites lost visibility, his detailed, long-term usage reviews gained prominence. His article about using a $200 phone for six months—complete with real photos showing wear and tear—now ranks above major publications for several smartphone keywords.

The difference? James actually uses the phones he reviews. His content includes details that only come from genuine, extended use.

Case Study 3: The Recipe Blogger’s Comeback After getting hit by previous updates, Linda completely changed her approach. Instead of posting three quick recipes per week, she now publishes one comprehensive cooking guide every week, including her failures, ingredient substitutions she’s tested, and detailed photos of each step.

Her traffic recovered and exceeded previous levels because her content now serves as complete cooking resources rather than just recipe collections.

The Authenticity Factor: Why It Matters More Than Ever

Here’s something I’ve noticed across all the successful sites I’m tracking: they’re not trying to be everything to everyone. They’re focusing on being the best resource for their specific audience.

The June 2025 Core Update seems to reward content that demonstrates clear expertise through personal experience. This doesn’t mean you need to be the world’s leading expert on your topic—it means you need to show that you’ve actually engaged with it in meaningful ways.

When I write about SEO strategies, I don’t just explain techniques—I share which ones have worked for my clients, which ones I’ve tried and failed with, and what I’ve learned from monitoring hundreds of sites over the years. This personal experience is what makes content valuable in the post-update world.

The Human Element That AI Can’t Replicate

One pattern I keep seeing: content that includes personal anecdotes, honest failures, and subjective opinions is performing better than ever. These are exactly the elements that AI content typically lacks.

If you’re a fitness blogger, don’t just explain exercise techniques—share how your relationship with fitness has evolved, what injuries taught you, or how your approach changed after becoming a parent. These human elements are your competitive advantage in an increasingly AI-saturated content landscape.

Preparing for the Future: My Predictions

Based on what I’m seeing with both updates and the emerging AI search features, here’s where I think we’re headed:

Content Consolidation Will Accelerate: The August 2025 Google Spam Update is pushing creators toward publishing less content, but making each piece significantly more valuable. I’m advising clients to aim for one exceptional article per week rather than several mediocre ones.

Personal Branding Becomes Essential: As AI makes generic information freely available, your unique perspective becomes your most valuable asset. The creators who thrive will be those who build strong personal brands around their expertise and experiences.

AI-Hybrid Strategies Will Emerge: The most successful creators will learn to work with AI search features rather than against them. This means structuring content to perform well in both traditional and AI-powered search results.

Your Action Plan: What to Do This Week

After helping dozens of creators navigate these changes, here’s my proven framework for adapting to the new search reality:

Days 1-3: Emergency Assessment

Start by checking your Google Analytics for any dramatic changes since late June. Don’t panic if you see drops—the August 2025 Google Spam Update is still rolling out, and some fluctuations are normal.

Look for patterns: Are certain types of content performing better or worse? Are pages with personal stories and examples holding steady while more generic content is struggling?

I always tell my clients to screenshot their current rankings for important keywords. This baseline helps you track progress as the updates continue to roll out.

Week 1: Content Audit and Cleanup

Go through your last 20 published pieces and honestly evaluate each one. Here’s the test I use: Would you confidently share this article with a close friend who needed help with this topic?

During this audit, look specifically for content that might trigger the spam update’s filters:

• Articles that feel like slightly rewritten versions of existing content
• Pages targeting multiple similar keywords with minimal unique value
• Content where you can’t clearly identify the human expertise behind it

One of my clients discovered they had 15 different pages all targeting variations of “how to lose weight fast.” We consolidated these into three comprehensive guides, each focusing on a specific approach they’d personally tried and could write about authentically.

Week 2: Inject Your Personal Experience

This is where the magic happens. Go back to your best-performing content and add layers of personal experience. Share your mistakes, your learning process, and your real-world results.

I recently helped a home improvement blogger transform a generic “how to tile a bathroom” post by adding stories about the three times he messed up grout lines, photos of his actual mistakes, and honest advice about when to call a professional versus DIY. The updated post now ranks #1 for several competitive keywords.

Week 3: Optimize for the AI Era

Structure your content so it works well in both traditional search and AI-generated responses. This means using clear, question-based headings and providing direct answers followed by detailed explanations.

Instead of burying your main points in lengthy paragraphs, lead with clear statements that AI can easily extract. For example, rather than writing around your point for several sentences, start paragraphs with direct answers: “The biggest mistake new gardeners make is overwatering their plants.”

The Spam Update Reality Check: What’s Really Happening

I’ve been monitoring the August 2025 Google Spam Update’s impact across various industries, and the results are both predictable and surprising.

The Predictable: Sites using obvious spam tactics are getting hammered. I’m talking about blogs that publish AI-generated content without human editing, affiliate sites with thin product reviews, and pages that exist solely to rank for keywords without providing real value.

The Surprising: Some previously successful sites that seemed legitimate are also losing visibility. After investigating, I found they were using more subtle spam tactics—like publishing slightly rewritten versions of trending articles or creating separate pages for every possible keyword variation.

Learning from Others’ Mistakes

One case that really stuck with me involved a travel blogger who’d been doing well for years. They started using an AI tool to generate “unique” destination guides for every small town in their state. The content wasn’t technically plagiarized, but it lacked the personal insights and genuine recommendations that made their original content valuable.

When the August 2025 Google Spam Update hit, these AI-generated pages dragged down their entire site’s authority. Their authentic travel stories—the ones based on actual visits—also lost rankings because Google apparently viewed the entire site as less trustworthy.

The lesson? Your content quality is only as strong as your weakest pages. A few spammy articles can impact your entire site’s performance.

Understanding Google’s New Priorities

After analyzing the data from both updates, I’m convinced Google is fundamentally changing how it evaluates content. The search engine is getting much better at distinguishing between content created to serve users versus content created to manipulate rankings.

The Experience Factor

The June update particularly rewarded content that demonstrated genuine experience. I noticed this pattern across multiple niches:

• Fitness sites where trainers shared their own workout struggles performed better than those just explaining exercise science
• Cooking blogs with personal recipe modifications and failure stories gained visibility over sites with perfect, generic recipes
• Business advice content from entrepreneurs who discussed their actual failures and lessons learned outranked theoretical business guides

This isn’t just about adding a few personal anecdotes. It’s about fundamentally shifting how you approach content creation—from information delivery to experience sharing.

The Trust Signal Revolution

Both updates seem to place enormous weight on trust signals. Sites that clearly identify their authors, provide author bios with relevant credentials, and link to credible sources are performing significantly better.

I’ve started requiring all my clients to add detailed author bios to their posts, including relevant personal experience and credentials. Even for topics that don’t require formal expertise, explaining why the author is qualified to write about the subject makes a noticeable difference.

Adapting to Zero-Click Search

The rise of AI-powered search features is creating a new challenge that most creators haven’t fully grasped yet. When Google’s AI can answer user questions directly, getting traffic becomes much more complex.

I’ve been experimenting with different approaches to this problem. Here’s what’s working:

The Teaser Strategy: Instead of trying to provide complete answers in your content, give enough information to be helpful while creating curiosity for more details. This encourages click-throughs even when AI provides partial answers.

The Deep Dive Approach: Create content so comprehensive and detailed that even AI-generated summaries can’t capture the full value. Think of your articles as definitive resources rather than quick answers.

The Community Building Focus: Use your content to build relationships rather than just provide information. Include questions for readers, encourage comments, and create content that sparks discussion.

Advanced Strategies That Are Working Now

The Authority Stack Method

Instead of creating isolated articles, I’m helping clients build topic clusters that demonstrate deep expertise. If you’re writing about gardening, don’t just publish random gardening tips. Create a comprehensive resource covering every aspect of growing tomatoes—from seed selection to harvest storage—based on your actual gardening experience.

This approach aligns perfectly with both updates’ preferences for authoritative, experience-based content.

The Honest Critique Advantage

One strategy that’s working exceptionally well post-August 2025 Google Spam Update is honest product or service critiques. Instead of promoting everything as “amazing” or “the best,” successful creators are providing balanced, nuanced reviews that include genuine drawbacks.

A tech blogger I work with started including sections like “Who This Product ISN’T For” in all his reviews. His rankings and traffic improved because readers trust his recommendations more, and Google seems to value this balanced approach.

The Story-First Framework

I’m encouraging clients to start every piece of instructional content with a brief story about why they learned this skill or solved this problem. This narrative hook not only engages readers but also immediately establishes the author’s personal connection to the topic.

For example, instead of starting with “Here are 10 ways to improve your credit score,” try “When my credit score hit 580 after my divorce, I thought I’d never qualify for a decent apartment lease. Here’s exactly how I rebuilt my credit to 750 in 18 months…”

Avoiding the Common Pitfalls

The Perfectionism Trap

I’ve seen too many creators freeze up after these updates, afraid to publish anything that might not be perfect. This is a mistake. The August 2025 Google Spam Update targets manipulative tactics, not imperfect but genuine content.

Your readers actually connect more with content that admits limitations and shares learning processes rather than presenting yourself as infallible.

The AI Panic Response

Some creators are swearing off AI tools entirely, thinking this will automatically improve their standings. That’s not necessarily the right approach. The issue isn’t using AI—it’s using AI without adding genuine human value.

I use AI tools for research and initial drafts, but every piece of content goes through significant human editing, fact-checking, and personal insight addition before publishing.

The Keyword Abandonment Mistake

Others are abandoning SEO entirely, thinking the updates mean keyword optimization doesn’t matter anymore. Wrong. Good SEO practices still work—they just need to be balanced with genuine value creation.

The key is optimizing for keywords within the context of helpful, experience-driven content rather than creating content solely to rank for keywords.

Looking Ahead: My Predictions for Late 2025

Based on the patterns I’m seeing, I expect Google to continue pushing in this direction. The August 2025 Google Spam Update and June Core Update aren’t anomalies—they’re part of a larger shift toward rewarding authentic, helpful content.

The Creator Economy Opportunity

For individual creators and small businesses, this represents the biggest opportunity in years. Large corporations struggle to create the type of personal, experience-driven content that’s now being rewarded. As a solo creator or small team, authenticity is your superpower.

The AI Integration Evolution

I predict we’ll see more sophisticated integration between AI-generated answers and original content sources. Creators who learn to structure their content for AI consumption while maintaining click-through value will have a significant advantage.

The Quality Over Quantity Mandate

The trend toward fewer, higher-quality pieces will likely accelerate. I’m already seeing successful creators publishing weekly instead of daily, but with each piece being significantly more comprehensive and valuable.

Your Personal Action Plan

Here’s exactly what I recommend you do starting today:

This Week: Audit your last 30 days of content using the “friend test” I mentioned earlier. Identify which pieces demonstrate genuine personal experience and which feel generic.

Next Week: Choose your three best-performing pieces and expand them with personal stories, honest failures, and lessons learned. Document the ranking changes over the following month.

This Month: Implement a quality-first publishing schedule. Whether that’s weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly depends on your capacity, but make sure every piece meets your highest standards.

Ongoing: Start treating every piece of content as a potential long-term asset. Ask yourself: “Will this article still be valuable and relevant two years from now?”

The Bottom Line for Creators

Both the June 2025 Core Update and August 2025 Google Spam Update are pushing the search landscape toward something I’ve been advocating for years: creating content that genuinely helps people.

If you’ve been taking shortcuts, using manipulative tactics, or prioritizing quantity over quality, these updates are forcing a reckoning. But if you’re willing to embrace authenticity and focus on serving your audience, you’re looking at the best opportunity to gain search visibility that we’ve had in years.

The creators who thrive in this new environment won’t be those with the biggest budgets or the most sophisticated SEO tools. They’ll be the ones who combine technical SEO knowledge with genuine expertise and authentic voice.

Remember, every algorithm change is ultimately about Google trying to better serve its users. By aligning your content strategy with that same goal—serving your readers with helpful, authentic, experience-driven content—you’re not just adapting to algorithm changes, you’re building a sustainable foundation for long-term success.

The search landscape will keep evolving, but the fundamentals of creating valuable content for real people never go out of style. These updates aren’t obstacles—they’re opportunities to separate yourself from the content noise and build something genuinely valuable.

Ready to Transform Your Content Strategy?

The August 2025 Google Spam Update and June Core Update have created a clear path forward for smart content creators. The question isn’t whether you should adapt—it’s how quickly you can implement these changes.