Google runs several core updates a year, usually named by month and year (“the March 2025 core update”). Each one adjusts the core systems that decide how relevant and useful pages are. Google announces them on its Search Status Dashboard, and each takes up to about two weeks to roll out fully.
Unlike a spam update or a manual action, a core update isn’t aimed at anything specific. Google’s description is that it reassesses content across the web, a bit like refreshing a list of the best films: older films don’t get worse, but new ones arrive and opinions shift.
Why rankings change
When a core update rolls out, some pages rise and some fall. Google has stressed that a drop doesn’t necessarily mean anything is “wrong” with a page. It can mean other pages are now judged more relevant or more helpful for that search.
Sites in YMYL areas like health and finance often see the largest swings, because that’s where Google leans hardest on signals of expertise and trust. Since March 2024, Google’s helpful content signals have been part of the core ranking systems, so core updates also reflect how people-first a site’s content is.
Why it matters for a real business
Bean & Barrel Coffee’s brewing guides gained 20% in clicks after one core update, while some product category pages lost ground to a large marketplace. The guides had first-hand testing photos and specific measurements; the category pages had 50 words of generic text. That contrast is typical of what core updates reward.
How to respond to a drop
- Wait until the rollout finishes, then compare a week or two afterwards with a similar period before.
- Find what dropped: specific pages, sections or query types.
- Compare honestly with the pages that now outrank you. What do they offer that yours don’t?
- Use Google’s self-assessment questions about content quality and E-E-A-T: is the content original, written by people who know the topic, the most helpful result for the search?
- Improve the content meaningfully, not cosmetically.
- Be patient. Google says some changes are reflected over time, but many sites see recovery only after a later core update.
What not to do
- Don’t delete large amounts of content in a panic
- Don’t change dates without changing content
- Don’t assume a technical fix will reverse a quality reassessment
- Don’t buy links or “recovery packages”
How to watch for them
Note core update dates in your reporting so traffic changes can be explained. RankThat’s Rank Tracker records positions daily or weekly with a 12-week visibility trend, which makes it easy to see whether movement lines up with an algorithm update.