Google introduced its June 2025 core update from 30 June to 17 July, bringing fresh changes to search rankings and result display. This update makes it more important than ever for Australian brands to understand its impact and take action. Staying informed on how these changes unfold can protect your online presence. Let’s explore what this means and how to respond.
This release builds on earlier updates by emphasising content quality, trustworthiness and strong user experience. It also expands the use of AI‑driven features like rich snippets and voice summaries in search. Australian websites need to adapt their strategies to meet these evolving search trends. We’ll walk through what happened and what steps to take.
What Happens During a Google Core Update?
When Google rolls out a core update, it enhances the algorithm that ranks all types of website content. It does not single out individual sites, but realigns how ranking signals are valued. These changes unfold over several weeks and often cause noticeable rank shifts. During this transition, websites should monitor performance while avoiding knee‑jerk reactions.
Google assesses sites for genuine usefulness, authority and ease of access, along with technical stability and page performance. It also highlights AI features that deliver quick answers and summaries right within search results. Structured content and clear layout often perform better in these formats. Observing how your pages fare in rich features offers important clues.
Once the rollout is complete, websites can recover or continue to shift as Google refines its settings. Most change settles within a few weeks, but monitoring trends over time gives a better picture. SEO specialists typically track performance before, during and after an update. This helps maintain perspective and avoid overcorrecting too soon.
Highlights of the June 2025 Core Update
This release placed even more emphasis on quality signals, such as expert insight, credibility and original content. Pages that feature in‑depth analysis, clear author expertise and unique perspectives tend to perform better. Simple, generic pages without clear value are now less favoured. This aligns with Google’s aim to reward truly helpful sites.
Search features powered by AI received an upgrade, with more sites appearing in rich snippets, answer boxes and voice previews. Websites using structured data, bullet points and clear headings have a greater chance of appearing in these features. This shift reduces reliance on traditional links, making format optimisation essential. Adapting content structure is now key to visibility.
Impact on Australian Websites
Australian websites across various industries experienced different results—some saw visibility improve, while others slipped in rankings. Sectors like health, finance and law faced heightened scrutiny and demand for visible author credentials. Local e‑commerce and affiliate sites benefited if their content added genuine value. Sites that lacked region‑specific content or clear expertise struggled.
For Aussie businesses, it’s vital to demonstrate regulatory compliance and author credentials clearly. Adding author bios, citing respected sources, and following local rules boosts credibility. Sites that offer fast performance and seamless design maintained stronger rankings through the update. In contrast, slower or poorly structured sites struggled under the new standards.
How to Respond to the Google Core Update
Noticed a sudden drop in rankings or traffic? Don’t panic. Core updates are complex, but with the right approach, your site can bounce back stronger.
1. Don’t Rush Updates
Allow at least two weeks after the rollout before acting on ranking changes. Search volatility is common during this period. Analyse performance trends instead of reacting to immediate shifts. A considered approach leads to stronger long-term results.
2. Improve Content Quality
Review pages for depth, originality and author expertise. Remove or enhance thin or repetitive content. Where appropriate, include expert insights and cite trustworthy sources. Update pages with meaningful, relevant information.
3. Optimise Technical Aspects
Check load times, mobile usability and overall navigation. Fix broken links and compress images for faster performance. Conduct regular audits to catch issues early. A fast, responsive site supports both search visibility and user satisfaction.
4. Format for AI-Friendly SERP Features
Place concise answers near the top of your content. Use structured layouts such as FAQs, bullet points and clear headings. Implement schema markup to support rich search results. This improves your chances of appearing in AI-powered features.
5. Clean Your Backlink Profile
Audit incoming links using trusted tools to identify low-quality or irrelevant sources. Remove or disavow harmful links to protect your site’s authority. Address hidden redirects and spam signals. Maintaining a clean backlink profile safeguards your domain reputation.
How to Track the Impact of a Google Core Update
After a Google Core Update, staying on top of your site’s performance is critical. These tools help you monitor changes, catch issues early, and make data‑driven decisions.
1. Google Search Console
Monitor your site’s visibility by tracking rankings, impressions, and clicks over time. Use the 24‑hour comparison tool to spot sudden spikes or drops after a core update. Regularly check Core Web Vitals and indexing errors under the “Experience” and “Pages” tabs for early warning signs.
2. Google Analytics 4
Get deeper insights into user behaviour, including bounce rates, page views, and session times. Compare pre‑ and post‑update traffic to assess which pages were most affected. Use device and geo‑location filters to see if performance changes are isolated to specific user segments.
3. SEMrush or Ahrefs
Track keyword ranking fluctuations and benchmark your performance against competitors. Review backlink profiles to identify any toxic links that may need disavowing post‑update. Weekly keyword and traffic trend reports help you adapt your content strategy based on real‑time data.
4. PageSpeed Insights & Mobile‑Friendly Test
These Google tools highlight issues with speed, interactivity, and mobile responsiveness. Post‑update, recheck your top‑performing pages to ensure they meet performance standards. Follow optimisation tips like compressing assets and reducing server response times for ranking advantage.
5. Screaming Frog or Moz
Crawl your website to detect technical SEO issues such as broken links, duplicate content, and missing meta tags. Prioritise fixes based on how much traffic the affected pages receive. Maintaining clean internal linking and proper page structure supports better crawlability after updates.
How Can Australian Businesses Prepare for the Next Google Core Update?
Have you expanded your presence beyond search results? With AI‑driven features taking more space on results pages, relying on classic click‑through traffic is not enough. Hosting video content, tuning for voice search and engaging on social media platforms can increase reach. Diversifying your online strategy makes your brand more resilient.
Final Thoughts
The June 2025 Google Core Update reinforces a clear message—helpful, credible and user-first content is what Google values most. For Australian businesses, that means refining not just what you say online, but how it’s structured, how fast it loads, and how well it builds trust. Sites that balance strong technical foundations with genuine expertise are more likely to weather future algorithm shifts.
Search is no longer just about keywords—it’s about authority, clarity, and adaptability. Whether you gained rankings this time or took a hit, staying visible means treating SEO as a continuous process, not a one-off fix. Use what you’ve learned from this update to future-proof your strategy. Because in Google’s evolving landscape, consistent quality and a strong user experience will always come out on top.
Ready to adapt to the latest Google core update? Contact us today to fine-tune your SEO strategy and stay ahead in search rankings.