Google's June Update Shakes Up Search Rankings, News Publishers See 20–50% Traffic Loss

In a major blow to the digital publishing ecosystem, Google's latest core update has triggered a steep decline in web traffic for several Indian news publishers, with some reporting a staggering 50% drop within the first two weeks of the roll out. The updates, rolled out on June 30, are believed to have led to significant reshuffling of search engine result pages (SERPs), causing traffic spikes and rankings for some and sudden drops for others—seemingly overnight.

The tremors aren’t limited to media alone—ecommerce and BFSI (banking, financial services, and insurance) websites have also been significantly impacted, according to a survey conducted by PDlab.me, raising fresh concerns over platform dependency and the unique nature of search engine updates.

“Our comprehensive analysis of 22 websites in the first two weeks reveals the widespread nature of the June 2025 Core Update's impact. Approximately 80% of monitored sites have been negatively affected, with the majority of these experiencing traffic drops ranging from 20–50%,” said Sandeep Amar, founder of PDlab.me.

While the official release of updates was June 30, industry leaders claim SEO rankings have been on a rollercoaster since June third week, and publishers are feeling the heat. Between June 16 and 18, the churn intensified, with major SEO trackers reporting the highest fluctuation signals since the March core update.

“Every time there’s a core update, we brace for a 3–4-week period of uncertainty. Rankings fluctuate, traffic swings wildly, and the impact on digital publishers is always mixed—some see gains, others suffer sudden losses,” said a senior media executive.

While digital experts insist that the turbulence may settle within 3 to 4 weeks of the rollout, others warn that the aftershocks could persist well into Q2. “We've seen ranking instability extend for months, especially when multiple updates or experimental features are layered in,” said an SEO strategist at a leading digital agency, pointing out towards another Google update named AI-mode.

The development has triggered unease among marketers and digital publishers, especially with the high-stakes festive season around the corner. For many brands, this period is critical for performance marketing and customer acquisition, and SEO-driven visibility plays a major role in campaign success. “It’s hard to plan festive ad budgets when organic reach becomes unpredictable,” said a marketer.

Google’s response to our detailed questionnaire on the impact of the latest core update was awaited till the time of writing these lines.

Volatile Ranking
Unlike previous updates where traffic losses were typically immediate and sustained, this update shows three distinct patterns: brands that lost traffic from day one and continued declining, sites that initially gained traffic only to experience sudden dramatic drops—a phenomenon rarely seen in core updates—and most notably, SERPs that are readjusting with unusual aggression, insiders say.

According to a third-party tool SEMrush Sensor, SERP volatility for the news sites globally was 9.4 on the scale of 10 over the last 30 days and dubbed the phenomenon as “Googlequake”. For instance, India Today and ESPN sites ranked among top 6 news websites in the US on July 14, climbing from 6th and 5th positions respectively a week ago, claims SEMrush Sensor’s analysis.

“These updates are meant to improve user experience, especially in the zero-click era and to compete with AI firms who are set to launch their own browsers. However, for publishers, all updates usually begin with a traffic drop. Things may stabilize over time, but it’s never predictable. If a site escapes unscathed this time, it often gets hit the next—it’s become a game of algorithmic luck,” digital publishers say.

The patterns suggest background adjustments connected to AI Overviews and zero-click behaviour, said the digital head of an English daily.

Improving user experience amid rise of AI
In FY24, Google pocketed over ?31,000 crore from digital advertising in India alone, reaffirming its dominance in the country’s booming online ad market. With a lion’s share of nearly 70% of the total digital ad revenue, the tech giant remains the primary gateway for both brands and publishers seeking visibility.

A substantial portion of this revenue is driven by content-heavy platforms, with news websites playing a significant role in driving user engagement and search traffic. However, with rising concerns around ranking volatility, zero-click searches, and the encroachment of AI-driven browsers, the sustainability of this model is beginning to face serious questions.

However, the rise of generative AI platforms has accelerated the shift toward a zero-click era, where users get answers directly on the search page—without visiting the source website. This trend poses a growing threat to traditional SEO-driven search traffic which forms the basis of Google’s revenue model. Adding to Google’s challenge, several AI firms are now planning to launch their own browsers, further fragmenting the search landscape.

Experts believe that the proliferation of low-quality, AI-generated content could erode user trust and dilute the value of search results, potentially impacting Google’s long-standing dominance—and its ad revenue model built around content discovery. Following the June 2025 Core Update, many publishers are receiving notifications for “misleading content” in their Google Search Console accounts.

Besides, websites with weak internal structure, outdated content, or poor engagement showed the sharpest decline after the change in algorithm.

This signals Google’s intensified focus on content authenticity and truthfulness, industry leaders point out.

Expert recommendations
Experts advise that publishers must ensure that their headlines make commitments that are fully supported by their article content.

“The disconnect between promising headlines and actual article delivery is being scrutinized more rigorously than ever. Content creators must prioritize being truthful and genuinely helpful to their audience, as Google's manual review processes are clearly identifying and penalizing misleading practices,” Amar noted.

He warns that that level of volatility demands patience and strategic planning for the coming months, especially the stakeholders of brands, who generally have limited understanding of SEO and may look for an immediate recovery.