In this episode of SEO 101, Ross Dunn and Scott Van Achte discuss the June 2025 Google core update, its impact on local SEO, new Google Search Console features, possible Core Web Vitals bugs, issues with online reviews, disavow file relevance, AI-generated content in rankings, and best practices for site indexing and high-quality content creation.
Show Notes:
Acknowledgment
- Thank you to Dominika for her review on Spotify, expressing appreciation for the podcast’s content and humor.
SEO News
- June 2025 Core Update:
- Currently underway since June 30, expected completion in 3 weeks.
- Anticipated to be significant.
- AI in “People Also Ask”:
- 12.6% of answers are AI-generated, based on a study of 8.4 million results.
- Google Search Console Updates:
- New comparison methods: last 24 hours vs. previous period and week-over-week.
- Gradual rollout over the next few months.
- Core Web Vitals Bug:
- Reports of anomalies in Google Search Console since July 11.
- Discrepancies in the count of “good” and “needs improvement” pages.
- John Mueller advises focusing on problematic samples rather than absolute counts.
Local SEO News
- Impact of June 2025 Update:
- Reports of significant drops in Google Business Profile search impressions since June 29, linked to the core update.
- Suspicious Review Warnings:
- New consumer alert feature regarding suspicious reviews being rolled out in the US.
Mueller Files
- Disavow File Order:
- The order of links in a disavow file does not affect processing; it’s considered during recrawling.
- Barely Indexed Sites:
- Low indexing may indicate Google’s lack of confidence in the site.
- Suggestions: focus on quality content, links, and citations.
AI News
- Ahrefs Study on AI Content:
- No correlation found between AI content and Google rankings.
- 86% of high-ranking pages had some AI-generated content.
- Breakdown of AI content on websites:
- 1-10%: 13.8%
- 11-40%: 40%
- 41-70%: 20.3%
- 71-100%: 7.8%
Sources:
June 2025 Core Update Underway – Information about the ongoing June 2025 core update, its expected duration, and its significance.
Google Generates Nearly 13% of People Also Ask Answers – Analysis of AI-generated answers in Google’s “People Also Ask” feature, based on a study of 8.4 million results.
Google Search Console Adds 24-Hour Comparison Views – Details on new comparison methods in Google Search Console’s performance reports, allowing for easier time period comparisons.
Possible Core Web Vitals Bug in Google Search Console – Reports of a potential bug affecting core web vitals metrics in Google Search Console.
June 2025 Google Update May Be Affecting Local Search Impressions – Observations of a drop in Google Business Profile search impressions coinciding with the June core update.
Suspicious Review Warnings on Google – Discussion about Google issuing alerts for suspicious reviews on Google Business Profiles, expanding from the UK to the US.
Order of Links in Disavow File Does Not Matter – John Mueller’s clarification on the order of links in disavow files and their processing by Google.
Barely Indexed Sites Can Mean Google Isn’t Convinced Of The Site Overall – Insights on the implications of low indexing for websites and potential steps to improve visibility.
Ahrefs Study Finds No Evidence Google Penalizes AI Conten– Findings from a study analyzing the relationship between AI-generated content and Google rankings.