South African sites felt the sting when Google’s June 2025 Core Update rolled out at the end of June and wrapped up in mid-July. Google framed it as a “regular” core update aimed at surfacing more relevant, satisfying content—but rankings across multiple verticals told a harsher story.
Google doubled down on quality and intent. Thin, templated, or search-engine-first content slipped. Sites piggybacking off third-party posts (“parasite SEO” or site reputation abuse) found themselves in the crosshairs, continuing a policy crackdown that began last year.
This update also followed Google’s broader push against low-quality, scaled content—especially mass-produced or AI-clickbait pieces that add little value.
First, confirm the hit: compare your organic traffic and key queries before and after the rollout. Separate brand vs. non‑brand searches to see where the real damage lies. Then list pages that dropped and group them by intent (informational, transactional, navigational). If an entire intent cluster took a dive, you likely have a topical depth or trust issue.
Ask of every page: Does this answer the query cleanly, and does it offer something a hundred other pages don’t? Replace vague promises with clear takeaways, unique data, examples, or localized insight. If Google’s systems can’t tell why your page matters, neither can your audience.
“If your page is a remix of the top ten results, it’s not a resource—it’s a redundancy.”
Solution: Add original insight: interviews, first-party data, case studies, SA-specific angles.
Off‑site assist: Commission industry experts or partner with a research firm to gather unique insights you can cite.
If you host third-party content, review how it’s vetted, labeled, and integrated. Irrelevant sponsored posts, coupon dumps, or low-quality product roundups can drag your entire domain down. Either bring them up to standard, no-index them, or cut them loose.
Demonstrate real expertise and accountability. Add author bios, cite credible sources, showcase case studies, and make it clear who’s behind the business. South African audiences (and Google) want to see “real people, real company, real proof.”
Core updates are holistic—poor UX can undermine decent content. Speed, mobile usability, and clean internal linking matter. Remove dead-end pages, fix crawl bottlenecks, and optimize for Core Web Vitals. Solid technical hygiene amplifies your recovery work.
“A slick banner and a speedy page won’t save hollow content—but they’ll amplify the good stuff.”
Solution: Use Search Console to find indexing issues and Lighthouse to prioritise fixes.
Off‑site assist: Bring in a technical SEO specialist or performance engineer to run periodic site health checks.
If one cluster collapsed, build a better one. Create cornerstone guides, support them with tightly focused follow-ups, and knit them together with logical, user-first internal links. Think “topic hubs,” not random posts.
Core updates settle—but Google’s evaluation of your site doesn’t stop. Track recovery at the page and cluster level. Revisit your content calendar with a quality filter. Each new post should strengthen your topical authority, not just add another URL to the pile.
