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SEOBurf Blog

Plain-language SEO and AI search analysis from 25 years of getting sites found. New posts most weeks.

Google Core Updates 3 min read

Google May 2026 Core Update: What Happened and What to Do

The May 2026 core update ran 21 May to 2 June. An intent-destination reset, a 60% AI Overview CTR drop, and what to do about…

Website Audit 8 min read

Google Just Acknowledged Vibe-Coded Websites – Here’s What It Means for SEO

Something shifted this week. Google’s John Mueller dedicated a chunk of his latest Search News video to what he called “vibe-coded websites”, sites built primarily…

Website Audit 11 min read

Google March 2026 Core Update: What Happened and What to Do

The March 2026 broad core update started rolling out on March 27 and is expected to take up to two weeks to complete. It is…

The Wednesday Roundup

SEO and AI search news, tips and what is changing this week. No fluff. Free.

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Website Audit 9 min read

What Is Information Gain and Why Does Google Care About It Now?

Most of the content I see losing rankings in 2026 is not spam. It is not thin. It is technically well-structured, keyword-optimised and covers the…

Website Audit 13 min read

Google March 2026 Spam Update: What Happened and What to Do

The March 2026 spam update rolled out on March 24 and completed in under 20 hours. That speed tells you something. The August 2025 spam…

Website Audit 5 min read

Google’s February 2026 Discover Core Update: What It Means for Your Content

A First of Its Kind On 5 February 2026, Google began rolling out something genuinely new: the February 2026 Discover Core Update. It was the…

Website Audit 5 min read

January 2026 SEO Roundup: Settling After December’s Core Update

No New Update – Rankings Settle January 2026 brought no new Google core update or confirmed spam update. After the December 2025 core update wrapped…

Website Audit 5 min read

Google December 2025 Core Update: The Year’s Biggest Algorithm Shift

What Happened Google’s December 2025 core update began rolling out on 11 December and completed on 29 December – a rollout that lasted 18 days…

Website Audit 4 min read

November 2025 SEO Roundup: Steady Rankings and Growing AI Search Impact

No Core Update in November – But Don’t Relax November 2025 passed without a confirmed Google core update. That made it the fourth consecutive quiet…

Website Audit 5 min read

October 2025 SEO Roundup: A Quiet Month Before the Storm

No Major Google Update in October 2025 October 2025 came and went without a confirmed Google core update or spam update. After the August spam…

Website Audit 4 min read

September 2025 SEO Roundup: Spam Update Wraps Up, Search Console Glitch Causes Panic

The Spam Update Finishes Rolling Out September 2025 was shaped largely by the tail end of Google’s August spam update, which completed its rollout around…

Website Audit 5 min read

Google’s August 2025 Spam Update: What Happened and What It Means

The August 2025 Spam Update Explained On 26 August 2025, Google began rolling out its first spam update in eight months. The August 2025 spam…

Google June 2026 spam update analysis

Google’s June 2026 spam update ran 24 to 26 June. What it targeted, what it deliberately left alone (link spam, parasite SEO), and recovery steps.

Google May 2026 core update analysis

The May 2026 core update ran 21 May to 2 June. An intent-destination reset, a 60% AI Overview CTR drop, and what to do about it.

John Mueller

Something shifted this week. Google’s John Mueller dedicated a chunk of his latest Search News video to what he called “vibe-coded websites”, sites built primarily with AI tools like Bolt, Lovable, Cursor, or v0. His verdict? They’re essentially normal websites and generally fine for search. That’s a meaningful moment. It’s Google officially acknowledging that AI-built … Read more

core-update-featured

The March 2026 broad core update started rolling out on March 27 and is expected to take up to two weeks to complete. It is the first broad core update of 2026 and the third algorithm event in seven weeks, landing two days after the March spam update finished and roughly a month after the … Read more

information-gain-featured

Most of the content I see losing rankings in 2026 is not spam. It is not thin. It is technically well-structured, keyword-optimised and covers the topic in the right word count range. The problem is that it says exactly what ten other pages already say, in roughly the same order, with roughly the same examples. … Read more

spam-update-featured

The March 2026 spam update rolled out on March 24 and completed in under 20 hours. That speed tells you something. The August 2025 spam update ran for 27 days. When Google wraps something up in less than a day, it either had a narrow target or the enforcement was already baked into systems waiting … Read more

Google Discover personalised content on mobile phone

A First of Its Kind On 5 February 2026, Google began rolling out something genuinely new: the February 2026 Discover Core Update. It was the first time Google had ever announced a core update specifically targeting Google Discover – the interest-based content feed that surfaces articles, videos and content to users on mobile devices and … Read more

Search rankings stabilising after Google algorithm update

No New Update – Rankings Settle January 2026 brought no new Google core update or confirmed spam update. After the December 2025 core update wrapped up on 29 December, the algorithm entered a stabilisation period – a relatively normal pattern following a significant core update rollout. For sites that had seen volatility during December, January … Read more

Google algorithm core update - abstract digital illustration

What Happened Google’s December 2025 core update began rolling out on 11 December and completed on 29 December – a rollout that lasted 18 days and ran straight through the holiday season. It was the third and final core update of 2025, and by most accounts the most significant of the year. The timing was … Read more

SEO metrics and data flowing through digital hourglass

No Core Update in November – But Don’t Relax November 2025 passed without a confirmed Google core update. That made it the fourth consecutive quiet month following the June 2025 core update – a longer-than-usual gap that had much of the SEO industry bracing for a significant year-end update. Historical patterns suggested a December update … Read more

Google search bar - abstract SEO concept illustration

No Major Google Update in October 2025 October 2025 came and went without a confirmed Google core update or spam update. After the August spam update wrapped up in late September, the search algorithm entered a period of relative stability. That said, “no confirmed update” does not mean nothing is happening. Google makes smaller, unannounced … Read more

Google Search Console dashboard showing ranking changes

The Spam Update Finishes Rolling Out September 2025 was shaped largely by the tail end of Google’s August spam update, which completed its rollout around 22 September. For sites that had seen volatility since late August, the end of the rollout brought some clarity – ranking positions stabilised, and the impact became easier to assess. … Read more

Google spam shield - abstract illustration of spam detection

The August 2025 Spam Update Explained On 26 August 2025, Google began rolling out its first spam update in eight months. The August 2025 spam update took just under four weeks to complete, wrapping up around 22 September. It was the first spam-focused update since December 2024. Spam updates are different from core updates. Where … Read more