What Google has implemented recently and what will really affect SEO in 2026

Google's algorithm has changed not evolutionarily, but philosophically in recent updates. Whereas previously it was possible to compete by optimizing individual pages, today the focus is on real business, its value, trust, and proven expertise.

Let's take a look at the key changes that will affect search results and determine SEO results in 2026.

The March 2025 Core Update was one of the toughest in recent years. The main change was that the Helpful Content System was fully integrated into the Core algorithm. This means that there is no longer a separate filter: now the entire ranking system evaluates the usefulness of content by default.

Google began massively downgrading websites that:

• were created solely for SEO purposes;
• were focused on generating traffic rather than solving user problems;
• did not have clear value or a unique experience.

The following were affected:

• service websites with template descriptions;
• information projects based on keywords;
• pages without a clear audience or purpose.

It is important to understand that this is a long-term change, and there will be no return to the old models.

Google has improved its fight against websites that use strong domains with good metrics to promote third-party SEO or commercial content. Typical examples:

• news sites for publishing SEO reviews, loans, casinos, services;
• corporate websites with pages created for third-party services;
• sites that sell domain trust to third parties.

An important point about this change is that sanctions can be applied selectively, without affecting all pages of the site. Individual categories and pages may simply be downgraded in search results. For SEO in 2026, this approach by Google will become the norm.

This is not only about content created by AI or poor quality content. Google downgrades any form of large-scale, uniform SEO:

• a large number of pages with little difference in content;
• pages with local references without real local value;
• content translations without adaptation to the market.

This particularly affects:

• local SEO;
• agency websites;
• service websites.

This means that the formula "more pages = more traffic" no longer works.

Google has reduced the importance of formal CWV metrics. Fast loading times are still important, but they no longer compensate for a poor user experience. Today's priorities are:

• readability;
• logical structure;
• intuitive navigation;
• good usability and no aggressive elements.

Now, a fast but inconvenient website is not necessarily a good website in terms of ranking.

Google increasingly evaluates not the page, but the essence:

• company;
• website brand;
• expert content.

The following are taken into account:

• who you are;
• where you work;
• what you actually do;
• whether this is confirmed outside the website.

Individual pages of a website without the overall support of the brand, structure, and reputation of the author lose their power, even if they are formally well optimized for SEO.

And we are not talking about a classic behavioral factor, but about the correspondence between the user's expectations and the result obtained:

• Does the page solve the user's problem?
• Is there a need to continue searching?
• Does the scenario end logically?

In 2016, pages with high CTR but poor user experience will drop in search results.

Google has increased the visibility of search results for:

• genuine forums;
• Q&A sites;
• reviews with live discussions.

At the same time, forums created for SEO, pseudo-reviews, and controlled UGC do not receive any advantages. This is an important and telling signal - real people are more important than optimization.

In its latest updates, Google didn't just change individual factors. It changed the ranking model itself:

❌ Page optimization rules

✅ Real, verified businesses that are useful to users

This will directly change:

• the growth of local and brand signals;
• a decline in old-fashioned SEO;
• increased trust, legitimacy, and expertise.

Now, the main factors for successful SEO in 2026 are not just volume and optimization, but the complete positioning of the business in the search ecosystem.