Google’s Next Ranking Update

Google could be preparing a significant change to its search ranking systems, which may make some familiar SEO practices less effective.

Google has a history of releasing major core updates towards the end of the year, particularly before the Christmas shopping period. If that pattern continues in 2026, recent changes to Google’s guidance and new research could provide clues about what its next update may focus on.

Some of the areas to watch include:

User experience and satisfaction
Original and authentic content
Changes to how Google handles fan-out queries
New ways of assessing content quality

These developments could be a good reason for SEOs, publishers and online businesses to review their content strategies and make sure their websites are genuinely useful to visitors.

Spam Updates Could Set the Stage

Google has previously released one or sometimes two updates around the end-of-year period in the US.

The timing of the current spam update is particularly interesting. Google is in the middle of a two-week spam update, which could potentially be clearing the way for further changes to its ranking systems.

This does not confirm that a major core update is coming, but the timing has attracted attention within the SEO industry.

Google Updates Its Helpful Content Guidance

Google recently made several changes to its helpful content guidance.

One change warned website owners against using fake author details and misleading creator information. However, another part of the update may be more significant for SEO professionals because it places greater emphasis on content quality and user satisfaction.

Google’s guidance makes clear that the quality of the main content is an important part of determining how well a page serves its purpose and whether visitors have a satisfying experience.

It also highlights the importance of demonstrating genuine talent, skill or expertise where appropriate. This could include well-written articles, professionally produced videos or useful tools that work as intended.

User Satisfaction Could Become More Important

There is no simple SEO tactic that directly controls Google’s user satisfaction signals. However, websites can take steps to improve the experience they provide.

According to the updated guidance, quality content should:

Achieve the purpose of the page
Meet the needs of visitors
Show genuine effort and originality
Demonstrate appropriate skill
Be accurate and trustworthy

This suggests that website owners may need to look beyond traditional SEO practices and consider whether their pages actually help people accomplish what they came to the site to do.

User behaviour and satisfaction have long been areas of interest in Google’s search systems. This makes the renewed focus on these areas worth watching as Google continues to develop its ranking algorithms.

Main Content Is More Than Written Text

Another important point in Google’s updated guidance is its broader definition of main content.

SEO professionals often concentrate heavily on written copy. However, Google makes clear that the main content of a page can include much more than text.

This can include:

Articles and other written content
Images
Audio
Videos
Interactive features
User-generated contributions

The common factor is whether these elements help the page achieve its intended purpose.

Interactive Features

Google specifically includes interactive features as part of a page’s main content.

This can include things such as calculators, online tools, games and search functions.

For website owners, the important point is that these features should provide genuine value rather than simply being added to attract search traffic.

A page should be designed around what the visitor is trying to achieve. Keywords and SEO tools can still have a role, but they should not replace the basic purpose of creating something useful for people.

User-Generated Content

Google’s guidance also recognises user-generated material as main content when it contributes to the purpose of the page.

This can include:

Forum discussions
Customer reviews
Comments
User-uploaded images or videos

For example, contributions from users can be particularly valuable on pages designed around discussions or questions.

The key is relevance. User contributions should support what the page is intended to provide rather than simply being added for the sake of having more content.

Expanded Content Also Matters

Tabbed and expandable sections are also covered by the updated guidance.

Again, the focus is on whether the information contributes to the purpose of the page. Hidden or expandable content should still provide useful information to visitors rather than being used primarily to target additional search terms.

Rethinking Titles and Headings

Titles and headings have traditionally been heavily influenced by SEO practices.

However, Google’s updated guidance describes titles and headings as part of the main content because they help summarise the subject of a page and allow users to decide whether it is relevant to them.

This could be another sign that website owners should move away from forcing exact-match keywords into every heading.

Instead, titles and headings should clearly explain what the page or section is about. They should make content easier to understand and scan for visitors.

Using keywords naturally is still useful, but creating headings primarily to match popular search terms could result in pages that feel overly optimised and less natural.

Google Highlights Authenticity and AI

Google’s recent guidance also places considerable attention on authenticity and the use of generative AI.

One area concerns fake creator information. Google warns against creating fictional author profiles, using AI-generated headshots or inventing qualifications to make content appear to have been written by a human expert.

Such practices can make a page less trustworthy and may be viewed as a sign of low-quality content.

Google has also reminded publishers that AI-generated content can contain inaccurate information. Generative AI predicts likely sequences of words rather than retrieving facts in the same way as a traditional database.

As a result, Google recommends that AI-generated content is manually checked for accuracy and trustworthiness before it is published.

SEOs Are Expecting a Major Change

Some SEO professionals believe Google’s recent activity could be pointing towards a significant ranking update.

The changes to Google’s documentation, combined with its recent spam update and ongoing research into low-quality AI-generated content, have led to increased speculation that the search engine may be preparing to adjust its ranking systems.

However, Google has not confirmed that a major update is imminent.

Could Google Make Rankings More Granular?

One of the biggest questions is whether Google could become more precise when assessing content quality and authenticity.

Google has been researching ways to identify networks producing large amounts of low-quality or AI-generated content. The information gathered from these efforts could potentially help its systems identify lower-quality content on a wider scale.

It is also possible that future algorithms could assess individual pages more closely based on factors such as content quality, usefulness and user satisfaction.

There is some history behind the current speculation. Since 2021, several Google updates have either been preceded by or occurred alongside spam updates. This could indicate that Google sometimes addresses existing spam before introducing other changes to its ranking systems.

The October 2023 Spam Update was an exception, as it was not preceded by an official spam update.

For now, there is no guarantee about what Google’s next ranking update will contain. However, the recent changes provide a useful indication of the direction Google appears to be taking.

For website owners and SEOs, the safest approach is to focus on useful, accurate and original content that genuinely meets the needs of visitors rather than relying heavily on tactics designed purely to influence rankings.