The most important findings on the ongoing Google Core update and the importance of SEO vs. Geo

Published on: July 15, 2025 / update from: July 15, 2025 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

The most important findings on the ongoing Google Core update and the importance of SEO vs. Geo-Image: Xpert.digital

How Google Quality and uniqueness in the content universe redefined

Most important findings on the ongoing Google Core update and the gain in meaning

1. The June / Juli-Core update significantly sharpens Google's quality criteria.

The first data show strong visibility fluctuations ("Yo-Yo effect") and clear losses for thin or purely AI-generated content, while original, professionally well-founded pages.

2. Classic SEO remains a basic requirement, but loses a measurable click potential of Google's generative answers.

AI overviews now appear at a good 13%of all US desktop searches (January: 6%) and lower the CTR 1 on average by 34.5%.

3. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) thus becomes an indispensable second mainstay.

Geo methods (e.g. quotes, statistics, clear structure) can increase the visibility of a source in AI answers by up to 40% and compensate for some of the noise clicks.

What the June / Juli-Core update has so far

The June / July Core Update 2025 already shows interesting developments in the search engine area. The rollout started on June 30th and is expected to be completed in about three weeks. The strongest ranking movements were observed between July 2 and 4, whereby typical short-term fluctuations (“YOO effect”) occurred for such updates.

Large, established domains such as rnd.de and Shopify are emerging as the winner of the update, especially pages with a unique perspective and high EAT score. In return, niche portals, generic affiliate websites, masses of AI generated texts without added value and thin forum threads lose visibility.

Google again emphasizes the importance of uniqueness and experience. Content creators must ensure that your content recognizably reflects human expertise. Interestingly, domains that suffer from the Helpul-Content Update 2023/2024 can now regain their visibility.

Practice tip: During the rollout, no panic measures-collect data, check the page quality and only optimize them after completion.

Why Zero-Click & Ai-overviews press SEO traffic

The effects of Zero-Click and Ai overviews on SEO traffic are becoming increasingly clear. Current data for 2024 and 2025 show a significant decline in external clicks in search queries. In news keywords, the proportion of search queries increases from 56% to a considerable 69% without an external click. The effect on the click rates is particularly serious: When an AI overview appears, the average click rate for the first position drops by 34.5%. A comprehensive analysis of 700,000 keywords over five industries showed a total CTR decline of 15.5%.

In the United States, there is a clear trend in the first quarter of 2025: traditional searches only make up 10.55% of website visits, while AI tools only make up 0.55%. According to a forecast of the Gartner model, organic website is expected to decrease by 25% by 2026. This development presents companies and SEO experts with great challenges and requires a fundamental adaptation of digital marketing strategies.

Classic SEO continues to deliver the lion's share of traffic, but the absolute flow of visitors shrinks because answers remain more and more directly on the SERP.

SEO vs. Geo - a structured comparison

In the digital marketing landscape, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and GEO (generative engine optimization) develop into two strategically different approaches to maximize visibility and reach. While traditional SEO primarily aims at top positions in search engine results and organic website clicks, Geo is increasingly focusing on being cited and prominently presented in generative AI.

The content focus is also distinctive: Classic SEO relies on keyword depth, on-page optimization and backlink structure, whereas geo value on fact density, concise paragraphs, structured data and quoted sources. Technically speaking, SEO uses aspects such as crawling and side speed, while GEO relies on clean schema awards and clear authors.

The user trip is therefore changing fundamentally: Instead of the classic model "Click → Reading Page → Act", answers appear directly at Geo, and further clicks only take place with proven added value. For the year 2025, it is becoming apparent that SEO remains a basic discipline, but is fighting with declining click rates, while Geo is gaining in importance through AI overviews and chatbots.

SEO continues to form the foundation. Geo adds where seekers no longer click. Anyone who combines both disciplines remains visible and quotable.

Recommendations for the next few months

1. Content audit with Eeat lens

Emphasis on real experience, authors-BIOS, current statistics-use AI texts only as a raw version, refined humanly.

2. Enriching structure & data (Geo-Ready)

Clear sub-headings, FAQ blocks, tables, lists.
Schema.org-mark-up (FAQ, Howto, product, author).

3. Increase citation ability

Sympägnant definitions, primary sources link, name numbers, demonstrably prove-strategies that bring geo-tests up to 40% more visibility.

4. Strengthen entities & context

Consistent naming of brand, personal and product names promotes inclusion in LLM answers.

5. Expand SERP monitoring

In addition to rank trackers, use Ai-overview-Alerts (e.g. Semrush, Sistrix Beta) to recognize citing losses early.

6. In the long term hybrid kpis

Clicks + citation impressions shared together so that the value of zero-click presence is visible.

Anyone who is now expanding their strategy with geo-principles secures brand presence in both worlds.

The first days of the core update confirm the course: Google rewards unique, trustworthy content and reduces traffic streams for everything that looks interchangeable. At the same time, the proportion of generative search responses grows rapidly - the click becomes luxury.

Classic SEO remains a mandatory, Geo becomes a freestyle, which quickly gains importance. The decisive factor is an integrated content architecture that understands both spiders and voice models-and users delivers real added value.

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