Google Core Update June 2025: Signs of HCU Recovery Spotted
Ten days into Google core update June 2025 , the search landscape is anything but quiet. While the rollout—first confirmed on 30 June 2025 at 10:37 a.m. ET—is expected to run for roughly another ten days, early data suggests a welcome twist: some sites previously hammered by earlier core updates and the September 2023 Helpful Content Update (HCU) are finally seeing glimmers of recovery.
Timeline & Early Movement
| Key Date | Milestone |
| 30 June | Update officially begins; little immediate volatility |
| 2 July | First measurable ranking shifts detected |
| 6 July | Recovery chatter accelerates after Glenn Gabe shares charts |
| 10–11 July | Search volatility spikes again as rollout nears midpoint |
Although the first 48 hours were calm, rank‑tracking tools lit up on 2 July. Since then, SERP turbulence has increased daily, with a particularly sharp uptick in the last 24 hours.
Analyst Insight: Glenn Gabe’s “Surging Sites”
Industry analyst Glenn Gabe posted multiple visibility graphs on X, noting that:
- A “number of sites impacted by the September HCU(X) surge” began climbing on 6 July.
- Recoveries are partial, not full—yet.
- Rich snippets, featured snippets, and AI Overviews (AIOs) are reappearing for some domains.
Gabe promised a deeper analysis once the update completes, but his early charts have already boosted optimism among long‑suffering publishers.
Publisher Anecdotes: From Despair to Cautious Hope
Positive Signals
WebmasterWorld members report:
- *“My news page is recovering—Discover traffic is back.”
- *“Main site hit by HCU is making a strong recovery… no major changes besides removing heavy AdSense blocks.”
- *“Specialized sites are finally outranking generic UGC pages again.”
One site owner claims a 65–70 % uptick across thousands of keywords, while another notes rich results returning after a nine‑month absence.
Mixed & Negative Signals
Not everyone is cheering:
- Traffic “back to scraps” after a brief uplift.
- “Still 60 % down from last year,” despite a 16 % week‑over‑week gain.
- Extreme keyword volatility: rankings “disappear and reappear within hours.”
These accounts underscore the unfinished nature of the rollout; gains today could erode tomorrow.
Why Partial Recoveries Are Important
Victims of HCU in September 2023 have had very few recoveries. Google has indicated several times that HCU fines can be restored, but only after a lot of work and quality improvements. Seeing movement today, even just a little, means:
- Refined relevancy signals: Google may be recalibrating how it assesses “helpfulness” across content types.
- Long-tail comeback: those that focus on a certain niche and have a lot of user-generated content seem to do better than those that are more general.
- Monetization tweaks matter: Several recovering sites reduced intrusive ad loads, hinting at UX signals playing a role.
The Road Ahead: Two Weeks of Trouble
With roughly half the rollout still to go, volatility will likely remain high. Site owners should avoid knee‑jerk changes and instead:
- Monitor Search Console closely for fresh rich‑result eligibility.
- Audit ad density and layout shifts that could hamper UX.
- Document ranking swings to identify patterns once the dust settles.
Google usually makes a statement about the end of a core update around the end of July 2025.
Bottom Line
The June 2025 core update is shaping up to be one of the most consequential since the September 2023 HCU, especially for publishers who have waited nearly two years for a comeback. Early partial recoveries are real—but fragile. Stay tuned: the next ten days will reveal whether these gains hold or fade as Google finalizes its latest algorithmic tune‑up.
Glenn Gabe shared charts of some of these recoveries on X.
Forum discussion at X and WebmasterWorld.