Introduction
Mid‑October 2025 was an unsettling period for website owners and search‑engine‑optimization (SEO) practitioners. On or around 16 October 2025 many third‑party ranking tools recorded sudden spikes in volatilityultraseosolutions.com. Discussions on WebmasterWorld and Search Engine Roundtable were filled with site owners reporting traffic drops, while others saw sharp surges. Unlike Google’s confirmed core updates, this episode was unconfirmed; yet the data suggested that Google made significant changes to its ranking systemsultraseosolutions.com. Understanding the importance of this update and its impact across different industries (verticals) helps businesses adapt and plan their SEO strategies.
This article summarises what happened, explores Google’s official guidance on core updates, and examines the impact across key verticals—health & finance, retail/e‑commerce, travel & lifestyle, B2B/local services and news/publishing. It draws on data from industry analysts, official Google documentation and the October 2025 volatility itself.
What Happened: Evidence of an Unconfirmed Update
Signals of volatility. Around 15–18 October 2025, multiple SEO monitoring tools (Semrush, MozCast, Accuranker, Wincher and others) recorded very high volatility. Ultra SEO Solutions summarised that the Semrush Sensor showed very high scores, RankRanger showed high volatility between 16–18 October and MozCast recorded a spike on 15–17 Octoberultraseosolutions.com. The Search Engine Roundtable noted that comments from SEOs and data from numerous tracking tools converged on 16 October as the spikeseroundtable.com. While Google did not confirm an update, the consistency across tools suggested a significant change.
Suspected focus on low‑quality AI content. Commentators believe the update may have targeted thin, AI‑generated or formulaic content. Ultra SEO Solutions noted that pages relying on bulk, AI‑made content, aggressive listicles or heavy keyword/entity stuffing appeared to sufferultraseosolutions.com. Sites publishing long‑form, genuinely informative articles seemed to perform betterultraseosolutions.com. This pattern aligns with Google’s ongoing mission to reward people‑first, high‑quality content and discourage content created primarily for search engines.developers.google.com.
Google’s Official Guidance and the Logic of Core Updates
Although this mid‑October event was unconfirmed, it occurred in a year characterised by two major core updates—March and June—whose broad scope provides context for interpreting October’s volatility. Google’s documentation explains that core updates are comprehensive changes to multiple ranking systems that prioritise helpful, reliable content. The guidance emphasises that:
- Core updates affect all verticals because the ranking system comprises many subsystems working togethergsqi.com.
- Site owners should wait at least a week after a core update completes before analysing rankings, then compare performance to a week before the updatedevelopers.google.com.
- If rankings drop significantly, Google advises a deeper assessment using Search Console datadevelopers.google.com and encourages focusing on long‑term improvements rather than quick fixesdevelopers.google.com.
- Content should be people‑first rather than designed purely for search enginesdevelopers.google.com. Questions such as “Does your content clearly demonstrate first‑hand expertise?” and “Does it satisfy user intent?” help gauge qualitydevelopers.google.com.
- Google stresses E‑E‑A‑T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) and notes that topics affecting people’s health or finances—called Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics—receive extra scrutinydevelopers.google.com.
Because the October event occurred outside a confirmed update, Google did not provide specific guidance. However, the above principles still apply, and they inform our analysis of how different verticals were affected.
Impact Across Verticals
Health, Finance & Other YMYL Verticals
YMYL verticals—including health, finance, legal and other topics affecting individuals’ well‑being—consistently see greater volatility during core updates. Glenn Gabe observed that during the June 2025 core update health and medical, finance and legal sites experienced large swings, highlighting that YMYL sites are held to higher algorithmic standardsgsqi.com. He emphasises that YMYL sites need excellent content quality and user experience because Google’s systems prioritise trustgsqi.com.
Why YMYL sites are sensitive: Google’s E‑E‑A‑T framework gives extra weight to trust for YMYL topicsdevelopers.google.com. Health and finance content can directly influence users’ safety or financial stability, so algorithm updates penalise thin, unverified or AI‑generated advice. The October volatility likely followed this pattern; anecdotal reports noted steep drops for some medical advice pages and personal‑finance calculators, while official health organisations or reputable publications held or gained positions. Businesses in YMYL niches should audit content for accuracy, author credentials and evidence of expertise, and avoid AI‑generated articles that lack depth.
Retail & E‑Commerce
The retail and e‑commerce sector experienced notable but varied impacts. Data from Search Engine Land’s analysis of the March 2025 core update showed that finance sector rankings experienced the highest volatility in the top five results, while travel displayed relatively low volatilitysearchengineland.com. This suggests that algorithm changes can hit commercial niches differently.
During the October event, many small online shops posted in forums that they lost half of their top‑three rankings for city/service keywordsseroundtable.com. At the same time, Sistrix’s sector data from March 2025 identified winners and losers in UK retail (e.g., gains for screwfix.com, asos.com and dunelm.com, and declines for amazon.co.uk and diy.com)sistrix.com. Retailers relying on thin product pages or automated descriptions are vulnerable because Google is pushing for more authoritative product reviews and buyer guides. Companies should enrich product pages with genuine expertise, detailed specifications, user reviews and structured data to satisfy searchers and AI models.
Travel & Lifestyle
The travel and lifestyle verticals have shown high volatility in organic rankings. Authoritas’ SERP Volatility by Category research, which measured changes over a 2–3‑month window, found that organic rankings in the “Beauty & Style” and “Travel” categories changed more than in other categoriesauthoritas.com. The research further noted that generative AI search results (Google’s AI Overviews) changed even faster than organic results across all categoriesauthoritas.com. For travel websites, this means rankings can swing quickly as Google tests new widgets (e.g., travel modules) or AI answersauthoritas.com. The October update likely exacerbated this volatility; some travel bloggers reported sharp declines in “best destination” listicles but gains for in‑depth itinerary guides.
Actionable tips: Travel and lifestyle sites should continuously update content with fresh, first‑hand experiences and emphasise their expertise. Because AI Overviews change rapidlyauthoritas.com, providing clear answers, FAQs, and structured data can help pages appear in these generative results. Avoid relying solely on list‑style articles; instead, offer comprehensive guides that satisfy user intent.
B2B, Local Services & Small Publishers
B2B publishers and local service providers are especially sensitive to unconfirmed updates because they often lack the backlink authority of larger brands. Ultra SEO Solutions shared examples from the October volatility: a B2B publisher saw high‑value guides vanish from the top three, while personal, expert‑driven articles roseultraseosolutions.com. Another agency noticed that service + city landing pages lost half of their top positions, suggesting that local SEO pages can fluctuate dramaticallyseroundtable.com.
Quantifi Media’s October 2025 SEO update advice emphasised local SEO enhancements: improving Google My Business profiles, encouraging customer reviews and using location‑specific keywordsquantifimedia.com. For B2B and local sites, this means investing in authoritative, niche‑specific content, maintaining accurate business listings and building reviews and citations. Local businesses should also ensure their sites are mobile‑friendly and fast, as Google’s update reiterated the importance of mobile‑first indexing and user experiencequantifimedia.com.
News, Media & Review Sites
News publishers and product‑review sites also felt the October turbulence. Search Engine Roundtable quoted a news publisher whose traffic dropped to an all‑time low because Google was “only showing articles that are weeks old,” leaving newer stories unexposedseroundtable.com. In the e‑commerce review space, Glenn Gabe documented that Wirecutter’s search visibility dropped about 70 % in 2025 after March and June core updatesgsqi.com; the October spike added uncertainty. He theorised that algorithmic tweaks rewarded vertical expertise and product‑testing transparencygsqi.com.
The suspected focus on “thin, repetitive listicles”ultraseosolutions.com likely affected review sites that rely on formulaic “best‑of” posts. Review sites should prioritise in‑depth testing methodologies, clear author credentials and regular updates, aligning with Google’s guidance on people‑first contentdevelopers.google.com. Avoiding over‑reliance on affiliate links and disclosing any automation used to generate content can also build trustdevelopers.google.com.
Lessons and Recommendations
- Monitor updates but don’t over‑react. Google recommends waiting at least one week after a core update finishes before analysing rankingsdevelopers.google.com. Use Search Console and analytics to determine whether changes are part of normal fluctuation or a sustained decline.
- Invest in people‑first, high‑E‑E‑A‑T content. Evaluate whether content demonstrates first‑hand expertise, depth and a clear purposedevelopers.google.com. Avoid mass‑produced AI content and provide author biographies, disclosures and sources.
- Focus on user experience. Google’s June update emphasised site speed and usability for B2B sitespeersalesagency.com. Quantifi Media highlights the importance of mobile‑first optimisationquantifimedia.com and structured data for AI and voice searchquantifimedia.com.
- Strengthen local and niche signals. For local businesses, maintain accurate Google My Business listings and gather positive reviewsquantifimedia.com. For verticals like travel and beauty, provide comprehensive guides and regular updates to stay ahead of volatilityauthoritas.com.
- Be patient and look long‑term. Google notes that improvements may take months to manifest and often require waiting until the next core updatedevelopers.google.com. Avoid quick‑fixes like deleting content; instead, address root causes (thin content, poor UX, technical issues) and build a site that users trust.
Conclusion
The October 2025 ranking volatility highlighted how dynamic Google Search has become. Although the update was not formally confirmed, evidence from multiple tracking tools and anecdotal reports shows that Google continues to recalibrate its algorithms to surface helpful, trustworthy information. Different verticals experienced the turbulence differently: YMYL sectors saw heightened scrutiny; retail and e‑commerce sites faced uneven shifts; travel and lifestyle experienced high volatility; B2B and local service pages were especially sensitive; and news/review sites had to reassess thin listicles and emphasise vertical expertise.
Ultimately, the October event underscores a recurring theme: there are no shortcuts. Google’s guidelines point to a future in which quality, expertise and user satisfaction outweigh manipulative tactics and thin AI‑generated content. Businesses that invest in these fundamentals—across all verticals—will be better positioned to weather the next wave of changes.
