What happened in the SEO industry this month?
Each month, Lumar’s in-house tech SEO experts hand-pick some of the SEO industry’s top news items from across the web to keep you up-to-date on all things SEO and website optimization.
For our July 2025 SEO news roundup, top headlines include:
- June’s Google core update is now complete
- New reports in Search Console Insights
- New Search Labs “Web Guide” experiment
- AI summaries come to Google Discover
- New Google Trends API
Now, let’s dig into the key SEO news from July…
The latest Google core update is now complete
The latest of Google’s core algorithm updates ran from June 30th to July 17th. According to research conducted by Sistrix, the update consisted of two ‘waves’ of high SERP ranking volatility, each impacting a different set of sites.
Perhaps one of the more interesting changes reported so far has been the partial recovery of some sites hit by the Helpful Content Update two years ago. Google had previously downplayed the chances of impacted sites seeing recovery via a core update, so it’s notable that there appear to be some improvements here.
For a more detailed analysis of the update, we recommend these articles by Glenn Gabe and Marie Haynes.
(Source: Search Engine Land, et al.)
Insights brings new reports to Search Console
Search Console Insights has been around for a little while, but is now fully integrated into the platform. Aimed at less data-minded users, the report provides a top-level view of clicks and impressions, as well as insights into how individual pages have been performing. For more seasoned SEOs, it provides a useful starting point for more detailed trend analysis.
Rollout started at the end of June. We’re already seeing the new report in GSC for most of our clients, but those that don’t have it yet will likely receive it very soon.
(Source: Google Search Central )
Introducing Web Guide, the latest Search Labs experiment
Web Guide, the newest opt-in experiment for Search Labs users, uses a query fan-out technique to conduct a large number of related searches in tandem. Results are then grouped by topic, making it easier to continue searching based on a particular area of interest.
Unlike AI Mode, AI is only being used here to conduct searches and sort links; there are no AI-generated summaries to wade through. It looks to be a really interesting experiment on how AI can be used for more than just condensing and regurgitating content. These experiments often provide insight into Google’s future direction, so watch this space for similar features rolling out in SERPs in the not-so-distant future.
(Source: Search Engine Land)
AI summaries come to Google Discover
AI-generated summaries have started to appear in the Google Discover feed for users in the US. This new feature takes the form of a summary card, providing a brief overview of the story. Publisher links are then stacked together, taking up less valuable real estate than previously. Many publishers will see this as another blow, after last year’s introduction of AI overviews has already decimated the number of clicks coming through from traditional SERPs.
(Source: TechCrunch)
Introducing the Google Trends API
The usefulness of Google Trends data for SEOs looks like it will be improved by new API functionality. Unlike the web interface, the data provided by the API uses a consistent scale and allows for the comparison of multiple keywords and trends simultaneously. It also gives users the ability to track changes in a way that was not previously possible.
The API is currently in the Alpha phase of testing, but is expected to roll out gradually to more users over the coming months.
(Source: Google Search Central Blog)
