As anyone involved in SEO, Google Ads or website management knows, Google is a restless beast that is constantly seeking to evolve and improve – an observation especially relevant in the world of Google Search and Google Ads.
It is vital that you keep up to date with the latest developments in order to get the most out of the features and to avoid getting left behind.
Google Changes for 2026
Google is planning to increase the number of core updates in 2026.
What are Core Updates?
Currently roughly once every 2 or 3 months Google make a swathe of improvements to the overall ranking processes, packaged up into ‘core updates.’ These updates are carried out with the constant objective of increasing the relevance of search results and making Google more user friendly. It is important to read through the list of changes in these core updates and makes any necessary tweaks to websites and SEO practice.
A site that doesn’t take notice of such changes can notice a considerable downturn in performance and traffic. It is important to note, however that even if you notice a drop in traffic or performance, trying to implement a fix can make things worse.
Google Core Updates
In terms of more general observations about the evolution of Google Search and its functionality, it is definitely worth noting that roughly once every 2 or 3 months Google make a swathe of improvements to the overall ranking processes, packaged up into ‘core updates.’ These updates are carried out with the constant objective of increasing the relevance of search results and making Google more user friendly. It is important to read through the list of changes in these core updates and makes any necessary tweaks to websites and SEO practice.
A site that doesn’t take notice of such changes can notice a considerable downturn in performance and traffic. It is important to note, however that even if you notice a drop in traffic or performance, trying to implement a fix can make things worse.
The best way to see if your site has been affected by a core update is to go into your Google Search Console account, go to performance and check your data against the dates of the core updates.
If you can see a drop then check each of the top pages to see if it is just a few pages or the whole site that has been affected.
If it is just a few pages it is likely that the content on those pages isn’t up to the quality that Google is looking for. Google is constantly improving quality control so a page that was ok in the last core update isn’t necessary ok in the current one.
If the whole site is affected it is more likely to be a bigger issue such as bad backlinks, malware on the site or some other penalty. Check the Manual actions section in Google search console for errors. If there is nothing there you need to work it out for yourself! Not an easy task. Look at recent changes made to the site. Run a crawl or do an SEO audit to try to find the issue.
Improve Website Usability and Health
Improving the overall health and usability of a site should always be the objective as each core update is designed to redress previous imbalances.
Google Lens – Search what you see
One important new feature in the context of Google search is the amendment to the popular Google Lens function, whereby you can take a picture of something and Google will scour image results for comparable items, buildings or landmarks. Recently, Google announced a change making it possible to localise the image search results, rendering Google Lens the equivalent of CTRL + F for the world around you.
Google Ads Updates
Enhanced CPC to be discontinued
I personally like Manual CPC when it comes to running a Google ads campaign. Google is trying to get more people to use their AI models and removing things such as enhanced CPC which is tied to manual CPC is making it more difficult to go this route. In the past their AI models haven’t worked as well as our manual CPC campaigns but now might be a good time to give them another try.
Smart Bidding
Google is constantly evolving its AI models and using Maximize Conversions” or Maximize Conversion Value with a target CPA or ROAS within Smart Bidding looks to be the best option for a Google search campaign.
Google Analytics 4
Finally, it would be remiss no to mention the new Google Analytics 4. You can no longer use the old universal analytics property. Google Analytics 4 has some distinct advantages over its App + Web predecessor in that it is privacy focused, future proof and intelligent, revealing customer insights across platforms and devices. It also offers seamless integration with Google’s advertising platforms, facilitating optimized campaign performance and boosting marketing ROI.
AI is going to be big in 2026
Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, has stated that Google Search will “change profoundly” in 2026 due to AI. Google’s AI model Gemini is already on its way to half a billion users worldwide.
Keeping abreast with changes to Google Search and Google Ads, while understanding how the tweaks will reward improvements to distinct areas will make a vast difference to long term performance.