June 2025: Google’s June core update and the AI search question

Covers June 2025. Part of our search timeline: a month-by-month look at the changes that shaped SEO, AI search, paid ads and social media, written in November 2026 for local businesses with the benefit of hindsight.

For a local trade business watching enquiries from the website, that difference matters. The fix for a ranking drop is not the same as the response to fewer clicks on a page that still ranks well.

What happened with the June 2025 update

This was a broad core update, where Google reassesses content across the whole web. It took about three weeks to roll out, and Google offered its usual advice on quality rather than anything specific.

What it meant for local service businesses

A business that saw traffic fall could not simply blame rankings. If impressions were going up while clicks went down, AI answers were often the reason rather than lost positions. A boiler engineer whose “why is my boiler making a noise” page held its position but got fewer clicks was most likely seeing AI Overviews answer the question on the results page.

What to check and improve

• In Search Console, look at average position alongside clicks before deciding what caused a drop.
• See whether AI Overviews now show for the searches that lost traffic.
• Keep building real expertise and usefulness into your most important service pages.

Frequently asked questions

My rankings look steady, so why are clicks dropping?

AI Overviews and other search features can answer a question on the results page, which cuts clicks even when your position stays the same.

How can I tell a core update drop from the effect of AI?

A core update drop usually shows up as lower positions. The effect of AI often shows as steady positions with a lower click-through rate.

Sources and further reading

• Google Search Central: list of ranking updates

Want help with this? Our local SEO service digs into the data so you know the real cause of any drop. Get in touch.