Google has updated its Search Central core updates documentation to confirm that smaller core updates run continuously in Google Search. The change clarifies that ranking improvements can appear between the large named core updates that roll out several times a year.
Google Confirms Smaller Core Updates Happen Continuously
The revised documentation explains that Google continually updates its search algorithms, including smaller core updates that are not individually announced. These ongoing changes can affect how websites rank at any time, outside the schedule of major core updates. Google published the clarification on its Search Central site for site owners and SEO professionals.
Key Details
- Google's core updates documentation now includes a section on continual algorithm changes, including smaller core updates.
- The documentation notes that these updates can impact search results at any time, not only during widely announced core updates.
- In its documentation changelog, Google wrote that it added details about continual algorithm updates and their potential effects on websites.
- Google states that the goal is to make clear that content improvements can lead to higher rankings without waiting for a major update.
- The updated text notes that some ranking changes may appear within days, while others can take several months.
- Google also emphasizes that there is no guarantee content improvements will result in ranking changes.
Background Context
Google previously referenced smaller core updates in its 2019 blog post “What site owners should know about Google's core updates”, which explained broad core updates and how they differ from more targeted changes.
The company typically announces large core updates by name several times each year, such as the March 2024 core update. According to Search Engine Journal, Google released named core updates in March 2025 and June 2025. The current documentation marks the first time smaller core updates are explicitly described within the core updates guidance itself.
Source Citations
- Google's core updates documentation is available on Search Central: Core updates.
- The documentation changelog describing this update appears on Google's site: Search documentation updates.
- Historical context on core and smaller updates comes from Google's 2019 blog post: “What site owners should know about Google's core updates”.
- Additional reporting on this documentation change comes from Search Engine Journal, by senior news writer Matt G. Southern.
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