Google has released the February 2026 Discover core update, which focuses specifically on how content is surfaced in Google Discover.
- “This is a broad update to our systems that surface articles in Discover,” Google wrote.
Google said the update is rolling out first to English-language users in the U.S. and will expand to all countries and languages in the coming months. The rollout may take up to two weeks to complete, Google added.
What is expected. Google said the Discover core update will improve the “experience in a few key ways,” including:
- Showing users more locally relevant content from websites based in their country.
- Reducing sensational content and clickbait.
- Highlighting more in-depth, original, and timely content from sites with demonstrated expertise in a given area, based on Google’s understanding of a site’s content.
Because the update prioritizes locally relevant content, it may reduce traffic for non-U.S. websites that publish news for a U.S. audience. That impact may lessen or disappear as the update expands globally.
More details. Google added that many sites demonstrate deep knowledge across a wide range of subjects, and its systems are built to identify expertise on a topic-by-topic basis. As a result, any site can appear in Discover, whether it covers multiple areas or focuses deeply on a single topic. Google shared an example:
- “A local news site with a dedicated gardening section could have established expertise in gardening, even though it covers other topics. In contrast, a movie review site that wrote a single article about gardening would likely not.”
Google said it will continue to “show content that’s personalized based on people’s creator and source preferences.”
During testing, Google found that “people find the Discover experience more useful and worthwhile with this update.”
Expect fluctuations. With this Discover core update, expect fluctuations in traffic from Google Discover.
- “Some sites might see increases or decreases; many sites may see no change at all,” Google said.
Rollout. Google said it is “releasing this update to English language users in the US, and will expand it to all countries and languages in the months ahead. “
Why we care. If you get traffic from Google Discover, you may notice changes in that traffic in the coming days. Google recommends that if you need guidance, Google has “general guidance about core updates applies, as does our Get on Discover help page” in those help documents.
Search Engine Land is owned by Semrush. We remain committed to providing high-quality coverage of marketing topics. Unless otherwise noted, this page’s content was written by either an employee or a paid contractor of Semrush Inc.
