Google’s Core Update Now Impacts Discover Feed
▼ Summary
– Google has released a core update for its Discover feed, initially limited to English-language users in the United States.
– The update is designed to improve the overall quality of the personalized Discover content feed.
– The rollout may take up to two weeks to complete, and Google plans to expand it to more countries and languages later.
– This dedicated update suggests Google may be tuning Discover’s quality signals separately from its main Search rankings.
– Publishers should monitor Discover traffic separately in Search Console, as changes may not correspond to Search result movements.
Google has launched a significant new algorithm adjustment specifically for its Discover content feed, known as the February 2026 Discover core update. This broad change is designed to refine the systems that personalize and surface articles, videos, and social posts for users. Initially, the update’s rollout is confined to English-language users within the United States, with plans to expand to additional countries and languages at a later date. The company announced the change through its official Search Central Blog and logged it on the Search Status Dashboard as an incident affecting ranking.
The primary goal of this update is to improve the overall quality of content presented in the Discover feed. Google’s official statement on the dashboard is concise, noting that the existing guidance for core updates and Discover remains applicable. The complete rollout of these systemic changes is expected to take as long as two weeks. While starting with US English limits the immediate global impact, publishers based outside the United States could still experience effects if they have a substantial audience viewing their content through Discover in the US market. No specific timeline has been provided for when the update will broaden to other regions.
This dedicated core update for Discover is particularly noteworthy because it suggests Google may be fine-tuning the feed’s quality ranking signals independently from its main web search results. This means Discover rankings could shift without any corresponding movement in traditional Search results, creating a new dynamic for content creators to monitor. Google has not clarified whether this update also impacts standard search rankings, making the distinction between the two traffic sources more critical than ever.
For publishers and website owners, the key action is to closely monitor Discover traffic in Google Search Console separately from organic search traffic over the coming weeks. If you observe significant changes in traffic, it is essential to determine whether those fluctuations are isolated to the Discover feed or if they are also affecting your search performance. Understanding this separation is now a vital part of analytics. Google typically updates the Search Status Dashboard to confirm when a core update has fully completed its rollout. The company reiterates that its standard core update guidance applies, which focuses on sustained improvements to content quality and user experience rather than quick technical fixes.
(Source: Search Engine Journal)
