Content quality standards, E-E-A-T signals, and what Google considers high-quality content.
Google rolled out its first core update of 2026 yesterday, the third algorithm change in four days. More than half of monitored sites are seeing ranking shifts. The update targets scaled AI content but rewards AI-assisted pages built on original expertise. Here's the five-minute audit that tells you which side of the line your content is on.
I gave detailed, expert feedback on a LinkedIn post about AI visibility. The response? "Sounds a bit AI-ish." The person who wrote the AI Discovery File Specifications was told their comment about those very specifications looked automated. This is what happens when people judge writing style over substance.
Google's John Mueller called creating markdown pages for AI "a stupid idea." Bing's Fabrice Canel called it cloaking. They're right about content mirrors, but AI discovery files are different, and the distinction matters for every UK business.
An "SEO expert" on LinkedIn told his followers to create "Top 10 [Service] in [City]" pages and rank themselves first. His followers loved it. Google's spam policies don't. Here's why self-referencing listicles now trigger penalties, and what to do instead.
Google released its first-ever Discover-specific core update on 5 February 2026. It boosts local content, cracks down on clickbait, and rewards topic expertise. The local relevance change is good news for UK businesses, and with the global rollout weeks away, there's time to prepare.