Here are the top 20 SEO updates and trends from November 2025
1. Gemini 3 Launched & Integrated into Google’s AI Mode
Content: Google’s powerful new Gemini 3 AI model launched on November 18th. It’s now active in AI Mode, enhancing search’s generative capabilities and reasoning depth for U.S. users.
Hashtags: #Gemini3 #AIMode #GoogleAI #GenerativeAI #SearchEngine
2. Branded vs. Non-Branded Queries Filter in Search Console
Content: Google Search Console added a vital new performance report filter to separate branded and non-branded queries. This helps SEOs better isolate true organic growth from brand-driven traffic.
Hashtags: #GSCUpdate #BrandedQueries #SEOReporter #SearchConsole #OrganicTraffic
3. Custom Annotations Feature Rolls Out in Search Console
Content: SEOs can now add custom date annotations directly to Search Console performance reports. This clarifies cause-and-effect, connecting technical changes or content launches to data shifts.
Hashtags: #SearchConsole #GSCAnnotations #SEOData #Analytics #SEOTools
4. Continued Algorithm Refinements Targeting Scaled Content
Content: Volatility hinted at ongoing algorithmic refinements cracking down on low-value, mass-produced or templated AI-generated content. Focus shifted to content quality and human oversight.
Hashtags: #ContentQuality #AlgorithmUpdate #ScaledContent #AIContent #EEAT
5. AI Overview Click-Through Rates (CTR) See Significant Drops
Content: New reports show organic CTR dropping by over 61% for queries displaying Google’s AI Overviews (SGE). Informational content is most affected; transactional queries less so.
Hashtags: #AOClickDrop #ZeroClickSearch #AIOverviews #OrganicCTR #SGE
6. Site Reputation Weighting Increased for Authority Sites
Content: Reputation signals gained more weight, especially for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics. Author bios, credentials, and strong brand legitimacy are now critical ranking factors.
Hashtags: #SiteReputation #TrustSignals #EEAT #YMYL #ContentAuthority
7. Google Phases Out Underused Structured Data Types
Content: Google simplified its SERP by officially discontinuing support for several under-utilized structured data types, including Vehicle Listing and Practice Problem markups.
Hashtags: #SchemaUpdate #StructuredData #SERPSimplification #TechnicalSEO #GoogleMarkup
8. AI-Powered Travel Planning and Booking Expanded in Search
Content: Google expanded AI Mode’s capabilities to include advanced travel planning, suggesting itineraries, finding deals, and even agentic booking for restaurants and events.
Hashtags: #TravelSEO #GoogleAI #AIAssistant #SearchFeatures #AIinTravel
9. Query Groups Report Lands in Search Console Insights
Content: GSC Insights introduced the Query Groups report, clustering related search terms by user intent. This helps SEOs move from isolated keywords to building topical authority.
Hashtags: #QueryGroups #TopicalAuthority #ContentClusters #GSCInsights #IntentSEO
10. Merchants Can Set Shipping/Return Policies in Search Console
Content: Online merchants, even without Merchant Center, can now configure shipping and returns policies directly in Search Console, improving rich result visibility and customer trust.
Hashtags: #EcommerceSEO #MerchantCenter #ShippingPolicy #StructuredData #Retail
11. New Google Business Profile (GBP) Insights and Features
Content: Google rolled out fresh Insights for Business Profiles and expanded the “What’s Happening” feature. Local SEO must focus on updating and leveraging these signals.
Hashtags: #LocalSEO #GBPUpdate #GoogleBusinessProfile #LocalRanking #SmallBusiness
12. Microsoft Copilot Adds Prominent, Clickable Citations
Content: Microsoft’s Copilot (Bing AI) updated to include prominent, clickable citations for its AI answers, a positive move for content creators seeking referral traffic.
Hashtags: #Copilot #BingAI #AICitations #ReferralTraffic #ContentMarketing
13. YouTube Separates Paid and Organic Views in Analytics
Content: YouTube Analytics now clearly distinguishes between paid and organic video views. This offers creators better insight into the true performance of their content without ad influence.
Hashtags: #YouTubeSEO #VideoMarketing #YouTubeAnalytics #OrganicViews #ContentPerformance
14. SEO Community Reacts to Adobe’s Acquisition of Semrush
Content: Adobe acquired the popular SEO platform Semrush, signaling the increasing importance of integrated SEO tools within larger, enterprise digital marketing stacks.
Hashtags: #AdobeSemrush #SEOTools #AcquisitionNews #DigitalMarketing #SEOPress
15. Google Confirmed Search Ranking Volatility on November 7th
Content: SEO tools registered a surge in ranking volatility around November 7th, which Google later attributed to a brief, acknowledged search serving issue and technical adjustments.
Hashtags: #RankingVolatility #GoogleBug #SERPUpdate #SearchServing #Movember
16. John Mueller Suggests Rethinking Low-Quality AI Sites
Content: Google’s John Mueller advised that sites relying heavily on low-quality AI content may be better off starting fresh, rather than attempting difficult, manual recovery efforts.
Hashtags: #MuellerFiles #LowQualityContent #SEORecovery #SiteAudit #ContentStrategy
17. Google Tests Gray Shaded Backgrounds for Search Ads
Content: Google was observed testing a new visual change: gray-shaded backgrounds for both organic local packs and sponsored search ads. This alters ad distinction.
Hashtags: #GoogleAds #SERPLayout #AdTesting #SearchDesign #PPC
18. Local Search Focus Shifts to Reviews, Distance, and Trust
Content: Local ranking factors emphasized fresh reviews, accurate business data, and proximity in Map Packs. Local SEO needs strong, consistent GMB and website signals.
Hashtags: #LocalSearch #MapPack #ReviewsMatter #GMB #LocalMarketing
19. Nano Banana Pro Integrated into Google Image Search
Content: Google DeepMind’s new Nano Banana Pro image generation and editing model was integrated, improving image search results and providing better tools within the Google ecosystem.
Hashtags: #NanoBanana #ImageSEO #GoogleLens #DeepMind #ImageSearch
20. Increased Scrutiny on JavaScript Usage for AI Crawlers
Content: Google warned that excessive reliance on JavaScript can hinder AI crawlers, prioritizing server-side rendering for content visibility in both traditional and AI results.
Hashtags: #TechnicalSEO #JavaScript #AISearch #Crawler #MobileFirst
November 2025 turned out to be a pivotal month for SEO, even if it lacked a single, clean “core update” from Google. Instead, a series of smaller but impactful changes — algorithm refinements, UI simplifications, schema deprecations, AI-search expansion and shifting ranking signals — combined in ways that may well have structural implications for how websites should approach SEO going forward.
One of the biggest talking points has been the so-called “Movember update,” referring to unexplained spikes in ranking volatility around November 7–8, 2025. Many site owners observed dramatic traffic fluctuations, often without any clear reason — despite the absence of an official Core Update announcement. The volatility hit especially hard sites with thin content, templated posts, affiliate-heavy pages or low editorial oversight.
Parallel to this instability, Google pushed ahead with a simplification of the search results appearance. On November 5, the company confirmed it was phasing out multiple low-use structured data types (such as “Book Actions,” “Claim Review,” “Course Info,” and others) — features that rarely triggered and added clutter without much value. In practice, this means many rich snippets and search result enhancements that sites may have depended on could no longer show up — which likely decreases click-through rates (CTR) for previously “enhanced” listings.
Indeed, early data suggests that the expansion of AI-powered search — especially via features like Gemini 3 and the broader push into AI-overviews / generative search — is already impacting user behaviour. In cases where AI Overviews appear, typical CTRs to publisher sites reportedly dropped sharply. As more users get answers directly from AI or summarized results, the relative value of traditional “organic clicks” is receding.
In response to this shift, SEO strategies are evolving. The emphasis this month moved toward deeper, original, expert-led content rather than quickly produced or AI-generated filler. Site authority, author expertise, and editorial quality — part of the long-standing E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) framework — regained importance as major ranking signals. At the same time, duplication, scaled / templated content, and “thin” articles lost visibility or experienced ranking decay.
November also brought technical and structural changes relevant for SEO practitioners. For example, the data within Google Search Console (GSC) saw updates: a newly introduced “Query Groups” report now clusters similar queries by topic or intent — a useful tool for content planning, clustering and reducing cannibalisation. Meanwhile, review- and aggregate-rating schema handling was tightened: improper or misleading schema markup can now lead to loss of rich result eligibility, underlining the need for clean, correct structured data.
Beyond Google-specific changes, the broader search / ad ecosystem is also shifting. SEO and marketing tools are adapting to cover multi-channel visibility: organic SERPs, AI answer boxes, image and video results, shopping modules, AI summaries, and even voice search — each potentially contributing to brand visibility. For brands and businesses, this means measuring success beyond traditional organic rankings; new KPIs and holistic visibility tracking are fast becoming standard.
Finally, for sites especially in sensitive verticals (health, finance, “Your Money Your Life” / YMYL), the November turbulence served as a strong caution: inconsistent content practices, low editorial standards, or over-reliance on AI/third-party content could lead to sharp visibility drops.
In short: November 2025 didn’t deliver a headline-grabbing core update — but rather a constellation of smaller, structural shifts. A “less-is-more” SERP aesthetic, tighter schema and structured-data rules, the rise of AI-driven search and answer engines, and renewed emphasis on quality, authority, and content depth all point toward a redefined SEO landscape. For anyone managing a website now, doing a site-wide audit — focusing on content quality, schema accuracy, internal linking, and aligning with user intent — isn’t optional. It’s essential.
Source: https://developers.google.com/search/blog
