SEO Update GuideGoogle Search 2025

Google Search 2025: Preferred Sources, Spam Update & What It Means for SMEs

Google introduced Preferred Sources in Top Stories (U.S. & India), completed an August 2025 spam update, and previously removed continuous scroll in Search. For small and medium businesses, these shifts reward clear brand signals, useful content, and healthy technical foundations. This guide explains the changes and gives a pragmatic, 30-day plan.

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Key Shifts

Preferred Sources: users can choose outlets to see more often in Top Stories.

Spam update (Aug 2025): broad anti-spam refinement completed in Sept 2025.

No continuous scroll: Search uses pagination again; page-one intent matters more.

Who This Affects

SMEs relying on organic traffic for leads/sales.

Publishers & brands producing news or topical content.

E-commerce & service sites competing for high-intent queries.

Timeline (Quick)

Aug 2025: Preferred Sources rolls out (US/India, Top Stories).

Aug–Sept 2025: Spam update rolls out/finishes.

Mid-2024: Continuous scroll removed; numbered pages return.

What Changed—In Plain English

Preferred Sources (Top Stories)

Searchers can mark specific publishers as preferred; Google then shows more of their coverage in Top Stories and a “From your sources” module when relevant. It’s a personalization layer—not a ranking boost for all results pages.

Strong brand signals + consistent news/content output benefit discoverability.

Encourage audiences to follow you as a preferred source.

Maintain News/Discover eligibility and technical hygiene (structured data, fast pages).

Spam Update (Aug 2025)

A broad spam systems update completed in late September 2025. As usual, it focuses on reducing manipulative practices (scaled low-value pages, abusive linking, cloaking, hacked content).

Double-down on people-first content and transparent sourcing.

Audit thin or duplicative pages; consolidate or remove.

Harden security; monitor Search Console’s Security issues.

No More Continuous Scroll

Google removed continuous scroll and returned to page-based SERPs. Practically, click-through concentrates on page one again, so titles, descriptions, and sitelinks strategy matter more for each page’s targeted intent.

30-Day Action Plan

Content refresh sprint: update top 10 money pages with clearer intent, FAQs, and unique proof (pricing, process, results).

Preferred-Source readiness: publish 2–3 timely, news-adjacent posts; add “Follow us in Google News/Discover” prompts.

De-spam audit: remove doorway/near-duplicate pages; review affiliate/outbound links; add bylines and source citations.

Tech sweep: fix Core Web Vitals regressions; ensure fast LCP, stable CLS, and responsive INP; compress images and cache.

Listings & brand: align NAP across your site/GBP; strengthen About/Contact/Policies for trust.

Measure: set goals and events; annotate updates in Analytics; track Search Console for coverage and news visibility.

Technical & Editorial Checklist

Structured data (Article, FAQPage where relevant) and valid sitemaps.

Readable titles (≤60c) and compelling meta descriptions (≤150c) mapped to query intent.

Clear authorship, dates, and updates; maintain an editorial policy page.

Avoid scaled AI-only pages; add expert review and original assets (charts, screenshots, photos).

Security basics: HTTPS, patched CMS/plugins, least-privilege access, WAF where possible.

FAQs

Does Preferred Sources boost all of my rankings?

No. It’s a personalization feature for Top Stories (and a related module) when your coverage is relevant. It doesn’t override general ranking systems.

What if my site dropped after the spam update?

Audit thin or duplicative content, link patterns, and technical issues. Improve originality, expertise, and usefulness, then request recrawl via Search Console after fixes.

How do I prepare posts that qualify for news visibility?

Publish timely, original reporting or analysis, add structured data, maintain clear bylines, and meet technical standards (fast, mobile-friendly, secure).