On 5 February 2026, Google rolled out the first core update ever aimed exclusively at Google Discover. Not as a side effect of a broader update, but as a targeted revision of how Discover selects content. American publishers who relied heavily on clickbait are reporting traffic drops of 90 to 95 percent.
The update is currently only running in the US, for English-language users. But that does not mean we are unaffected. The December 2025 core update, which was rolled out globally, has already significantly impacted Discover traffic for many sites. We see it with our own clients.
Two updates, one story
Behind the current situation lie two different updates.
The December 2025 core update was a broad algorithm update rolled out worldwide - including in the Netherlands and the UK. The effect on Discover was significant. You may have noticed this yourself: if your Discover traffic dropped around December, this is likely the cause.
The February 2026 Discover core update is the first to be aimed exclusively at Discover. With this, Google explicitly evaluates Discover on different criteria from Search. The update is currently only running in the US. Google has indicated that the rollout to all countries will follow “in the coming months”, but no concrete timing has been announced.
What is already in effect worldwide: Google simultaneously rewrote the official Discover documentation alongside the update. Those new guidelines - including the explicit anti-clickbait rules - are already active now.
What is changing
Google has announced three concrete changes.
1. Locally relevant content gets priority
Discover will show more content from websites based in the user’s country. For local publishers, that is good news: the competition from foreign publishers in your feed is reducing.
2. Clickbait is being actively suppressed
The words “clickbait” and “sensationalism” appear for the first time explicitly in the Discover guidelines. Where the old guidelines were still fairly vague, the new ones are much more concrete. Google now says literally:
Avoid clickbait and similar tactics to artificially boost engagement by using misleading or exaggerated details in preview content (title, snippets or images) to increase appeal, or by withholding crucial information needed to understand what the content is about.
The part about “withholding crucial information” is a direct attack on the classic curiosity gap headlines that have dominated Discover traffic for years. Titles like “She said something shocking to my daughter, and then this happened…” are exactly what Google is now algorithmically pushing back.
3. In-depth expertise is rewarded
Google no longer looks at your domain as a whole, but per topic: do you have something to say here, or do you write about it occasionally? A site that publishes broadly but is not really at home anywhere scores worse than a site that is smaller but has built up authority on a topic.
Google gave this example themselves: a local news site with a specialised gardening section may have built up expertise in gardening, even if the site covers other topics. A film review site that has written a single article about gardening probably has not.
What can you do now?
There is no quick fix. But there are concrete steps.
Stop date manipulation. Adjusting publication dates to reappear in Discover no longer works, and Google penalises it algorithmically.
Rewrite your headlines. Titles must be honest. Not necessarily boring, but honest. Google says it literally: they must “reflect the essence of the content.”
Build expertise, not volume. Write consistently about your core topics, with sufficient depth and originality. Google now evaluates per topic whether your site actually has something to contribute there.
Treat Discover as a bonus, not a foundation. John Mueller said it back in 2021: “If your site is dependent on Discover traffic, that sounds bad, regardless of your specific situation.” That is truer now than ever.
Conclusion
Google now evaluates Discover differently from Search. Clickbait is being suppressed, local publishers are getting more room, and in-depth expertise is being rewarded. The update is not yet active outside the US, but the new guidelines already are.
Want to know where your site stands and what you can concretely do? Get in touch with us for a no-obligation analysis of your Discover traffic.