Based on an evaluation of publishers in the RebelMouse network, local news sites benefitted the most from the Google Discover algo update that was released in February.
The February 2026 Discover core update was meant to “improve the quality of Discover overall,” according to Google, and it took about three weeks to roll out. Now that we’re in May 2026, we have enough before-and-after data from that update to make some conclusions:
- The highly personalized feed is emphasizing geolocation to serve users with stories most relevant to them — local news sites like CultureMap and Rotativo de Querétaro are seeing more traffic.
- Sites that focus on viral, trending content were either flat or saw a decrease in impressions.
- Niche sites, focused on specific industries like technology, music, or film, had a significant decrease in clicks and impressions.
While Google pointed to its previous guidance on Discover and core updates as how to deal with an update like this, it also provided more specifics related to the February 2026 Discover update:
- Focus on more locally relevant content.
- Reduce sensational and clickbaity content.
- Produce more in-depth, original, and timely content.
Discover can be a bit of a black box, but also a huge traffic source. This algorithm rollout has contained a level of detail that other updates have not, so it’s worth heeding that advice.
Previously, on why Discover traffic might change over time, Google notes three things:
- Changing Interests
- Content Types
- Updates to Google Search
Previously, an August 2024 core algorithm update appeared to negatively impact some publishers on Discover, even though it wasn’t explicitly labeled a Discover update. That was a Google core algorithm update.
If you were hit, how do you recover? Audit the type of content you’re producing and make sure it’s of the highest quality. Continue to produce high-quality content that serves users that is in-depth for topics of interest with relevant multimedia. If you’re doing that already, you may have been hit by mistake, which does happen, and Google has a tendency of correcting those kinds of mistakes in time, rewarding the sites who should be rewarded.
For more Google Discover guidance, check out these expert tips from WTF is SEO.
