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The Web PerformanceCompany

We help media and digital companies grow faster with a CMS that performs, a team that delivers, and a strategy that scales.

Begin with a Vision

Begin with a Vision

Founded in 2012 by Andrea Berry, RebelMouse is an industry-leading, web performance company that is making websites smarter and more intuitive than ever before, opening up a new world of possibilities for creators and editors.
Andrea Berry

Who We Work With

  • Digital Publishers
  • Media companies
  • News sites & digital magazines
  • Digital publishers
  • Video publications
  • Brand Websites
  • Fortune 500 companies
  • Growing businesses
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  • Institution landing pages
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How We Work With Our Clients

Audit
and Strategy
We start by understanding your goals, traffic, and growth needs.

Platform
Implementation
Launch our CMS or boost your existing site with RebelBoost.

Ongoing
Optimization
We continuously monitor, improve, and align with your goals.

Continuing
Growth Support
From AI workflows to SEO strategy, we help you stay ahead.

Real Feedback
From Real Rebels

Winners and Losers of the 2026 Google Discover Algorithm Update

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:

  1. Changing Interests
  2. Content Types
  3. 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.

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