February 5, 2026 is the date. Google Discover—the same Discover feed that may generate over a million views one day and drop to barely 10,000 the next—is the target of a fundamental upgrade that Google has implemented.
The surprising nature of Google Discover has never changed. It can immediately push a website out of sight or instantly make it more visible. Even Google itself cannot completely guarantee stability in Discover traffic due to its extreme volatility. Google has released a fresh upgrade for this extremely dynamic ecosystem.
We examine what has changed in the February 2026 Google Discover Core Update, which behaviors publishers should steer clear of, and which areas are still unknown, even for those who actively monitor the update, in today’s talk.
Discover functions differently from conventional Google Search, as evidenced by certain modifications that are becoming apparent and others that are still challenging to understand. Even if some Discover behaviors are still not fully transparent, this upgrade emphasizes how important content quality, relevancy, and user involvement are.
Hi everyone, This post explains the Google Discover February 2026 Core Update, its initial effects, and the things publishers and content producers should be aware of moving forward. My name is Anurag Tiwari, and I write for businessconnectIndia.in.
Google revealed some details on the changes it is making in the February 2026 Core Update, although they are written in extremely obscure terms. Why does Google employ such ambiguous language? The explanation is straightforward: Google does not wish to publicly acknowledge or identify the issues that were caused by it.
Whether you’re a casual user or an SEO expert, you’ll see a number of annoying trends if you keep a close eye on Google Discover. Numerous fraudulent activities have been noticed in the Discover feed for a considerable amount of time.
One of the most common issues is this: you click on an article from Discover, start reading it, but the moment you hit the back button, you’re redirected to the website’s homepage or some entirely different page—not back to the Discover feed. This kind of deceptive behavior can be easily detected by Google through analytics data, yet until now, such websites were not being penalized.
Another major problem involves publishers and blog owners who purchase expired domains—often of educational institutions, schools, or colleges—and then publish completely random content on them. These articles have no connection to reality. News is fabricated about car models that haven’t even launched or celebrities who haven’t experienced any such incident. AI-generated fake images are used, and the content is made slightly sensational before being published.
These misleading articles end up stealing massive traffic from Google Discover because users click on them believing something major has happened—like the launch of a new car model, a celebrity’s death, or a high-profile divorce. This is how Discover traffic is manipulated. And it’s not limited to just one or two websites—around 5–10% of articles in most users’ Discover feeds were consistently of this nature, making it clear that action was needed.
There is also a third type of scam running on Google Discover. In this case, the article shown inside the Discover feed appears legitimate. However, when the user clicks on it, the website automatically loads a completely different article. Whether the user reads it or not, the website still gains a click. When the user goes back, they assume they may have clicked the wrong article and tap on it again—resulting in multiple manipulated clicks from a single user.
Some websites repeatedly load a different article for users coming from Google Discover. In simple terms, they keep showing another article again and again to Discover traffic in order to generate more pageviews artificially. So far, Google Discover has not been able to detect or penalize this kind of behavior. Whether this changes after the current update remains to be seen.
The update has just started rolling out, and it may take one to two weeks to fully settle. Only after that period will we be able to judge whether Google Discover’s core update has actually fixed, sorted out, or ignored this kind of fraudulent behavior.
For now, let’s look at what Google is officially promising.
First, through this update, Google wants to show more content from local websites. For quite some time, many American and European SEOs have been complaining that Indian news websites were appearing too prominently in their Discover feeds and local story sections. While that was something to be proud of, Google now wants to ensure that local websites get greater visibility in local Discover feeds.
This could also be good news for us. Just as Indian websites appear in international Discover feeds, Indian users also see a large number of American and European websites in their Discover feed. We generally don’t mind this and actually see it as a positive thing, as it exposes users to international content. However, with this update, local and vernacular-language websites are expected to gain more visibility.
For example, Indian users will see more Indian websites, and users in Bangladesh will see more Bangladeshi websites. This is a positive development, as local publishers will receive greater prominence.
The second major change announced by Google is that sensational and clickbait-style articles will no longer be shown in the Discover feed. I believe this particular change will help Google address the issue of spam websites that were stealing traffic from Google Discover by publishing fake or misleading content.
I genuinely hope this fix works, because whenever an undeserving website steals traffic from the Discover feed, the hard work of genuine SEO professionals and publishers goes to waste.
In the process, the rightful traffic of genuine websites is being taken away. So, I sincerely hope that Google fixes this issue and stops showing such misleading content in Discover.
The third point highlighted by Google in this update is particularly important. Google now wants to prioritize expertise-driven content and timely content. This means the Discover feed will feature more freshly published articles, especially from websites that have proven expertise in a specific domain.
Google has even shared an example to explain this better. If a website publishes content across multiple topics but has consistently published a large volume of content in one particular industry—say, medical or health—then that website is likely to receive more Discover traffic for medical-related content.
In comparison, a general blog that mostly covers tech news but occasionally publishes two or three health-related articles will not receive significant Discover traffic for health topics.
This also has another important implication. If a news website covers multiple categories—such as politics, fashion, food, Bollywood, and sports—but has a stronger content focus on sports and Bollywood, then going forward, it will receive more Discover traffic from sports and Bollywood, and less from politics.
Similarly, if a news website publishes heavily on politics but only a limited number of food-related articles, then its food content will appear less frequently on Discover. Instead, dedicated food publishers and recipe bloggers, who focus primarily on food-related content, will gain more visibility and traffic in the Discover feed.
This shift can be very positive—but only if those food publishers and bloggers properly optimize their content for Google Discover. Appearing on Discover requires meeting certain technical and content-related conditions.
For example, website speed is critical. Your website should ideally load within 2–3 seconds. If achieving this is difficult, you should consider using AMP for articles you want to appear in Google Discover.
Additionally, every article must have a high-quality featured image that encourages users to click. The featured image should be at least 1200 pixels wide, must be clear and sharp, and should not be blurred.
The article’s content structure should be clean, readable, and engaging so users actually enjoy reading it. And most importantly, you must publish consistently within your area of expertise. Posting just four articles a month is unlikely to earn you sustained visibility on Google Discover.
Consistency, expertise, freshness, and quality are now the key drivers for Discover success.
You may need to publish up to 10 high-quality articles a day. The focus must be on quality, not just quantity. Increasing publishing frequency is essential—this is what we call content velocity.
If your thumbnail or featured image is strong (at least 1200 pixels wide), and you are using AMP, then your website can start receiving Google Discover traffic in the field where you truly have expertise. The key is to put in the right effort and stay consistent.
This update can be very beneficial for serious publishers. However, websites that were covering too many unrelated topics may feel some disappointment in Google Discover visibility.
That said, all of this is still based on educated assumptions. The update has just started rolling out, and it will take around two weeks to clearly understand how much Google Discover has actually changed.
After two weeks, I will share another video on this channel, where I’ll explain:
Which industries saw a positive impact
Which ones faced a negative impact
And where the update had no noticeable effect at all
So, we’ll review this update once again after two weeks. Until then—keep learning, keep practicing, and keep attending all the classes.
Q1. What is the Google Discover Core Update February 2026?
The Google Discover Core Update February 2026 is a major algorithm update aimed specifically at improving the quality of content shown in the Discover feed. It focuses on reducing spam, clickbait, misleading content, and promoting expert-led, timely, and locally relevant content.
Q2. When did Google roll out the February 2026 Discover Core Update?
Google began rolling out the Discover Core Update on February 5, 2026. The rollout is expected to take 1–2 weeks to fully complete across regions.
Q3. Who will be most affected by this update?
Publishers heavily dependent on Google Discover traffic—especially news websites, blogs, and content portals—are most likely to see changes. Sites using clickbait headlines, misleading redirects, or low-quality content may see traffic drops.
Q4. Is this update different from a regular Google Core Update?
Yes. While regular core updates impact search rankings broadly, this update is Discover-focused, targeting how content is selected and ranked inside the Google Discover feed.
Q5. What type of content will benefit from this update?
Content that is:
Published by subject-matter experts
Timely and fresh
From trusted and authoritative websites
Relevant to local audiences
Well-structured with clear headlines and high-quality images
is more likely to gain visibility.
Q6. Will clickbait and sensational headlines be affected?
Yes. Google has clearly indicated that sensational, misleading, and clickbait-style content will be reduced or removed from Discover visibility.
Q7. How does this update handle fake news and misleading redirects?
The update aims to curb fraudulent behaviors such as:
Redirecting users to different pages after clicking
Showing misleading headlines
Using AI-generated fake images or unverified claims
Such practices may now lead to Discover suppression.
Q8. Does Google Discover now favor local publishers more?
Yes. One of the key goals of this update is to prioritize local and regional publishers, ensuring users see content from sources relevant to their geography and language.
Q9. Will multi-category websites lose Discover traffic?
Possibly. Websites covering too many unrelated topics may see Discover traffic consolidate around categories where they show clear expertise, while weaker categories may receive less exposure.
Q10. Does publishing frequency matter for Google Discover?
Yes. High-quality content velocity matters. Publishing consistently—especially fresh and relevant content—improves chances of appearing in Discover.
Q11. Is website speed important for Discover rankings?
Absolutely. Google recommends:
Fast loading times (under 2–3 seconds)
Mobile-friendly design
AMP usage (optional but helpful)
Slow websites may struggle to appear in Discover.
Q12. What are the image requirements for Google Discover?
Featured images should be:
At least 1200 pixels wide
High resolution and clear
Not blurred or misleading
Properly optimized
Images play a major role in click-through rates.
Q13. Does Google Discover support AI-generated content?
AI-generated content is not banned, but it must be useful, accurate, original, and trustworthy. Low-quality or misleading AI content may be demoted.
Q14. Can Discover traffic drop temporarily during the rollout?
Yes. Traffic fluctuations are common during rollouts. Publishers are advised to wait 1–2 weeks before drawing conclusions.
Q15. How can publishers recover lost Discover traffic?
Focus on:
Removing clickbait
Improving content quality
Strengthening topical authority
Publishing expert-led articles
Enhancing page speed and UX
Recovery may take time.
Q16. Is Google Search Console affected by this update?
Discover performance reports in Search Console may show sudden spikes or drops during the rollout, reflecting the update’s impact.
Q17. Does AMP guarantee Discover inclusion?
No, AMP does not guarantee inclusion, but it improves performance and loading speed, which helps overall Discover eligibility.
Q18. Should publishers change old content after this update?
Yes. Updating or removing outdated, misleading, or low-quality content can help improve overall site trust.
Q19. Will this update impact international websites?
Yes. Google aims to balance international visibility while prioritizing regionally relevant sources for users.
Q20. When will the full impact of the February 2026 Discover update be clear?
The complete impact should be visible by mid-to-late February 2026, once the rollout stabilizes and data normalizes.
