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For the past few weeks, the search engine optimization world has been in turmoil. Google has rolled out several major updates, both technical and structural. Some companies are seeing their traffic drop, sometimes sharply. Others are struggling to understand what has changed. And yet, behind all this commotion, a deep and healthy transformation is taking shape in the way we create content for the web.
What is happening: AI, volatility and a massive cleanup
In May and June 2025, Google set two simultaneous movements in motion: the global rollout of "AI Mode," with its famous AI-generated answers in search results (called AI Overviews), and a series of algorithm updates targeting content quality. The result was immediate: SEO rankings shift every day, some sites lose 30 to 40% of their traffic, and others disappear from the results pages altogether.
But the most striking thing is the impression of a "massive cleanup" of the index. Gone are the sites stuffed with keywords, the comparison sites with no value, or the content created solely to manipulate Google. The algorithm refocuses everything on real value for the user: relevance, clarity, the reading experience.
Why some companies are losing a lot (and it makes sense)
It is mostly the sites that lived off "easy volume" that are taking the hit. All those that piled up pages with no substance, automatically generated content, or articles designed only to please bots. Google is cleaning house, and it is often these artificial growth strategies that pay the price.
In sectors such as travel, media, e-commerce or education, this loss can be brutal. Some companies still depend enormously on organic traffic to generate sales or leads. When clicks drop, so does revenue. But this change is not a bug. It is a return to the essentials.
Google is pushing for healthier SEO
What Google is trying to do is not to kill SEO. It is to make it evolve. The new algorithm finally rewards what many professionals have been advocating for years: useful, well-structured content, written for humans, not for crawlers.
It is also a strong incentive to improve the user experience: clear navigation, a fast and mobile-friendly site, up-to-date information... And for companies, it means rethinking their online presence not as a catalog, but as a space of trust. A place where users' questions actually get answered.
Fewer clicks, but more qualified traffic
The arrival of AI answers in the results can give the impression that Google is "stealing" our traffic. In reality, it is simply redirecting superficial queries to its own answers. But for complex, specific or high-intent queries, clicks remain essential and are often better qualified.
What sites lose in volume, they can gain in quality. By creating expert, well-targeted content with real added value, they attract a more engaged audience that is more ready to take action.
Key takeaways
- Google is not destroying SEO. It is making it more demanding, but also fairer.
- Strategies based on volume, duplication or manipulation are obsolete.
- The companies that invest in the quality, clarity and usefulness of their content will come out on top.
At Fragments Studio, we see this transition as a real opportunity. It is time to refocus on the essentials: creating useful, solid, well-thought-out content. It is also the right time to rethink your SEO strategy from the ground up, audit what still works, and plan for what Google will really expect tomorrow.
Want to look together at how to reposition your site in the face of these changes? Discover our Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) approach to complement your SEO strategy and appear in AI answers. We're here to talk it through.
