In the ever-evolving world of SEO, Google has once again made a bold move—this time without much fanfare. Starting in early June 2025, website owners and SEOs across the globe began noticing a disturbing trend: entire sections of their websites were vanishing from Google’s index. For some, this meant a sudden drop in organic traffic. For others, ironically, it brought a surge in rankings.
What’s really happening? In a sweeping, unannounced update, Google has silently purged millions of pages from its index—pages it now deems unworthy. While some site owners were blindsided by the change, the warning signs had been there for years.
Let’s break down what happened, why it matters, and how you can protect (or even boost) your website’s performance in this new SEO landscape.
The Great Google Purge: What Really Happened?
Since early June, the SEO community has reported drastic declines in indexed pages. This wasn’t a subtle shift—it was seismic. Some websites saw 50–70% of their indexed content removed almost overnight. One French marketer lost thousands of URLs in a single sweep. Another reported 127 pages suddenly flagged as “Crawled – currently not indexed.”
The nature of the drop wasn’t random. In fact, many sites that lost a large volume of pages actually saw increased traffic. That’s right—fewer pages, but better results. This was no penalty; it was a clean-up.
So, what exactly did Google remove?
What Got Deindexed: The Common Threads
The update appears to be part of a larger push to enforce topical authority and content quality. Here are the primary types of pages Google removed:
1. Outdated Content
Pages that hadn’t been updated in two or more years were a top target. Evergreen content still holds value—but only if it’s genuinely timeless or refreshed regularly.
2. Keyword-Stuffed Pages
Google’s tolerance for over-optimized content is shrinking, especially in the opening paragraphs where SEO stuffing is most common. Pages that looked like they were written more for bots than humans didn’t make the cut.
3. Orphaned Pages
If a page had zero internal links pointing to it, Google took that as a sign it wasn’t important—possibly not even relevant.
4. Thin or Duplicate Content
Pages that offered little original value or were just variations of other posts were eliminated.
5. Low-Quality AI Content
AI content isn’t automatically penalized, but obviously AI-generated, low-effort articles—especially those lacking structure or originality—were removed en masse.
6. Off-Topic Content
Google reinforced its focus on topical authority. If your site strays too far from its core niche, expect less tolerance going forward.
Why Did Google Do This?
Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it useful. In recent years, content on the web has exploded—much of it mediocre. With the rise of AI tools, thousands of low-effort, high-volume sites popped up, trying to game the system.
This update was Google cleaning house—prioritizing:
- Freshness
- Relevance
- Internal structure
- Topical focus
In short, Google is rewarding quality over quantity and depth over breadth.
This update underscores something SEOs have long suspected: Google wants niche experts, not generalists.
A blog that covers everything from cooking tips to car repair and crypto trends is no longer trusted as a source. Google wants to see consistent topical coverage and interconnected content that reflects real expertise.
So if you’re running a site about health, stick to it. If your focus is tech, don’t chase travel trends just for the clicks.
Being the best source in one specific field is now more important than ever.
What You Should Do Next: A New SEO Game Plan
If you were affected—or want to future-proof your site—here’s your action plan:
✅ 1. Audit Your Content
Use tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or Ahrefs to review your existing pages. Look for:
- Pages with no traffic in the last 6–12 months
- Thin posts under 500 words
- Duplicate content
- Orphaned pages
Decide whether to update, merge, or delete each.
✅ 2. Focus Your Topic Strategy
Stay in your lane. Create a clear content cluster that reinforces your site’s niche and authority.
For example, if you run a directory site about local businesses, stick to local SEO, marketing tips, and small business guides—not global politics or cryptocurrency.
✅ 3. Update Older Content
Don’t let your older posts collect dust. Refresh them with:
- Current statistics
- New internal links
- Updated titles and meta descriptions
- Enhanced visuals or infographics
Mark them with a recent update date to signal freshness.
✅ 4. Strengthen Internal Linking
Internal links are not just for UX—they’re a clear sign of importance. Make sure every high-value page has links pointing to it from relevant, related content.
Use descriptive anchor text and build natural connections across your site.
✅ 5. Trim the Fat
Stop creating content just to meet publishing quotas. Avoid writing for algorithms and instead write with purpose and depth. Every piece should:
- Serve a user intent
- Answer a real question
- Offer unique value
Remember: one excellent guide > five average listicles.
How to Check If You Got Hit
Head over to Google Search Console and do the following:
- Navigate to Indexing > Pages
- Filter by “Not Indexed”
- Look for patterns, especially spikes since early June
If important pages were dropped:
- Update them with fresh, value-driven content
- Improve on-page SEO and link structures
- Submit them again via URL Inspection Tool
Pro Tips for the Post-Purge SEO Era
- Monitor crawl stats: A sudden drop might mean Google is ignoring large parts of your site.
- Use schema markup: Structured data helps Google understand your content and entity relationships.
- Write for humans first: Avoid robotic tone, keyword repetition, or generic intros.
- Boost E-E-A-T signals: Highlight your credentials, use author bios, add external citations, and build backlinks from relevant sources.
Final Thoughts: Google Is Not the Enemy
This isn’t an attack on creators—it’s a move toward a better web.
Sites that provide genuine value, stay relevant to their niche, and maintain high editorial standards are being rewarded. Those riding the long tail with shallow or outdated content are being phased out.
It’s time to clean up, level up, and niche down. Google has made its expectations clear—now it’s your turn to act.
TL;DR:
Google quietly removed millions of pages that were outdated, low-quality, or off-topic. If you want to thrive now, focus on topical authority, refresh your content, and build a solid internal structure. Quality beats quantity—always.