Google Core Update November 2026: A Heads-Up From Digital Five
The short answer
Google began rolling out its November 2026 core update on 10 November, as logged on the Google Search Status Dashboard. Google says it may take up to two weeks to complete.
If you notice your rankings or enquiries move over the next fortnight, this is the most likely reason. Here is what you need to know, and what we are doing about it.
What Is A Core Update?
A core update is a broad change to how Google assesses and ranks websites. It does not target a particular site or tactic. Google re-weighs which pages best answer what people are searching for, so some pages move up and others move down.
Core updates are a normal part of search. This is the eighth ranking update on Google’s dashboard so far this year, according to Search Engine Journal.
What To Expect
Rankings can fluctuate while an update is rolling out, and early movement does not always last. You may see changes in your positions, traffic or enquiries over the next two weeks. This can happen to websites of every size and in every industry.
The rollout also overlaps with the run-up to Black Friday, so any movement may be more noticeable if your business is seasonal.
What We Are Doing
- Monitoring Your Performance: We are tracking rankings, clicks and impressions across our client sites throughout the rollout, using data from Google Search Console.
- Holding Off On Knee-Jerk Changes: Reacting to the first few days of data usually causes more harm than good. We will wait until the update has finished before drawing conclusions.
- Reviewing The Impact Properly: Once Google confirms the rollout is complete, we will compare performance before and after, page by page, and recommend action based on what the data shows. This is part of how our SEO services work.
What You Can Do
Nothing needs to change on your side. Please avoid making major edits to your website or pages while the update is rolling out, as this makes it harder to understand what has caused any movement.
Strong foundations help during any update. If you want to know more, read our guides on what technical SEO is and why it matters and why website speed affects both SEO and sales. If you are wondering when changes to your pages will show in Google, see how long Google takes to find and index them.
Questions?
If you have concerns about your website’s performance, get in touch with the team or call 0345 0178 179. We will keep you informed once the update has finished and we have reviewed the results.
