Breaking Down the February 2026 Google Discover Core Update

SEO is used to volatility, but the February 2026 Discover Core Update is different. For the first time, Google has released a core update focused solely on Discover, not traditional search results.

Discover has historically leaned towards news, lifestyle and entertainment. But as Google increases focus on interest-based feeds and AI-powered search experiences, it’s becoming a much more important surface for thought leadership and demand creation.

In this post, we’ll review what’s actually changed and what brands should do next.

What is the February 2026 Google Discover Core Update?

Google began rolling out the February 2026 Discover core update in early February for English language users in the United States. The rollout is expected to take around two weeks, with other languages and countries to follow.

• This update only affects Google Discover, not traditional search results.
• It’s described as a broad core update to the systems that select content for Discover.
• Google is directing site owners back to its existing core update and Discover guidelines rather than publishing a new set of rules.

What is Google Discover?

Google Discover is a product many people use without always realising it. It is the curated feed of content Google recommends to you in the app and through the notifications that appear on your phone.

Unlike search, Discover works in a different way.

• Discover is interest‑based, not query‑based. It shows content based on a user’s interests, history and behaviour, not because they typed in a keyword.
• Google suggests Discover includes multiple formats such as articles, videos, creator content and social posts. In my experience, the feed is still very article-heavy currently. 
• Your Discover feed is heavily personalised. A user’s location, past engagement, and explicit preferences (sites they follow, topics they tap on) all influence what shows up.
• Quality and expertise still matter. Discover leans on many of the same concepts as Search:
  • E‑E‑A‑T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trust)
  • Helpful, original content vs thin aggregation
  • Good page experience and strong imagery

This means Discover is less about “ranking for a keyword” and more about building an ongoing presence around topics your audience cares about.

What Changed With the Discover Core Update?

Google’s announcement and early industry analysis indicate that the update focuses Discover on local relevance, depth, originality, and topical expertise, while reducing clickbait and low-value content.

1. Stronger Local and Regional Relevance

Discover is now more likely to:

• Show content from publishers in the user’s own country or region
• Reward stories grounded in local market context, regulation, events or examples

For global brands, that means a “one size fits all” article is less likely to perform equally well everywhere. Localising your content for various markets is therefore more important. 

2. Less Clickbait, More Editorial Integrity

Google has explicitly called out:

• Sensational, over‑promising headlines
• Misleading thumbnails and imagery
• “Curiosity gap” titles that withhold basic information

These behaviours are now risk factors for reduced Discover visibility. The update is not anti‑engaging headlines, it’s anti‑misleading ones.

3. Depth, Originality and Timeliness

The update puts more weight on:

• In-depth, original analysis rather than light summaries
• Timely coverage of developments in your space
• Content that clearly adds something new, such as data, perspective, frameworks, and examples

Thin rewrites of what everyone else has already said are increasingly unlikely to sustain Discover visibility.

4. Topic‑level Expertise, Not “Expert in Everything”

Perhaps the biggest conceptual shift:

• Expertise is now evaluated topic by topic, rather than at the domain level.
• A site with deep, consistent coverage of a single subject can outperform a bigger brand that only touches that topic once.

For B2B marketers, this is good news. Focused authority tends to beat broad but shallow coverage.

5. Experience, Images and UX in the Mix

Google has also reinforced that Discover visibility is influenced by:

• Page experience (intrusive ads, autoplay, layout shifts can hurt you)
• High‑quality, large images (Google recommends images 1200px wide or more for the larger card treatment)

This makes Discover not only an editorial challenge, but also a design and user experience challenge.

Impact on Content Strategies

Historically, many brands have treated Discover as “nice to have” bonus traffic. This update makes that mindset risky.

A few implications:

Thought Leadership Becomes More Important, Not Less

The update rewards:

• Original POV on industry trends
• Executive commentary on regulation, risk, innovation
• Deep dives into specific problems (e.g. security, data, AI governance)

High‑quality thought leadership is exactly the kind of content Discover is more likely to surface, especially when it’s grounded in a market or sector.

Product-only Content is Unlikely to Fly

Purely product‑centric posts (“New feature X launched”) rarely provide the depth or broader value that Discover now favours. To earn and keep visibility, connect your product story to:

• Category challenges and opportunities
• Benchmark data or proprietary insights
• Clear, problem-led narratives

Local and Sector Flavour Matter

If you’re a global B2B tech brand targeting multiple regions:

• A single global “AI in security” piece might be too generic.
• Region‑specific versions that reference local regulation, examples and partners are more likely to align with the update’s local relevance bias.

Future Proofing Your Discover Strategy

This update is unlikely to be the last Discover-only core change. As AI Overviews and conversational search continue to intercept informational queries, interest‑based feeds like Discover will carry more of the discovery workload.

To build resilience:

• Treat Discover as a strategic distribution channel, not a happy accident.
• Anchor your content programme in topics where you can genuinely lead, not everywhere you could theoretically show up.
• Measure success beyond raw sessions: engaged time, assisted conversions, pipeline influence.

The brands that win here will be those that sound like experts, behave like publishers, and think like product teams, continually iterating based on user behaviour and platform change.

If you’d like a second pair of eyes on your Discover performance or support building a content strategy that’s resilient to this and future updates, Clarity’s SEO team is here to help.

Image source: BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash