The end of clickbait? Inside the February 2026 Discover Core update

While Google Discover has at times favoured clickbaity, impulse-driven headlines, this update feels like a substantial shift.

Having discussed with colleagues, we conclude that we most often bump into Discover when swiping on our home screens. We suspect many people are in the same boat. Users aren’t typically big fans of Google Discover; more often, they’re drawn in by sensational, immediate-sounding stories.

So, as this Google update places more emphasis on originality, expertise and local relevance while reducing the visibility of thin or click-driven content, we can expect fewer comparison pages,  templated betting content and thin match preview-type content in the feed.

A significant shift 

Since its release in 2018, Google Discover’s user base has been growing over time. It is fairly easy to see why: with the feature baked into Android phones, users only have to swipe left to see their personalised news feeds. 

In Google’s own words, the February update aimed to improve the Discover experience by “showing users more locally relevant content from websites based in their country”, “reducing sensational content and clickbait” and “showing more in-depth, original, timely content from websites with expertise”.

Looking at my own US feed, it’s easy to see that Discover is heavily based on users’ YouTube search and viewing history. For example, I’m noticing Fender Guitar’s posts on X since I watched a lot of guitar content on YouTube – this only places further emphasis on the importance of SEO working closely with social media channels.

When looking into Google SERPs, the focus on YouTube within Discover remains important. Despite what has been said about this update being specific to Discover, we can identify a few movements in conventional search with implications for betting brands. 

Looking at the US SERPs in early March 2026, immediately after the February Discover Core Update, we observe that almost every site that ranked for the keyword “best online casino” at the start of February has been replaced, except for legalsportsreport.com, according to Ahref’s SERP overview comparison. 

With legalsportsreport.com continuing to hold steady in the number one position, that’s good news for affiliates. We can assume this update certainly wasn’t one targeting affiliate publications negatively, although some dropped in rankings due to Google favouring stronger sites overall.

Expanding on my point above, it is clear that Google has placed an even bigger emphasis on domain “strength” and “trustworthiness” over niche relevance – at the moment, arguably – in its algorithm through this update, with the likes of Trustpilot shooting up to position number three. 

This gives a bit more context to the Discover update. The direction now seems to be that Google is no longer chasing clicks at any cost, but focusing on improving the quality of SERP and Discover by filtering out spammy and “thin” content.

The multichannel advantage 

Of course, these are all regular criticisms we hear in the iGaming industry. Those who have been producing deep, trustworthy, substantive and purposeful content should see some rewards. 

As a content-driven SEO agency, we’ve always been banging the drum about the value and staying power of expert content. In today’s AI-driven “landfill”, however, content is often undifferentiated and cheap, and this message doesn’t always land. 

With this update and other movements we’ve seen recently, operators and affiliates investing in strong editorial – match analysis, tournament previews, data-driven insights and genuinely useful betting explainers – may find themselves surfacing in Discover feeds more often, particularly around major sporting events. 

This isn’t to say AI isn’t a powerful assistant, but rather that content should exist with purpose. With this update, brands may be better placed to ride the wave of Discover visibility more consistently.

Given the nature of the format, Discover traffic can surge and fade quickly, but consistent optimisation over time, particularly for information-rich affiliate sites, could see Discover take on new value.

This wider trend is also encouraging for those investing in video content and building a digital footprint beyond written content. As of March 2026, YouTube holds two ranking positions on the first page for the same keyword, “best online casino”.

Overall, affiliates can read this in two ways. On one hand, if YouTube continues to rank strongly in the SERPs, it presents a clear opportunity for iGaming affiliates to pivot and target keywords through video titles, even more so than they do now.

With stronger chances of ranking directly in Google Search, brands may start to reassess their multichannel strategies, which could contribute to Discover visibility as it shifts towards more engaging, naturally interactive content as opposed to spammy clickbait. 

Looking at the broader Google Search landscape, the only page that lost its position since February is Reddit for the keyword “best online casino”. While this appears counterintuitive at first glance, digging deeper, you will see that the Reddit post has been removed by moderators. So, this has nothing to do with Google removing the social platform from SERPs.

A clear trend

This wider context is key, and what we’re seeing in Google Discover may be another clear indication of the type of content and brands Google is looking to reward more broadly.

Looking at another keyword, “best online slots”, only reinforces these observations, with Google ranking both a Google App page and a Reddit post within the top 10 URLs.

Notably, there are no clear anomalies of newer sites breaking through with strong on-page signals alone either, which again suggests that Google is placing further emphasis on domain strength and authority within its algorithm.

That said, it’s still only March as we speak, so we’re very much in the early days following this latest update.

We would usually recommend leaving the dust to settle for a month or two, allowing any potential rollbacks or further movements, as rankings may still change even after Google officially confirms the update is finished. It is important to refrain from taking any knee-jerk reactions to updates until enough time has passed.

But in this case, the broader trend already feels clear. Affiliates should: 

• Commit to compelling, non-clickbait headlines
• Use attention-grabbing, high-quality images, given Discover’s mobile-first nature and content immediacy
• Produce timely, topical content that offers a snippet of expertise to justify a click

From now on, we are expecting to see brands that effectively engage Discover users – in the few seconds they have to make an impression – will have a greater chance to be surfaced again over time. 

Engagement signals remain key, but at this stage, there doesn’t appear to be anything substantially different in terms of domain metrics. If anything, based on what we are seeing now in US and European iGaming SERPs, it is likely that Google will continue to increase the levers on domain strength and trustworthiness across all geos.