Google claims it rolled out a Core Update in June and another full-blown one in July, yet across my 594 competitors, I see no major rank fluctuations.
Three sites started growing, but that was natural growth driven by publishing a lot of content. In other words, sites under penalties stayed there, or at best showed a 20–30% upward tick.
My point is: you might think your efforts didn’t yield results, but in reality, there hasn’t been a full Core Update across all niches and topics—the kind where some sites surge dramatically while others plummet, as usually happens.
I even checked other niches and countries—my doorway pages barely budged in early June, and even then, not by much.
For now, we wait for a real Core Update. What’s frustrating is the slow delayed feedback. You implement changes and wait six months just to see positive momentum. I consider that a downside of SEO, especially when your site is penalized.
P.S. Screenshot from seowork.io