Google December 2025 Core Update
The Google December 2025 Core Update was officially launched on December 11, 2025, marking Google’s third broad core update of the year, following the March and June 2025 core updates, along with an August spam update. As a standard core update, it represents a broad adjustment to Google’s ranking systems rather than a targeted change aimed at specific websites or industries.
The rollout began around 12:25 p.m. ET (9:25 a.m. PT) and is expected to take up to three weeks to complete. The update is global in nature, affecting all languages and regions, and applies not only to traditional search results but also to Google Discover, featured snippets, and other search features.
Like previous core updates, significant ranking volatility has been observed across many sectors. SEO tools and industry watchers reported fluctuations even before Google’s official confirmation, a pattern seen in earlier updates such as June 2025, which lasted about 16 days, and March 2025, which completed in roughly 14 days.
Because this update coincides with the holiday shopping season, its effects may appear more dramatic—especially for e-commerce, news, and content-heavy websites. Seasonal demand combined with algorithmic reassessment can intensify traffic gains or losses during this period.
Importantly, the December 2025 Core Update is not a penalty. Ranking changes reflect Google’s reassessment of content quality, relevance, and usefulness relative to competing pages. Google continues to emphasize people-first content and E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Site owners are advised to monitor performance through Google Search Console and SEO tools, avoid panic-driven changes, and focus on long-term content quality improvements as the rollout completes.
