Google Drops Surprise December 2024 Core Update

What We Know So Far

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What do we know right now? Core updates aim to improve rankings and search results overall, so it’s likely we’ll see more volatility and fluctuation in the SERPs over the next couple of weeks. However, we don’t know specifics at this time, so I recommend avoiding any drastic changes to your site for the time being and continue to work on producing helpful and valuable content.

Google added to the announcement on X:

“If you’re wondering why there’s a core update this month after one last month, we have different core systems we’re always improving.”

The December 2024 core update has shocked the community as the year winds down, coming so soon after the last core update which only just finished rolling out. SEO consultant Glenn Gabe commented on X:

“Whoa, wasn’t expecting this. Yet another core update is rolling out. Sounds like additional core systems are being updated. Stay tuned. Just thinking out loud, but maybe Google was able to implement changes quicker than they thought based on the creator meetup they had with independent publishers… Will be interesting to see if those sites seeing additional movement with the December core update. Some def. surged with the November core update (although most were still down big-time compared to fall of 2023). Stay tuned.”

Aleyda Solis also issued a warning on X:

“Were you still analyzing the November Core Update?! Stop. Now. There December Core Update has just started rolling out. Coincidentally, at the Search Central Live Event at Zurich held today Google said there will be updates more often next year 👀”

In the spirit of the season, we can only hope the December core update blesses worthy websites with visibility in the SERPs. But, we’ll have to wait and see… and will we see more frequent core updates in 2025?