Google initiated the December 2025 Core Update on December 11, 2025. The update is currently rolling out globally and is the third and final core update of the year. This broad change to Google’s search ranking systems is not targeted at any specific issue and is expected to take several weeks to complete.
The primary goal of the update is to improve the overall quality and relevance of search results. Website owners and SEO professionals are closely monitoring the rollout, which causes shifts in organic traffic and website rankings. Reports already indicate significant volatility across search engine results pages, with sites observing both gains and losses in visibility.
Google has not provided specific details regarding the affected ranking factors. The company advises website owners to focus on creating high-quality, user-centric content. Long-term effects will stabilize and become clearer once the rollout completes. Analysts note no widespread discussion of a direct impact on Alphabet’s stock price resulting from this routine update.