Google’s December 2024 Core Update: Here’s What It’s Striving For

“But Can’t You Just Fix It?” And Other Misguided Beliefs About Google Updates

If you’re feeling at a loss or struggling to reassure your boss about how this update has impacted your website—or how you’re planning to “fix it”—you’re not alone. Let’s walk through some common gut reactions and what you need to know to stay calm over the next few weeks.

It’s important to remember: a core update is not an attack on your website or a judgment of your individual actions.

The December 2024 Core Update is a classic “broad core update”—a global change that isn’t specific to any region, language, or type of site. The goal is to improve how Google evaluates content and determines which pages best answer searchers’ queries. As a result, some pages some pages may be rewarded with higher visibility, while others experience drops.

Google uses the following metaphor for its core updates:

“One way to think about a core update is to imagine that a friend asked you for your top food recommendations. While you do have a list of your 20 favourite restaurants, things have changed since you initially wrote it in 2019. Some new restaurants that didn’t exist before are now candidates for your list. You might reassess some restaurants and realise they move to a higher spot on the list, given how many consistently positive experiences you had there, or to account for your friend’s preference for dog-friendly restaurants. The list will change, and restaurants that move down aren’t necessarily “bad”; there are just other restaurants that make your top 20.”

“What Have I Done Wrong?”

When it comes to core updates, wasting time searching for a major technical issue is a common mistake.If you’re seeing a decline in organic traffic, it’s likely not because your website has serious SEO problems but simply because Google has found better results for those search queries.

Google has a history of rolling out broad core updates that are better at understanding factors like user intent, what web pages are about, and how relevant those pages are to search queries. For instance, if Google determines that searchers are looking for ideas and in-depth information on a topic, sites that only provide transactional pages with little information may be negatively impacted.

“Quick! How Do I Fix It Before It Gets Worse?”

Take a breath and avoid making impulsive changes. Core updates roll out over two weeks, and fluctuations are normal. It’s common for algorithm tracking tools to show wild shifts initially, but rankings usually settle after the rollout completes.

If you notice significant ranking or traffic changes, wait until the update is fully deployed (approx Christmas Day) before making any major decisions—unless you’re aware of a violation of Google’s guidelines that needs urgent attention. Stay vigilant, monitor your metrics, and be ready to make informed adjustments.

“Why Is That Site Outranking Me?”

Observing your competitors can be insightful. Watch for websites that gain rankings and analyse what they’re doing well. Look for patterns in content quality, comprehensiveness, and how they meet user intent. Core updates are often about elevating high-quality content, so understanding these shifts can guide your strategy.

“Well, What Should I Be Doing?”

Google doesn’t reveal the specifics of every update but consistently advises content creators to focus on quality. Here’s how you can stay ahead:

Prioritise creating content that demonstrates E-E-A-T—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—making your site a credible resource in your industry and aligning content with user search intent.

Use this as an opportunity to review your entire website and consider improvements that better address search intent.

Track performance metrics in Google Search Console to see how your site is impacted and pinpoint content that may need improvement.

Make your pages comprehensive by adding original research, detailed analysis, or unique insights to cover topics thoroughly.

Ensure your content is authoritative, genuinely helpful to users, and formatted well for both readers and search engines.

Fix any existing SEO mistakes.

Provide original information, reporting, research, or analysis, coupled with a full exploration of the topic at hand.

Strive to make your content the best answer on the internet for a user’s specific query.

If you’re using AI, review and fact-check everything to ensure it delivers real value rather than just padding your site.

“When Will This Happen Again?”

Google continually refines its algorithms to deliver better search results, with one or more changes occurring daily. Most are minor, but core updates like this one happen a few times a year. The last major update was last month, and before that were in August 2024 and March 2024.

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