Google December 2025 Core Update
The Google December 2025 Core Update was officially launched on December 11, 2025, making it the third broad core update of the year, following the March and June updates, with an additional spam update released in August. This update is part of Google’s routine effort to improve how its systems evaluate and rank content, with the goal of surfacing more relevant, high-quality, and helpful results for users across all types of websites.
The rollout began around 12:25 p.m. ET (9:25 a.m. PT) and is expected to take up to three weeks to fully complete. It is a global update, affecting all languages and regions, and extends beyond traditional search results to include Google Discover, featured snippets, and other search features. As expected with core updates, SEO tools and webmaster communities have reported noticeable ranking volatility during the rollout period.
Importantly, the December 2025 Core Update is not a penalty-based update. Websites that experience ranking drops are not being punished; instead, Google is reassessing content in comparison to other pages that may better satisfy user intent. Google continues to emphasize people-first content and E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Site owners are advised to monitor performance via Google Search Console, avoid reactive changes during the rollout, and focus on long-term improvements in content quality and user value.
