Google launched a December 2024 core update, marking the latest in a series of notable algorithm updates for 2024.
Announced via a post on X, Google Search Central stated: “The Dec. 2024 core update is rolling out, and we expect it will complete in two weeks.”
This latest update comes just a week after the November 2024 core update concluded. The update reflects Google’s commitment to improving its “multiple ranking systems” to deliver better search results.
A blog post by Google linked in the announcement, titled “A Q&A on Google Search updates,” explains the company’s update cadence, emphasising the necessity of frequent algorithm improvements.
While Google generally tries to space out such major updates, the close timing of the November and December updates highlights the challenges of managing multiple ongoing changes. Google acknowledged: “It’s not always possible” to avoid such overlaps.
Update to the Update!
Google’s November and December Obsession
There was a time when Google claimed to do their best to avoid major updates around the holidays. Granted, the last time this was publicly addressed was by Matt Cutts back in 2013, so perhaps it’s unfair to hold them to something said over a decade ago! However, from 2020 to 2023, Google announced major algorithm updates in November, December, or both. If you need further proof that Google doesn’t prioritise holiday periods or the potential impact widespread changes have on businesses during these key times, look no further than the end of 2024.
According to Google, algorithm updates were running for 36 out of the 61 days in November and December. To add insult to injury, the spam update concluded on 26th December, literally overlapping Christmas. This is reminiscent of 2022 when a link spam update ran from 14th December to 12th January. Should we be grateful they at least gave us New Year’s Day off this time?
A Flurry of Updates
Holiday timing aside, Google has also released a series of algorithm updates in quick succession: one core algorithm update in November and another core algorithm update along with a spam update in December. This makes it exceptionally difficult for webmasters experiencing changes in traffic—whether an increase or a decline—to identify which update might have affected them, or whether the cause lies elsewhere entirely.
Google’s Incident Report for Rankings
What Are People Saying?
The initial sentiment around December’s core algorithm update suggests it may have rolled back some of the positive impacts seen on sites slightly recovering from HCU (Helpful Content Update) or other earlier updates:
The changes appear widespread, as reflected in volatility detected by various tracking tools:
While many commented on the speed of this particular update, which lasted only six days, hopes for stability over the holiday period were dashed as Google promptly rolled out another update.
The Spam Update
The spam update, by all accounts, hit hard and fast:
There’s been widespread chatter about websites being deindexed and rankings being slashed:
Historically, spam updates have often been criticised as lacking impact, with some claiming that clear and obvious spam sites still escaped penalisation. However, it seems this particular update packed a punch. Predictions that spam updates would eventually grow in severity appear to have come true, making future updates worth watching closely.
Have I Been Impacted? What Can I Do?
As with most updates, Google points back to their existing guidelines for those experiencing ranking or traffic changes:
If your site has been hit by the spam update, the next steps are more straightforward: address any practices on your site that may breach these guidelines. However, there’s no guarantee that changes will reverse any negative impacts.
For core updates, the advice remains the same: focus on improving your website in line with Google’s guidelines and best practices. Whether you’ve been affected or not, we believe enhancing your website is always a worthwhile endeavor!