Google Completes Rollout of December 2024 Core Update

The December 2024 core update, the fourth and likely final update of the year, has now been fully rolled out. The rollout began on December 12, 2024, and was completed around six days later, on December 18, 2024. As with previous core updates, this update aimed to enhance the relevance and helpfulness of search results by refining Google’s core ranking systems.

What made this update somewhat unusual was the short gap between it and the November 2024 core update, which had only just finished rolling out about a week before.

In a statement, Google explained the situation: “The Dec. 2024 core update is rolling out, and we expect it will complete in two weeks. 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.”

As for the impact of the update, the changes were noticeable quite quickly. Within just a few days of its launch, significant volatility was observed, with third-party tracking tools showing notable spikes. This indicates that the update had a substantial effect on search rankings.

In previous communications, Google had informed us weeks in advance that an update was on the horizon. However, for websites that were negatively impacted by the September 2023 helpful content update, Google clarified that they should not expect significant recoveries from this core update. It remains too early to determine the full extent of the impact this November core update will have.

If your website has been negatively impacted by a core update, Google has offered some advice based on past updates. While the company hasn’t provided new guidance specific to this update, it reiterates the following recommendations:

There are no specific actions to take for recovery, as a drop in rankings may not necessarily mean there’s something wrong with your pages. Google has provided a list of questions to consider if your site is affected by a core update. It’s also possible to see some recovery between core updates, but the most significant changes typically occur after another core update.

In essence, Google advises that the key focus should be on creating helpful content for users rather than optimising purely to rank in search engines. Google emphasised, “There’s nothing new or special that creators need to do for this update as long as they’ve been making satisfying content meant for people. For those that might not be ranking as well, we strongly encourage reading our creating helpful, reliable, people-first content help page.”

For more details on core updates and how they work, you can refer to Google’s official documentation.

Previous Core Updates

The first core update of 2024, the March 2024 core update, was notably the largest ever, according to Google. It started on March 5 and took 45 days to complete, finishing on April 19. The second core update, the August 2024 update, began on August 15 and concluded 19 days later on September 3.

Here’s a timeline and our coverage of recent core updates:

• The December 2024 core update started on December 12 and ended on December 18.
• The August 2024 core update ran from August 15 to September 3.
• The March 2024 core update spanned from March 5 to April 19.
• The November 2023 core update ran from November 2 to November 28.
• The October 2023 core update was from October 5 to October 19.
• The August 2023 core update took place between August 22 and September 7.
• The March 2023 core update started on March 15 and ended on March 28.

Why It Matters

With the December 2024 core update now completed, it’s the perfect time to assess how your site, or your clients’ sites, were impacted. You can review Google’s guidance and apply your SEO expertise to continue improving both your site and its rankings.

Google typically releases core updates every few months, meaning that it’s crucial to keep working on enhancing your site and its content. However, there are speculations that Google may increase the frequency of these updates in the future.

Future updates could benefit your site’s ranking and traffic from Google, so it’s important to keep making improvements. This effort should focus not just on optimising for Google Search, but also on providing a better experience for your website users.