Google completed the rollout of its December 2025 Core Update just before the end of the year. Now that the rollout is complete, publishers can see how search visibility has changed. They can also look for patterns as we head into 2026.
This update was wide-ranging and changed rankings in many industries. News publishers saw some of the biggest changes.
What Is a Google Core Update
A core update is a broad adjustment to Google’s ranking systems. It does not target specific sites or apply manual penalties. Instead, it recalibrates how Google evaluates relevance, usefulness, and quality across all content.
As a result, core updates typically produce:
- Ranking gains for some sites
- Ranking declines for others
- Little change for many publishers
Shifts can occur during the rollout period and may stabilize only after completion.
Timeline and Rollout Behavior of Google December Core Update
- Start: December 11, 2025
- Duration: Approximately 18–21 days
- Completion: Just before year-end
Publishers reported noticeable volatility at multiple points during the rollout, including mid-December and again closer to the holidays. Movement was observed across both standard organic results and surfaces like Google Discover.
What Is Happening at the Publisher Level
Post-rollout data indicate that this update produced more losses than gains among news publishers, particularly in the UK.
Based on SISTRIX visibility data (which tracks standard organic search results, not Top Stories), a small number of publishers saw clear visibility gains, including:
- MoneySavingExpert
- The Times, which appears to have benefited from continued recovery following its 2024 domain migration to .com
However, many established publishers experienced declines, including:
- The Guardian
- Sky News
- The Telegraph
While SISTRIX does not track Google News or Top Stories traffic, its visibility metrics tend to correlate with broader organic traffic trends. As a result, these shifts likely reflect real changes in search exposure rather than isolated ranking noise.
How This Update Fits into Broader Search Trends
This update continues a pattern seen throughout 2024 and 2025:
- Search visibility is concentrating on fewer pages and fewer sites
- Similar or interchangeable coverage is being ranked more selectively
- Distribution through Discover and other Google surfaces remains volatile
The update also followed Google’s Site Reputation Abuse enforcement earlier in 2025, meaning some publishers experienced layered visibility pressure over the course of the year.
What Publishers May Notice
Depending on site and content mix, publishers may see:
- Changes in rankings for evergreen and news content
- Reduced Discover visibility even where organic rankings remain stable
- Greater variability in traffic tied to specific pages rather than site-wide shifts
Not all changes indicate long-term loss; some sites may continue to see movement as rankings settle.
What Publishers Can Evaluate Now
With the rollout complete, this is a useful moment to:
- Review performance at the page and section level, not just site-wide
- Compare pre- and post-update visibility over multiple weeks
- Identify which types of content gained or lost exposure
Google has reiterated that there is no specific action required following a core update. Any recovery or improvement typically aligns with broader content and quality changes over time rather than short-term adjustments.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Google remains the largest traffic driver for most publishers, particularly for news. At the same time, competition for search visibility continues to increase as distribution becomes more selective.
The December 2025 Core Update reinforces that search performance in 2026 will likely depend on:
- Content differentiation
- Authority and trust signals
- Ongoing volatility across discovery surfaces
For publishers, the focus remains on understanding where visibility changed, how traffic is distributed across content, and how search fits into a broader audience strategy.
