Google’s Pre-Christmas Core Update
- Gemma Walker
- Dec 16
- 3 min read
Or… “How Google Ruins Everyone’s December (Again)”
Ah yes. It’s December. The fairy lights are up. The inboxes are slowing down. Marketers are whispering “we’ll pick this up in January”…
…and Google drops its annual Core Update like an unwrapped brick through the festive shop window.
Cue panic.
Cue Slack messages.
Cue small business owners refreshing Google Analytics like it’s the stock market in 2008.
Welcome to Google’s pre-Christmas Core Update, a yearly tradition nobody asked for, but everyone must endure.
What Is a Google Core Update (and why does it always feel personal)?
A Core Update is Google adjusting how its algorithm evaluates all websites — not penalising you, not targeting you specifically, but re-ranking content based on quality, relevance and usefulness.
In Google’s words (very calmly, from a distance):
“Core updates are designed to ensure that overall, we’re delivering on our mission to present helpful and reliable content.”👉 https://developers.google.com/search/updates/core-updates
In marketer terms:
“Everything you thought you understood… let’s reshuffle that.”
Why December? WHY?!
Because Google doesn’t celebrate Christmas. Google celebrates data.
December is when:
Search behaviour changes
Seasonal content peaks
Shopping intent is at its highest
And weaknesses in content quality become very obvious
So while you’re thinking “we’ll fix that blog in the New Year”, Google is thinking: “Cool, we’ll just re-rank you now.”
The Drama It Brings (Every. Single. Year.)
Let’s be honest, core updates don’t just affect “bad” websites.
They affect:
Businesses who thought they had SEO nailed
Brands who wrote blogs “for keywords” not humans
Sites that haven’t updated content since 2021
Companies relying on AI content with no expertise behind it
And yes… marketers who were quite confident last month
Suddenly:
Traffic dips
Rankings wobble
Panic emails arrive
And someone says: “But we’ve always ranked for that?” (Yes. Until now.)
What Google Is Actually Re-Evaluating
Behind the festive chaos, Google is typically reassessing things like:
Content Quality
Is it genuinely helpful?
Is it original?
Does it answer real user questions?
EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust)
Who wrote this?
Why should Google trust them?
Is there evidence of real-world experience?
Search Intent
Does your page actually match what users want?
Or does it just kind of mention the keyword?
Site Health & UX
Speed
Mobile usability
Clear structure
Easy navigation
This is why quick fixes don’t work and why rankings often settle weeks after the update finishes.
“But We Thought We Knew What We Were Doing…”
Honestly? Same.
SEO humbles everyone eventually.
The businesses that win long-term aren’t the ones who never get hit — they’re the ones who:
Don’t panic
Don’t knee-jerk delete content
Don’t chase every SEO rumour on LinkedIn
And instead… adapt properly
Because Google isn’t out to get you, it’s just constantly raising the bar.
So… What Should You Do Now?
If your traffic dipped:
Don’t touch anything for a couple of weeks
Look for patterns, not panic points
Review content quality, not just rankings
If your traffic held steady or improved:
Congratulations 🎉
That’s your sign to double down on what’s working
Either way — 2026 SEO won’t look like 2024 SEO.
AI search, zero-click results, authority signals, and genuinely useful content are no longer “nice to have”. They’re essential.
Ready to Stop Guessing in 2026?
If this year taught us anything, it’s this:
SEO isn’t about knowing it all. It’s about keeping up. And having a strategy that survives Google’s mood swings.
If you want 2026 to feel less chaotic and more controlled, we’re already mapping:
Smarter content strategies
SEO that works with AI search, not against it
Clear roadmaps (no jargon, no panic, no fairy dust ✨)
Let’s make next December boring (in the best way possible). Get on board with us for 2026 before Google decides to “help” again.
Visit www.buildabrand.org.uk to see what we can offer and to get in touch.