Google announced it is rolling out a new core update, the December 2020 core update. This is the third core update of the 2020 year, following the January 2020 core update and the May 2020 core update.
Historically, Google has released a core algorithm update every few months. It has been about seven months since the May 2020 core update, which took place on May 4, 2020. This update took longer than previous ones to roll out.
The announcement. Here is Google’s tweet announcing it: “Later today, we are releasing a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. It is called the December 2020 Core Update.”
Roll out started at 1pm ET. Google has updated us that the December 2020 core update began rolling out at around 1pm ET, which is two and a half hours after Google said it would start.
Google said, “The December 2020 Core Update is now rolling out live. As is typical with these updates, it will typically take about one to two weeks to fully roll out.”
Previous updates. The most recent core update before this one was the May 2020 core update, which was significant and took a couple of weeks to fully roll out. Before that was the January 2020 core update, which also garnered substantial analysis. Prior to that, the September 2019 core update appeared to have a smaller impact according to many SEOs and webmasters. Google also released a specific update in November for local rankings. You can read more about past Google updates from various sources.
What to do if you are hit. Google has provided advice on what to consider if you are negatively impacted by a core update. There aren’t specific actions to take for recovery, and a negative ranking impact may not necessarily indicate problems with your pages. However, Google has offered a list of questions to evaluate if your site is affected. Sometimes, recovery may be seen between core updates, but significant changes are often observed only after another core update.
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Why we care. Whenever Google updates its search ranking algorithms, your site’s performance in search results can change. Knowing when these updates occur helps us understand whether the changes in performance are due to modifications on the site or changes made by Google. Today’s core ranking update is one to watch, so keep an eye on your analytics and rankings.
Update: early results are in. Google’s December 2020 core update was significant, even more so than the May 2020 update, according to data providers.
