With so many search updates happening this year, especially in the last few months: https://status.search.google.com/summary - will there be a final December search update of any kind?
top of page
SEOFOMO Chat
A constructive forum to share and discuss about the latest in SEO news, updates and resources
Get the latest in SEO every week by subscribing to SEOFOMO now
bottom of page
Hi. I think the update has already been done. Pay attention to the period from the 7th or 9th of December. The data I have shows that this update has severely reduced traffic from Google News and Discover at major publishers.
I think we've got unofficial updates / roll back of some elements of previous updates happening given everything that is going on with spammy results. My bet is fluctiations in the SERP for a few weeks while Google tests, then an official update in mid to late January.
I have to say that based on the findings of more and more spammy results that have been flagged in the last few days, especially by Lily Ray (see this forum thread) it seems that an update to revert that would be actually needed.
Danny tweeted this earlier today though:
Which might* mean no more updates (*maybe)?
I hope you enjoy the holidays too :)
Maybe unofficial updates... I've seen some strange behaviours in the GSC since the last November update, but with all the noise around (Discover, Quality Update, Reviews Update, "netlinking update", and so on) it's difficult and probably too soon to tell
I think that Google will start the update again as the holidays are going to start. Praying that next 2 days will pass safely. lol
It sure feels like it with the MASSIVE volatility happening since Friday.
Yes, I think updates to Google systems are always going on and that they will become more volatile and less transparent as search becomes more personalised.
I suspect that we already are experiencing another update; a non-official one, probably.
In fact, I am seeing how the websites I follow on tools like SISTRIX and Semrush are having very big shifts in visibility (crossing fingers quite positive ones, I must say).
I don't know if you are seeing the same 😀
My two cents is that there will not be one more update. The last couple updates took much longer than the typical two weeks and I'd imagine that was part of the thinking - not wanting to continue to go back-to-back. Wirh 16 days left in the year, my prediction is a 'No'.