Google December 2024 core update: surprise!
Yes, you read that right! Google has just announced the release of its December 2024 core update, an event that is surprising in its unusual speed. In fact, this new update comes just seven days after the completion of the November 2024 core update, an unprecedented timing in Google’s update history. An exception had only occurred in 2021, with the release of the 2021 June update being rolled out in two phases, continuing even into July: but in that case, Google had clearly communicated that it was a single, planned process, whereas this time there was no such indication.
Google December 2024 Core: a flash release that surprises
The new update, Google pointed out, will take about two weeks to be fully implemented. This is the fourth core update of the year, confirming the company’s continued intense activity in refining its algorithms and search systems. The cycle of Google’s core updates includes significant changes, so much so that the company is wont to announce them so that content creators and practitioners can understand their impact.
The previous core update, which began on November 11, 2024, ended only on December 5, 2024, just a week ago, as we recounted with our analysis of winner and loser sites. This makes the immediate release of a further update all the more extraordinary, a fact that has generated curiosity and discussion among SEO experts and practitioners.
Google explained the decision in an official statement, “The December 2024 core update is being deployed and we expect it to be completed in two weeks. If you are wondering why there is a core update this month after last month’s, we have several core systems that we are always improving.”
An exception that is causing discussion. Although Google had anticipated in recent weeks that a core update was coming, there has never been such close proximity between two releases of this magnitude. This update also follows an already change-filled year, which included the massive March 2024 core update, described by Google as “the biggest core update ever”. That release, which began on March 5, had run for a full 45 days, concluding on April 19.
Directions for those affected by the update
As always, Google provided guidance on what to do if a website is negatively affected by the update:
- No specific action required: a drop in rankings does not necessarily imply that there are problems with the site’s pages.
- Focus on content: Google recommends focusing on creating useful, reliable and user-centered content, not search engine-centered content.
- Recovery possible between updates: Although a slight recovery may occur between updates, the most significant changes are usually observed after an additional core update.
Google reiterated that there is nothing new to do with the guidelines already provided: “There is nothing new or special that creators need to do for this update, as long as they have created satisfying content designed for people. For those who may not rank as well, we strongly encourage them to re