Google recently rolled out its December Core Update, the last for the year. As with previous ones, this major update introduces improvements and new features aimed at improving its ability to return accurate search results.
Google states that the rollout is expected to take around three weeks to complete. Expect some erratic rank changes as the algorithm adjusts to the updates. If your website gets hit, don’t be quick to assume it’s because you've been penalized.
In fact, Google recommends not touching your top-performing content if it suffers a slight ranking drop (of up to four ranks). Any changes to it might risk further dropping its ranking. On the other hand, if the content drops significantly, Google recommends a more thorough assessment to detect and resolve issues.
There’s more to this than just the update, though. Before its release, Google admitted that rankings don’t just change drastically whenever a Core Update rolls out. The several minor updates it introduces mean that website owners need to keep their content SEO-friendly even when no Core Updates are scheduled for the month.
This is stated in the December 9 update of its documentation changelog.
What: Added information to the core updates documentation about how Google continually makes updates to our search algorithms (including smaller core updates), and how that can affect your website.
Why: To clarify that site owners who make content improvements can see a rise in position in Google Search results without having to wait for the next major core update.
To that end, our experts advise waiting until the rollout is complete. Moving forward, keep an eye on changes in your content’s rankings, whether a Core Update is scheduled for the month, and adjust your approach accordingly.