Is there an officially announced update for Dec 2025?
The short answer? Yes.
This marks the Google december core update of 2025, following the March and June core updates (and occurring after an August 2025 spam update earlier in the year).
Although earlier in the week, volatility tools like Semrush Sensor, MozCast, and Algoroo were already showing elevated SERP movement, typically a sign of major algorithm activity, Google has now officially confirmed that this volatility corresponds with a broad core ranking update rather than just an unannounced “phantom” tweak.
Core updates are broad changes to Google’s ranking systems meant to improve how content is evaluated at a fundamental level. They aren’t specific penalty releases or narrow adjustments but can still cause significant ranking shifts across sites and search queries.
Why did my traffic crash overnight without a manual penalty?
If you don’t have a manual action in GSC, this is algorithmic devaluation, likely tied to the "User Signal Correction."
Throughout 2025, we’ve suspected Google is leaning heavily into post-click user engagement metrics. If users are clicking your result (or your AIO citation) and immediately bouncing back to the SERP to click another result, your page is effectively toxic to Google.
In this Nov–Dec window, it appears Google has "turned up the dial" on this specific signal. They are purging pages that rank well on paper (good keywords, good backlinks) but fail to satisfy the user in reality. If your content is "SEO perfect" but "human boring," that’s why you crashed.
Are AI Overviews (AIOs) stealing my traffic or is it the algorithm?
It is a mix of both, but the algorithm is the bigger culprit right now.
Earlier this year, we saw AIOs stabilize. But in late November, Google seemingly adjusted which sites get cited in these overviews. I’ve noticed a massive rotation: Google is swapping out "affiliate-heavy" blogs from AIO citations and replacing them with forum discussions (Reddit, Quora) and official documentation.
If your traffic drop coincides with losing your "cited" spot in an AI Overview, that’s not a ranking drop—that’s a visibility shift. You need to check if you are still indexed for the query, or just no longer the "answer" Google’s AI chooses to trust.
What specific content types are getting hit the hardest?
Based on the chatter in the Google Search Central community and Twitter/X, the damage is highly concentrated.
| Content Type | Status | Reason for Drop |
|---|---|---|
| Scaled AI Content | 🔻 Crushed | Programmatic SEO sites that haven't been human-edited are being de-indexed or buried. |
| "Best X for Y" Reviews | 🔻 High Volatility | Google is preferring video reviews (YouTube/TikTok) and verified user discussions over generic review blogs. |
| News/Media Publishers | ✅ Stable/Up | "Freshness" signals are being rewarded heavily right now. |
| Forums/UGC | ✅ Winners | Reddit and niche forums continue to eat up market share for informational queries. |
My Observation: What I’m seeing in the data
Look, I manage a portfolio of sites just like you, and I’ve been staring at the same red arrows. Here is what I’ve observed personally in the last 10 days:
"The drop isn't uniform. I have one site in the tech niche down 35%, while a travel blog I barely touch is up 15%. The common denominator? The travel blog has a thriving comment section and real user photos. The tech site was 'technically' perfect but lacked a soul."
I also noticed that older content is suffering. Articles we updated in January 2025 are sliding, while content updated in October/November 2025 is holding strong. This suggests a "Freshness Decay" factor might have been shortened significantly. If your content is more than 6 months old without a refresh, Google might be treating it as obsolete, especially in fast-moving niches.
How do I recover from this unconfirmed drop?
Don't panic audit your technical SEO. This isn't about broken links or schema. This is about Quality and Satisfaction. Here is your emergency action plan:
- The "Human Touch" Audit: Go to your top 10 losing pages. Add unique value today. A personal anecdote, a unique image you took, or a counter-intuitive opinion. Break the AI pattern.
- Prune the Zombie Pages: If you have 500 pages and only 50 get traffic, the other 450 are dragging down your site-wide "Helpful Content" score. Noindex or delete them.
- Check Your AIO Citations: Use a tool to see if you lost AIO visibility. If you did, reformat your content to be more "answer-ready." Use clear lists and direct answers at the top of your content.
- Wait 2 Weeks: Seriously. Unconfirmed updates often have a "tremor" period where rankings bounce back. Do not delete your site or change your domain yet.
Stay calm, keep watching the data, and focus on your users, not just the bots. We will get through this update just like we got through the rest.
