Google Releases Broad Core Update Called: "December 2020 Core Update"

[engine]

Google has just announced a broad core update it's calling "December 2020 Core Update" and we'll be monitoring it and discussing it in our Google Updates and SERP Changes - December 2020 [webmasterworld.com] thread here.

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[OuterBox]

Huge movements. I've seen some eCommerce sites have major jumps and some get hit. The sites I manage personally had some of the biggest jumps I've ever seen. Seems to be like a rollback in many ways from the last core update.

[whoa182]

After being hit 24 hours after the rollout started, is there any chance of things improving? Has anyone ever had a 50% decrease at the start of a core update and then bounced back before the update finished?

It hasn't been my experience with previous hits and recoveries, but just wondering.

Fortunately I still have a job and not too panicky over it this time. Lost count how many times this up and down has happened over the years now. Google can't make up its mind if it likes my site or not.

[mzb44]

Usually, what you are seeing during the first 24 hours will be the general pattern going forward. It should stabilize then in around two weeks.

Unfortunately, if you were negatively affected, then in the vast majority of cases you will not see improvement until they release a new core update that - hopefully - will benefit you that time around.

[strummer19]

core update : Loss 60% on "clean" news website (europe)

[edited by: engine at 9:23 am (utc) on Dec 7, 2020]
[edit reason] language [/edit]

[jmorgan]

Can't say I'm really noticing anything significant so far. I might wait for a week or so before I perform some further analysis on my rankings.

[MayankParmar]

Sensors are very calm in the US and Europe today, but it's red in Australia.

[RedBar]

Saturday morning and I'm seeing some shuffling however some of the major players are having massive monements e.g. top of first page to bottom of second page and beyond.

What is very disconcerting is that this morning I see for a specific widget search term:

1. My site - Original widget producer for 40 years
2. Pinterest dot com - Generic info, zero widget info
3. Pinterest dot co dot uk
4. Pinterest dot co dot uk
5. Valid company
6. Pinterest dot es

Traffic this morning at 11.5 hours for my Googleday is at about 20%.

Not the most impressive of updates so far!

[JorgeV]

I've been observing an increase in traffic since around 5-6 months, with a 10% per month constant increase, and this CorUptD20 has no impact, the traffic continues to increase in the same proportion. Might be due to the pandemic and more people at home, but at least it does not seem to impact me negatively (so far).

[FullMetalCoat]

Disappointing to still see so much pinterest and other spam still in the serps. We've seen some recovery since the May Core update after this December update but no where near previous levels still. Google still has a lot of work to do to further improve results for many terms in my niche to remove the spam.

[whoa182]

My redirection plugin screwed up and the database needed to be updated. Didn't see it as I wasn't looking at the site for a while. Probably a very small chance that has anything to do with this drop, but I will hope against hope! lol.

[whoa182]

I've just been doing a bit of research on what sites are ranking. For one of my keywords there are 5 Amazon pages from position 1-5 and then I come in at 6. A lot of very high authority sites getting top positions for pages that aren't even relevant to the keyword.

Feels like we're going around in circles.

[MayankParmar]

Looks like the update has settled down.

[RedBar]

I have done no SERPs checking as yet however Saturday ended up higher than a typical weekend of about 80% at almost weekday levels, today's numbers are looking about weekend average so far.

Will check keyword phrases later.

[JS_Harris]

An observance to add to the thread

In adsense if a site had previously received permission to add a "matched content" unit and, after this core update, had also gotten slammed you may now get a new message on the matched content code page in your adsense panel..

"Warning: due to the low quality of pages available your matched content unit may not find enough relevant matches" or something close to that. OOps. Before Dec 3rd the units did just fine with no such message. If you want to confirm a Google slap there's one rude way to do it. Merry Christmas. Note: not my site but I saw it in a screenshot from a very trusted friend this morning.

Very deflating just before Christmas during a pandemic, to say the least.

[explorador]

JorgeV: I've been observing an increase in traffic since around 5-6 months, with a 10% per month constant increase,

Yes. Perhaps in the future Google will consider the amount of "- pinterest" on the search terms to do something about it, and first I hope more people use it on their searches.

[JS_Harris]

I am 18% down in US traffic on a 10+ year old site with only the most helpful content and pages possible. Which competitors benefited? A 4 month old "page per keyword" new site and a massive wall st traded company. Many #1s are now #3s and lots of lost special features for me it looks like.

I hope 2021 brings good fortune to everyone, I'm done for the year and will re-focus in January. I think I might take Brett's advice too and make search an even smaller part of my gameplan.

Stay safe everyone.

[browndog]

I've been hit again, I recently stripped most of the AdSense off my pages, removed plugins to make them load quicker. The site is now down 95% on its previous highs, and is down by 50% from this time last year despite working 4 days a week to add or improve content.

[ichthyous]

After two strong days during the update, my traffic started to tail off over the course of the day yesterday, and USA traffic is down 30% at 3pm today. However, the main pages that had been lower for the entire week before the update are all seeing much higher traffic...so I assume that the drop is on lower level product pages.

Up or down, it doesn't seem to be making much of a difference...this is the slowest 4th quarter I have seen since the 2008 financial crash. People simply aren't inquiring or purchasing anything. I've just had my first sale in quite a while, and it is to Singapore.

[tangor]

My barnyard comment above was a bit of humor, but we all know this is the annual g "kill all the sites unless they pay up update".

I'm not sure that g even knows what they are "correcting" or "updating" when these things roll out, other than a need to keep turmoil and uncertainty full front (and thus increasing desperation among webmasters who might be willing to pay anything to stay on page one).

[robzilla]

Seeing a slight increase in rankings, but it's minor and could very well be unrelated to this update. Traffic is up but that's probably seasonal.

I'm not sure that g even knows what they are "correcting" or "updating" when these things roll out, other than a need to keep turmoil and uncertainty full front (and thus increasing desperation among webmasters who might be willing to pay anything to stay on page one).

Maybe there's a GAnon group somewhere you can sign up for ;-)

[jediviper]

I see 40% drop in GSC Impressions for some markets, although the traffic is not affected so much.
But the rankings remain heavily affected for the Australia market, while all of our EU rankings returned to normal.
So I found out what is happening: From 17 FS that were online before this update, now we are down to 2 FS.

[RedBar]

Bizarre Sunday ... First half of Sunday traffic more or less normal, scond half traffic jumped off a cliff edge.

[engine]

Those SERPs I mentioned earlier in this thread have now cleaned up: The spammy-looking sites now gone, and the correct sites appearing.

Things are starting to settle.

[tangor]

Maybe there's a GAnon group somewhere you can sign up for ;-)

Nah, get enough wild speculation and odd theories here. :)

The fact remains that all too often what g says their update is about the resulting collateral damage and renewed angst among webmasters is always elevated, usually bi-annually.

I observe but do not depend on g, haven't for quite some time (before Florida).

[StupidIntelligent]

Why do they keep saying two weeks, when the update is pretty much (at least looks like it) done within a day or two.

[engine]

Why do they keep saying two weeks, when the update is pretty much (at least looks like it) done within a day or two.

I would imagine they are monitoring and tweaking, and altering as required. It's also not been unknown for apparent roll-backs if things don't go according to plans.

[saladtosser]

Really don't get why some non-mobile-friendly sites have been pushed above me. SSL/user experience/mobile/Amp (with detailed articles, high-quality images with srcset, videos) doesn't seem to come close to trumping backlinks that old sites picked up *years* back before mobile/ssl/UX...just because they were probably the best way back when.....

[mosxu]

Shocking,

AI is very hungry at the moment: I have closed a campaign haunted by zombies and next day one live campaign gets its keywords charged double :))

[NickMNS]

Why do they keep saying two weeks, when the update is pretty much (at least looks like it) done within a day or two.

Have they said 2 weeks officially, or was that more of "it takes time but we don't want to say how long, so 2 weeks is longer than the longest it could take, so 2 weeks"?

[Eshunanthony]

Here again? December Core update... I can see my website recovering from the last core update(May 4th). I made a lot of changes,especially about the UX