The December 2025 core update: Observations on 4 sites that did well – Marie Haynes

02/20/26
Source: SEO Blog by Marie Haynes Consulting by Marie Haynes. Read the original article

TL;DR Summary of Key Insights from the December 2025 Google Core Update

The December 2025 core update heavily impacted many sites, emphasizing that trust, original content, and user experience are critical for recovery. Sites that improved customer service, produced unique, experiential content, and enhanced site usability saw positive ranking gains. Avoid relying solely on technical SEO fixes; instead, focus on creating truly helpful, deep, and original content that resonates with users and builds credibility.

Optimixed’s Overview: How Trust and Originality Drive SEO Success After Google’s 2025 Core Update

Understanding the Impact and Recovery Strategies

The December 2025 Google core update caused significant fluctuations across many websites, particularly those in competitive or Your Money Your Life (YMYL) niches. Recovery is complex, often requiring months or even years of sustained effort. Traditional SEO tactics like link building or disavowing links are insufficient alone. Instead, a holistic approach focusing on trustworthiness, content originality, and user experience (UX) is essential.

Key Factors That Influenced Site Performance

  • Trust and EEAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Google’s algorithms heavily weigh trust signals, including reliable customer service, author credentials, and positive reputation. Sites with a history of poor customer experiences struggled, while those committing to genuine improvements saw better rankings.
  • Original, Experiential Content: Commodity content—information widely available elsewhere—is devalued. Sites that invested in firsthand reviews, unique insights, original photos, and videos stood out and gained visibility.
  • User Experience Enhancements: Streamlined navigation, faster page loads, clearer content structure, and engaging interactive elements help reduce bounce rates and improve user satisfaction, which Google increasingly values.

Recommendations for Site Owners

  • Assess and Improve Trust: Use tools to gauge brand reputation over time and address any lingering service or fulfillment issues that could harm trust.
  • Enhance Content Quality: Rewrite or restructure pages to focus on original, in-depth insights rather than repackaging common knowledge. Break up text for better readability and include multimedia elements.
  • Prioritize User Experience: Simplify site navigation, improve checkout flows for eCommerce, and update About pages to build user confidence. Keep content fresh and relevant to current trends.
  • Leverage AI Thoughtfully: Use AI tools to identify content gaps and brainstorm unique angles, but avoid generating shallow, generic content that users and Google will dismiss.

Final Thoughts

Google’s ranking systems increasingly reward content that users find genuinely helpful and satisfying. This requires continuous investment in building trust, producing unique and well-structured content, and delivering excellent user experiences. While recovery from core update hits can be slow and challenging, sites focused on these core principles stand the best chance of long-term success in search rankings.