The digital landscape is rapidly evolving, and SEO is no exception. As search behaviour evolves, being proactive with your organic SEO strategy is more important to maintain a competitive edge.
With Google owning approximately 89% of the global market share for search engines, its continuous release of new algorithm updates significantly impacts SEO practices to enhance user experience.
These updates can heavily impact search engine results, affecting many businesses that rely on organic traffic as a revenue source. Staying up to date with the latest SEO developments is crucial to maintaining and improving your online presence.
This live blog will cover algorithm updates as they are confirmed, so be sure to keep an eye on it over the year to keep up to date.
What are Google Algorithm Updates?
Google rolls out hundreds of updates to their search engine every year, some are minor, while others, known as core algorithm updates, have large impacts on search rankings.
The purpose of these updates is to improve and refine the quality of search results, making sure that only the most relevant information is shown for your query. The idea of these updates is to ensure the engine is a more accessible and trustworthy space.
The main areas the core algorithm updates focus on are:
- Prioritising high-quality content
- Combating spam
- Understanding and interpreting user intent
December 2024 – January 2025 | Confirmed Algorithm & Spam Update
While there were no confirmed algorithm or spam updates at the beginning of the year, we noted continuing ranking fluctuations throughout early January.
These movements can be attributed to the lasting effects of late December’s significant algorithm and spam updates, which caused widespread volatility across many industries and sectors. A lot of websites saw large peaks and troughs in their rankings, as the update’s impact carried over into the New Year, reflecting Google’s adjustments.
The December updates focused on improving search quality by targeting low-quality content, addressing manipulative link-building practices, and refining how Google identifies helpful content.
Websites that relied on thin content, AI-generated copy, or aggressive link-building were particularly affected, with some experiencing ranking declines. On the other hand, websites that prioritised original, user-focused content and adhered to Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) guidelines often saw improved performance.
Industries such as e-commerce, travel, and health were among the most impacted, likely due to their competitive nature and reliance on search visibility. E-commerce websites, in particular, experienced volatility during the crucial post-holiday period, prompting many site owners to reassess their content quality and user experience.
In line with these updates, Google also issued a warning in December about the excessive use of JavaScript, emphasising its potential to hinder search engine crawlers—especially with the rise of AI-driven search tools. With AI crawlers making up approximately 28% of Googlebot’s traffic, reliance on JavaScript can affect content accessibility. This shift is significant as AI search tools often struggle with rendering JavaScript-heavy websites, prioritising server-side rendering and HTML content instead. To mitigate potential visibility issues in both traditional and AI-based search results, Google recommends embedding essential content within the initial HTML and adopting server-side rendering strategies.
This trend, along with similar rankings shifts was explored in the 2024 SEO Landscape: Key Google Search Algorithm Updates blog post.
January 2025 Local Search Update | Unconfirmed
In early January, many businesses and SEOs noticed quite significant changes in Google’s local search rankings, with some mentioning that their rankings ‘fell off a cliff’ overnight.
There was widespread speculation about a possible algorithm update, that may have caused these large changes, but Google did not confirm one to have taken place.
The consensus within the community is that these ranking shifts were most likely the result of an unconfirmed bug rather than a deliberate update.
According to Search Engine Round Table, local SEO tracking tools noticed a decent amount of volatility during this time but stabilised shortly after the initial disruption.
Need help navigating the latest SEO trends and updates? Our team of SEO experts at Found can help you craft a comprehensive strategy to optimise your website for success. Contact us today!
