Now that the December 2025 Google core update has finished rolling out, attention has shifted to how different sites have been affected. Early signs suggest notable movement across the news sector, with several high-profile publishers seeing sharp changes in search visibility.
Industry discussion points to sudden declines for some news organisations within US search results. Data shared across the SEO community suggests that publishers based outside the US were among those most affected, though the impact was not limited to a single region or market.
The Update Reached Far and Wide
Broader analysis reveals that volatility extended far beyond a single country. News publishers across multiple regions experienced firm shifts in visibility, with some seeing rapid losses and others recording unexpected gains. This pattern highlights how core updates often reshuffle visibility rather than applying uniform penalties.
Here’s a screenshot from SemRush Sensor showing high volatility for the News category in the UK over the last 30 days:
and here’s the same timeframe for the United States:
Volatility Across Lots of Avenues
Changes were not limited to standard search results. Many publishers reported movement across Google News, Discover, Top Stories, and the News tab within search. For sites that rely heavily on these surfaces for traffic, even short-term drops can significantly impact overall visibility and audience reach.
Several publishers have described sharp fluctuations over a short period, with performance graphs showing dramatic swings in both directions. Some sites appeared to recover quickly, while others continued to decline, and many remained unstable as the update took effect.
Too Early to Draw Firm Conclusions
At this stage, it is too early to draw firm conclusions. Core updates and other similar updates, like the August 2025 Spam Update, often continue to adjust after rollout, and secondary movements are common once Google refines how signals are weighted. Some publishers may regain visibility in the weeks ahead, while others could face longer-term changes tied to content quality, authority signals, or how their news content is surfaced.
As search results stabilise, and SEOs get to grips with the outcome, publishers affected by the update will be watching closely to see whether visibility returns or whether bigger changes are needed to adapt to Google’s evolving expectations for news content.
If you’ve seen your own website fluctuate since December 11th, don’t worry. Just because the recent update seems to have hit the News industry the hardest, sites across Google can see change. If you would like to discuss any changes or worries you may have, our team are always ready to help.
Call us on 01642 931 380, or email [email protected].