Our SEO Executive, Rhys Haberfield shares his perspective on what we’re seeing, what’s likely temporary noise, and where focus is best placed while the update completes its rollout.
A Core Update Is Currently Rolling Out
Over the past couple of weeks, our SEO Executive Rhys has been monitoring performance across multiple client accounts, alongside some short-term irregularities in tools such as Looker Studio and Google Search Console, there has been a noticeable increase in noise across Google’s ecosystem, particularly around search performance and reporting which coincides with the confirmed rollout of Google’s December 2025 Core Update announced on 11 December which is expected to take up to three weeks to complete.
Representing the fourth core update of the year, Google has reiterated that these changes are broad in nature and are not designed to target individual sites or specific optimisation tactics, instead, they reflect a wider reassessment of how Google evaluates relevance and content quality across search results.
Google has described the update as a regular improvement intended to better surface relevant and satisfying content for users, reinforcing the ongoing shift towards content that demonstrates experience, expertise and genuine usefulness, rather than content produced primarily to satisfy ranking signals.
Why Rankings and Traffic May Feel Unsettled
During a core update rollout, fluctuations in rankings, impressions and organic traffic are to be expected. These changes do not necessarily indicate that something is wrong with a site, nor do they imply that immediate corrective action is required. Google has consistently advised that negative movement following a core update is often the result of other content being reassessed as more relevant, rather than an issue with the affected pages themselves.
Meaningful recovery, where it happens, tends to align with future core updates rather than quick changes made in response to short-term volatility and this makes patience and perspective particularly important while the rollout is still in progress.
Reporting Irregularities Across Google Tools
Alongside the algorithm update, our internal teams have also observed intermittent irregularities in Google’s reporting tools. In recent days, several Looker Studio reports have shown missing data when exported to PDF, while Google Search Console has experienced short-term reporting delays before largely returning to normal.
These types of issues are not uncommon during periods of significant backend change, especially when Google is processing large volumes of data as part of a major algorithm update and while they can be frustrating from a reporting and client communication perspective, they do not usually indicate tracking problems or campaign failures. They do mean that December data should be reviewed with additional context and caution.
What This Means for SEO Strategy?
From an SEO perspective, the guidance remains consistent with previous core updates, this is not a moment for reactive technical changes or rushed content edits based on partial data. Instead, it is a time to continue focusing on long-term improvements that enhance clarity, depth and usefulness for users.
Google has not issued any new guidance specific to this update and continues to emphasise the importance of creating helpful, reliable, people-first content. Short-term fluctuations should be monitored, but strategic decisions are best made once the rollout has completed and performance patterns stabilise.
Implications for PPC and Attribution
Although core updates do not directly affect paid media performance, they can have indirect effects on the wider marketing ecosystem such as changes in organic visibility may influence competition within search results, cost-per-click, and how conversions are attributed across channels.
For this reason, it is particularly important during periods of organic volatility to review paid and organic performance together, rather than drawing conclusions from isolated channel data.
The Black Lab Perspective
At Black Lab, our view remains steady; algorithm updates and reporting noise do not change the fundamentals of good digital marketing, and short-term volatility should not drive long-term strategy. The brands that will perform strongest as we move into 2026 will be those that continue to invest in quality, relevance and human-led experiences, while maintaining a clear-eyed view of their data.
If you would like support interpreting what this update means for your brand’s performance, reporting or growth strategy, we are always happy to help bring perspective and direction to the numbers: schedule a call with a member of the Black Lab team of specialists
