Google’s December 2025 Algorithms Core Update Is Deciding Whether You’ll Still Have Organic Traffic in 2026

If you’re experiencing any of the following, this update is highly relevant to you:

• Your website has been consistently producing content, but rankings keep fluctuating
• In Search Console you see impressions going up, but clicks are not increasing
• You wrote many articles, but started noticing that “Google answers everything directly on the search results page”
• You’re worried that in the AI era, it’s getting harder and harder for websites to earn traffic

The essence of this update is:

Google is no longer rewarding content that merely “looks like content.” Instead, it rewards content that truly helps users solve problems.
If your website is done right, it can actually be easier to get recommended by AI Overviews, and your exposure can grow even more.

Why is this major Google December 2025 update so important? What does it emphasize?

The core of this update can be summed up in two key phrases:

1) Substance

Google cares more about whether your content has “real substance.”
It’s not about being long, and it’s not about sounding nice—it’s about:

• Real experience (Have you actually done it?)
• Clear methods (Can readers execute after reading?)
• Credible evidence (cases, images, data, processes)
• Specific answers (not going in circles with fluff)

2) Information Gain

Does your content bring something “new”?
If your article is just a rewritten version of the top 10 results, Google will think:

“This adds no new value. It doesn’t deserve to rank at the top.”

So heading into 2026, you’ll see a trend becoming more obvious:
“Compilation-style content” will drop, and “hands-on/practical content” will rise.

3) E-E-A-T is no longer only for medical/finance—every industry must pass

In the past, many people thought E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) only mattered for YMYL topics.
Now Google is applying these standards to all industries:

Whether you sell renovation services, doors & windows, air-conditioning, accounting, F&B, or education
Whether you do B2B, services, or e-commerce

Google will “verify” whether you’re a trustworthy business, and whether the content is written by someone with real experience.

4) The AI Overviews era has arrived: Google’s AI will “pick content as the answer”

AI Overviews don’t just summarize—they prioritize pages that are well-structured, direct in answers, and highly credible for citations.

You’re not only competing with other websites for rankings,
you’re also competing for “who gets chosen by Google AI to be the answer.”

What impact will it have? (Why it feels like traffic is getting harder)

Impact 1: Impressions go up, clicks stay flat (many Malaysian businesses will face this)

Because AI Overviews will answer part of the question directly on the search results page.
Especially for queries like:

• What is…
• Is XX good?
• The definition / meaning of XX

Users may not click into your website, but if you’re cited, your brand will be seen on the results page.
So going forward, you need to shift your KPI thinking:

Not just clicks—also whether you are being selected and cited by AI.

Impact 2: “AI-written + bulk posting” will become increasingly risky

If you use AI to mass-produce articles quickly, but the content:

• Is all similar
• Has no cases
• Has no your point of view
• Doesn’t solve specific problems

This kind of content is more likely to be classified as “commodity content”, and in the long run it can drag down your site’s quality signals.

Impact 3: The clearer the brand, the more stable the site (SMEs actually have a chance)

Many people assume “big companies always win.” But for SMEs, you have advantages:

• You truly serve local customers (real cases)
• You have on-site photos and project processes
• You understand real Malaysian pain points (high humidity, multilingual users, budget sensitivity, local cases)
• This kind of local real experience is very hard for big sites to copy

What should Malaysian SMEs do next? (The most practical approach)

Below is what I recommend as an “AIO-first strategy”.
The goal is to achieve two things at the same time:

• More stable rankings
• Easier to be cited by AI Overviews (greater exposure)

A) Rewrite every page into an “Answer first, then explain” structure (Most important)

When Google’s AI scans a webpage, it pays a lot of attention to the opening.

What you should do:

• Place a TL;DR at the very top of the page (within the first 50 words)
• Give the conclusion, selection advice, or steps directly

Example (works for renovation / air-conditioning / doors & windows businesses):

✅ A good opening (AI-friendly):

TL;DR: If you live in Malaysia’s high-humidity environment, choosing XX material will be more durable; with a budget under RMXXXX, prioritize A; if you have kids at home, consider adding configuration B.

❌ Not recommended opening:

“In recent years, as living standards improve, more and more people have started to pay attention to…”

The faster you give the answer, the more likely you’ll be cited.
 

B) Every key page must include “Information Gain”: add at least one thing that is uniquely yours

You can do this in the simplest way:

Choose one (at least one item):

• Real cases (Before/After, project process, customer problem → how you solved it)
• Your company data (e.g., Top 5 FAQs, price ranges, project duration stats)
• Real photos / on-site photos (don’t rely only on stock images)
• Expert commentary (use your industry experience to explain “why this is better”)

This directly improves your competitiveness in this update because you’re providing new information.
 

C) Complete your Schema (structured data) so Google can understand who you are and what this page is about faster

What SMEs often overlook is: Google can’t clearly identify who you are.

Recommended priorities:

• LocalBusiness (business entity)
• Article (article)
• FAQPage (frequently asked questions)
• Author (author)

At the same time, keep your official social media links consistent in Search Console and on your website (TikTok / IG / LinkedIn / FB).
The goal is simple: help Google be more confident that you are a real business brand.
 

D) Upgrade your content strategy from “keywords” to “problem-solving” (long-tail intent will become the main traffic driver)

AI Overviews love answering “why / how / under what situations.”

So don’t only write:

• “XX price”
• “XX recommendation”

Write content closer to real customer questions, for example (Malaysia version):

• “In Malaysia’s high-humidity environment, how should XX be maintained?”
• “In 2026, how should a home security system be configured to save the most money?”
• “With a budget of RMXXXX, should I choose A or B? Which type of family is each suitable for?”
• “What are common issues in Johor / KL apartments, and how can you avoid costly mistakes?”

This type of content is easier to be cited in AI summaries and more likely to generate high-quality enquiries.

Source / References:

• Google Official Search Status Dashboard – December 2025 Core Update
• Google Search Central – Core Updates Official Documentation
• Google Search Central – Creating Helpful Content (E-E-A-T & Content Quality Guidelines)
• Google AI Overviews Official Documentation

All links above point to publicly accessible official Google resources, helping you understand the core update, content quality standards, and AI Overviews definitions.