ing data for the December 2022 Google Helpful Content Update and Link Spam Update //
Google is currently rolling out two Google search algorithm update simultaneously: the December 2022 useful content system, and the December 2022 link spam upgrade. The link spam update began on December 14th and the helpful content update was launched on December 5. Google stated that both updates are still being rolled out. In fact, the helpful content update will take longer than the previously provided two-week timeframe.
I asked several data providers for data about what they see with the Google search results during these updates. Keep in mind that it is difficult to look at data in an aggregate and determine if this ranking volatility is due to one update or another. However, I wanted to share the information that data providers were noticing.
Data providers
RankRanger. Let’s begin with RankRanger, who provided us data that was broken down by the date of each update. You’d notice the greatest volatility in the first few days following an update by Google. They agreed with this premise and provided us with data for each update.
Here’s a summary of the RankRanger risk indicator showing volatility per day:
According to RankRanger, the December 2022 useful content update had less impact and was less volatile than first helpful contents update. As you can see, the average change in position in December was lower than August’s.
If you dig deeper, you will see that the average top three search results, top five, and top ten search results have December update fluctuations. The data shows that the top five top results had lower December updates and the top three top results had significantly lower.
RankRanger also revealed the volatility of December’s helpful content update by industry or niche:
According to RankRanger, the December 2022 link spam update was less influential and less volatile that the July 2020 link spam update. The chart below shows that the average position change in December was lower than in July 2021.
If you dig deeper, you will see that the average top three search results, top five, and top ten search results have December update fluctuations. The data shows that the top five top results had lower December updates and the top three top results had significantly lower.
RankRanger also displayed the volatility of December’s link spam update by industry or niche:
Semrush. Semrush. They had only their data for the last few weeks, which is when the December algorithm updates started.
The Semrush sensor has been fairly calm with a slight dip today into the “high volatility” range.
You will find that some industries and niches are more affected than others if you drill down into them. It’s interesting to compare it by desktop and mobile search.
SISTRIX. SISTRIX also provided some data in a different format. Steve Paine, from the company, said that there was evidence of volatility in the data they used for the link spam update. However, it was more difficult to find such evidence when it came time to update the helpful content. He stated that “overall there isn’t a great movement in SERPs.” The company provided some examples on its blog.
SISTRIX also sent me two more examples of sites that were affected by these updates:
Moz. Dr. Dr. According to Meyer, Moz data has shown that Google-wise, it has been “a noisy” month. It is difficult to separate the data, as other data providers have shown.
It is evident that Mozcast displayed a lot of warm weather on December 14, which could be related to the update to link spam.
seoClarity. seoClarity provided me with a graph that showed the daily change in Google search results over time. It included all keywords they had in their data. They observed a spike in December 2nd, followed by “gyrations”, on December 7th, 8th and 9th, and finally a dramatic change on December 15.
Additional data providers Below is a list that lists other data provider charts that are publicly available.
Why we care. Both updates were still being released at the time of this article. When both updates are being released simultaneously, it is difficult to say if one ranking change is related to another. It is possible to see individual sites and determine if they were hit by a link algorithm or a helpful content algorithm. This is especially true if you examine the content and links for the site.
You will need to research the sites affected by each update individually and do your due diligence. This shows that there was movement in the updates and that they did cause ranking volatility.