Google released an update to its spam detection system on December 19, 2024. Named the December 2024 Spam Update, it arrived a day after the December 2024 Core Update abruptly ended, and Google expects to complete it within a week. 
Google’s Official Announcement
Google announced the December 2024 Spam Update in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Today we released the December 2024 spam update.
It may take up to 1 week to complete, and we'll post on the Google Search Status Dashboard when the rollout is done: https://t.co/L7n9n3Nh6X
— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) December 19, 2024
Google also announced the December 2024 Spam Update on LinkedIn.
What Are People Saying?
Several bloggers and SEOs responded to the release of the December 2024 Spam Update. Some responses were posted directly to Google’s announcement, while others were posted as standalone posts.
Bloggers and SEOs Respond to Google’s Announcement
Mustafa Elnagar replied to Google’s post on LinkedIn. He was unimpressed with the release of the December 2024 Spam Update and likened the never-ending Google updates to spam.
Venkata Pagadala voiced the same concern, stating that instead of informing everyone that an update was available, Google should inform everyone whenever there was no update.
Both SEOs raised the issue because the December 2024 Spam Update is just one of multiple back-to-back updates from Google. It was released a day after the December 2024 Core Update was completed and about two weeks after the November 2024 Core Update was completed.
Previous Spam Updates
The December 2024 Spam Update is the third spam update of 2024 and just one of the multiple spam and link spam updates that Google has released over the last few years. The others include:
- June 2024 Spam Update: June 20 – June 27, 2024
- March 2024 Spam Update: March 5 – March 20, 2024
- October 2023 Spam Update: October 4 – October 20, 2023
- December 2022 Link Spam Update: December 14, 2022 – January 12, 2023
- October 2022 Spam Update: October 19 – October 21, 2022
- November 2021 Anti-Spam Update: November 3 – November 11, 2021
- Link Spam Update: July 26 – August 24, 2021
- Anti-Spam Update II: June 29, 2021
- Anti-Spam Update: June 23, 2021
What’s Next – Dealing With This Update
The purpose of the December 2024 Spam Update remains unclear. Google only mentioned that it would roll out for all languages and locations. SEOs and bloggers did not report volatilities or any other effect of the update in its early days either.
In the meantime, you should continue to monitor your site with Rank Math Analytics. If you observe a drop in traffic, review your site for spam and follow the guide below for tips on recovering from an algorithm update.
