Google's updated spam policy targets back button hijacking, where sites block users from returning to the previous page, causing frustration and breaking expected browsing behavior. This will be a spam violation from June 15, 2026, leading to possible manual actions or search demotions. Site owners must remove any scripts causing this, including from third-party sources, to maintain user trust and avoid penalties.
Google is moving its JSON files listing IP ranges from /search/apis/ipranges/ to a more general location at /crawling/ipranges/ on developers.google.com. The files will remain accessible at the old path temporarily, but users are encouraged to switch to the new location soon. The old URLs will be phased out and redirected within six months.
Googlebot is part of a centralized crawling platform for various Google products, not a single crawler. It fetches up to 2MB per URL (64MB for PDFs), including headers, ignoring bytes beyond this limit. Linked resources are fetched separately with their own limits. The Web Rendering Service processes fetched bytes, running JavaScript and CSS but works statelessly. To optimize, keep HTML lean, place key elements early, and monitor server response times.
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The branded queries filter in Search Console is now available to all eligible sites, helping analyze traffic by distinguishing branded from non-branded queries. Available since Feb 21, it works well compared to custom regex filters. Testing on large sites showed mixed accuracy, with AI sometimes excelling and other times missing. Google plans to improve accuracy, making it a useful SEO tool already.
Google's Search Console now offers an AI-powered configuration feature in its Performance report, letting users describe their analysis in natural language. It applies filters, sets comparisons, and selects metrics like Clicks and Impressions, simplifying data analysis. It supports only Search results reports, may misinterpret requests, so users should verify filters. It cannot sort or export data and is rolling out gradually.
Google's December 2025 core update was completed after an 18-day rollout from December 11 to December 29, 2025. It was the third core update of the year, with more frequent updates expected. The update aims to improve content relevance and quality across all websites, promoting high-quality pages rather than penalizing lower-quality ones.
Google Search Console has introduced weekly and monthly views in the Performance report to help analyze search traffic trends more effectively. This feature allows users to adjust the time aggregation of performance charts, making it easier to identify long-term trends without daily fluctuations. Users can select their preferred view in the chart area, and the export file structure will also change to align with the new options.
Google announced the December 2025 core update, starting around 12:25 pm ET, expected to take up to 3 weeks to roll out. This regular update aims to improve the relevance and satisfaction of search results across all site types. It's the third core update of 2025, following a spam update. SEO community chatter about volatility increased recently, aligning with Google's hint about an upcoming core update.
Google updated its core updates documentation to explain that search algorithm changes, including smaller core updates, can affect website rankings. Content improvements may lead to higher search positions without waiting for major updates. Effects can appear in days or take months for systems to confirm content quality. Smaller updates happen continuously but are unannounced as they cause minor changes.
