SEO · · 1 min read
SEO in 2025: Three Core Updates, AI Mode and Our Plan for 2026
Google closed 2025 with a December core update that ran from 11 to 29 December. Here's a recap of a year where AI answers went mainstream, and what we'll focus on in 2026.
In short:
- Google’s December 2025 core update ran from 11 to 29 December, about 18 days, the third core update of the year after March and June.
- AI Mode went from a Labs test (March) to all US users (May) to Gemini 3 (November). AI Overviews expanded to 200+ countries.
- For 2026: build brand demand, publish information only you have, and measure SEO by leads and sales.
Google released its December 2025 core update on 11 December and confirmed the rollout was complete on 29 December. Volatility peaked around 13 December and again around 20 December. It was the third broad core update of 2025.
2025 in search
- March: AI Mode launched in Search Labs. First core update of the year (13–27 March).
- May: AI Mode rolled out to all US users. AI Overviews expanded to 200+ countries and 40+ languages.
- June–July: a big core update (30 June – 17 July) with some recoveries for sites hit in 2023.
- September: Google dropped the num=100 parameter, changing Search Console impression data for most sites.
- October–November: ChatGPT launched shopping and its own browser. Gemini 3 arrived in AI Mode.
- December: the December core update (11–29 December).
What we learned
- Brand is the best SEO defence. Sites people search for by name held up best through every update.
- Original information wins citations. AI answers quote specific, trustworthy sources.
- Clicks are fewer but better. Visitors who click through from AI answers are often closer to buying.
Our SEO plan for 2026
- Audit every page: keep, improve, merge or remove.
- Build topic clusters around services and products, answering the follow-up questions people ask AI tools.
- Add first-party data to content: prices, results, case studies, local details.
- Strengthen technical basics: speed, structured data, clean indexing.
- Report on organic leads and revenue, with impressions and rankings as supporting signals.
PeachTag Team
Led by Zain Ismail, 11+ years in performance marketing. Need help with this? Talk to us.
