December 2022 helpful content update: dates and what to do

What Google changed#

The Search Status Dashboard entry describes the December 2022 helpful content update as one “which improves our classifier and works across content globally in all languages.” Google did not publish a separate Search Central blog post for it.

The classifier is the one Google introduced with the August 2022 helpful content update, a “site-wide signal” that identifies content with “little value, low-added value or is otherwise not particularly helpful.” The August launch covered English searches first, with a stated plan to expand to other languages. The December update was that expansion.

When it rolled out#

The dashboard says the incident began on 5 December 2022 and that the rollout was complete as of 12 January 2023, a 38-day run in US/Pacific time. The entries are timestamped 22 March 2023, when Google added ranking updates to the dashboard.

The December 2022 link spam update ran from 14 December 2022 to 12 January 2023, entirely inside this window. A ranking change in December or early January may come from either update, so check whether the affected pages are losing on content or on links before drawing conclusions.

What is known about its impact#

Google published no impact figures for the December 2022 helpful content update. What Google did explain, in its August 2022 post, is how the signal works: it is weighted, so “sites with lots of unhelpful content may notice a stronger effect,” and it can hold back other content on the same site. Treat any percentage attributed to this update as a third-party estimate.

What site owners should do#

Google’s guidance comes from its August 2022 post and its helpful content documentation:

• Self-assess your content against Google’s people-first questions: original information, first-hand expertise, a clear primary purpose, and a satisfying experience for the reader.
• Watch for search engine-first warning signs, such as extensive automation across many topics or summarizing others without adding value.
• Removing unhelpful content “could help the rankings of your other content,” Google said.
• Expect a lag. Google said the signal may apply over a period of months, and lifts once the classifier sees unhelpful content has not returned in the long term.

How to check whether it affected you#

In Search Console, compare clicks for the week before 5 December 2022 with the week starting 19 January 2023, one week after completion. The classifier works site-wide, so look at the whole site’s trend before individual pages, and check non-English properties too, since this was the first helpful content update to cover all languages. The Google Algorithm Updates timeline lists every confirmed update with its dates.

Related updates#

• The August 2022 helpful content update was the first one, English only.
• The September 2023 helpful content update was the next one.
• The December 2022 link spam update overlapped it and finished the same day.