Well, 2020 is over – phew, right? December was a wild wild month in terms of what SEOs and webmasters need to be concerned with around Google Search. We had the December 2020 core update and some unconfirmed updates. We learned more about the page experience update, passage indexing and more. So let me give you a quick recap on what happened in the past 30-days, in case you took the month off.

The December 2020 core update started to roll out on December 3rd but we really did not notice it until December 4th. The second wave of that update was around December 10th. There was debate on if Google should have released an update when it did. But hey, those that got hit with the May core update and recovered, like us, were happy.

We also saw a couple unconfirmed updates on December 17th and Christmas weekend.

Passage indexing and the core updates are unrelated and so are core updates and BERT. But passage indexing was not rolled out before the end of the year, we are expecting it soon. But when it does go live, it won’t look different. Google also tested the page experience visual icon in the search results.

Google Search Console got some upgrades including fresh data in the API, a news filter and more, also a news showcase filter. Google launched the question hub in the US, which is awesome. Google fixed the request indexing tool after 69 days and decided not to kill the structured data testing tool.

Google has been busy testing UI changes including practice problems in the search results, dynamic expandable images and expandable descriptions. Google also launched short video carousels and 3D cars and so much more.

If you want to catch up on the prior month, check our the December Google webmaster report.

Here is a break down of the more important stories you may want to catch up on:

Google Algorithm Updates
Google December 2020 Core Update Is Live – Here Is What We See Now
Should Google Have Not Released The December 2020 Core Update When It Did?
Google: The December 2020 Core Update Is Still Rolling Out
Google December 2020 Core Update Second Wave
Google December 2020 Core Update Is Complete
We Recovered With The Google December 2020 Core Update
We’re Not Done Yet: Another Google Search Ranking Update – 8th Day
Christmas Weekend Google Algorithm Update? Doubtful.
Google On Why It Won’t Reverse The December 2020 Core Update
Google Page Experience Update Ranking Factor Will Apply To Mobile Search Only
Not All Google Search Algorithms Are Suitable For Machine Learning

Google Passage Indexing
Google: Passage Indexing & The December Core Update Are Not Bundled
Google: Passage Indexing Has Not Rolled Out Yet
Google: Passage Indexing Won’t Look Different From Normal Search Result Snippets
Google: Nosnippet Tag Won’t Prevent Passage Indexing From Ranking
Google: Passage Indexing & Page Experience Updates Unrelated

Google SEO
Does Google Ignore Portions Of Your Site For Assessing Quality? It’s More About Indexing.
Google: Core Updates & BERT Are Unrelated & Different
Google’s John Mueller 2021 Google SEO Advice
How Long Do Stories Last On Google Discover
Google: Avoid Blocking Pages That Are Important Enough To Have Links To Them

Google Search Console
Google Search Console API Gets Fresher Data, News Filter & More
Google Question Hub Is Open & It’s A Great Way To Find Content Ideas
Google News Showcase Search Console Filters & More Features
Google Request Indexing Tool Back After 69 Day Outage
Google Structured Data Testing Tool Moving To Schema.org; SEOs Now Happy
Google Search Console Issue Validation May Be Working
Google Has Plans For Regex Filters In Search Console
Google Search Console Team Breaks Down Structure & Development

Google Local, Maps & My Business
Google My Business Phone Support Returns
Google Guaranteed Testing New Badge Design
Google Guaranteed Offering Discounted Pricing
Google My Business Video Maker Is Okay But Not Great
Google Tests Displaying Services In Local Pack
Google Tests Dynamic Customized Tabs In Local Panel
Google Local Panel Ad For Lawyers Test
Google Tests New Local Pack User Interface Buttons
Google Local Meshed Throughout Web Search Results
Google Maps Local Listings Adds Web Search Results
Google My Business Call History Report Shows Answered & Missed Calls
Google Maps Landmark Icons & Pins
Google Local Reviews Tests “New” Label

Google User Interface
Google Page Experience & Core Web Vitals Icon In Search Results
Google Search Results Show Practice Problems For Studying
Google Tests Displaying Images Within Snippets On Mouse Hover
Google Tests Expandable Descriptions / Snippets In Search
Google Short Videos Carousel Displays TikTok & Instagram Videos
Google Search Streamed 3D Content Including Cars
Google Knowledge Panel Types Option Leads To Featured Snippets
Google People Also Ask Tests Question Mark Icons
Google Testing New People Also Search For Location
Google Tests Square & Multicolored Search Result Category Buttons
Google Search Popular Products Review Slider
Google Search Lets You Try On Makeup Like Lipstick & Eyeshadow
Google Search Testing Thinner Knowledge Panels
Google Search New Look For Question & Answers Carousel, Combines Multiple Sites
Google Search “Learn More About” Within People Also Ask
Google Mobile Search Sharable GIFs Carousel

Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.