Why informational and content-driven websites were disproportionately affected by Google’s December 2025 Core Update.
One striking pattern of the December 2025 Core Update is that content sites were impacted more heavily than e-commerce platforms.
This is not accidental.
The Content Saturation Problem
Google is facing an unprecedented problem:
Too much content saying the same thing.
AI-assisted writing has dramatically increased content volume without increasing insight. Google’s response is to compress the SERP.
Fewer domains.
Stronger signals.
Clearer winners.
E-commerce Has Built-in Differentiation
Product pages differ naturally by:
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Price
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Availability
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Reviews
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Location
Informational content often lacks that differentiation.
Google Is Filtering “Good Enough” Content
The update appears to demote content that is:
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Technically correct but not insightful
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Well-written but redundant
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Long but not meaningful
This does not mean the content is bad.
It means it is replaceable.
What Survived the Update
Content that performed well shared traits such as:
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First-hand experience
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Clear author identity
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Unique data or examples
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Opinionated but reasoned analysis
Final Thought
The future of content SEO is not scale.
It is distinctiveness.