Google: The Helpful Content Update & Link Spam Update Still Ongoing

Jan 3, 2023 - 7:11 am 63 — by

Google Update Delay

Welcome back from the holidays, don't worry; you didn't miss much. The December 2022 helpful content update and December 2022 link spam update are not done yet. They should be done soon, but right now, when I write this, they are not done.

John Mueller of Google said on Twitter this morning when asked about the status that these two updates are "still ongoing."

As a reminder, the two updates were delayed in its finish date because they ran into the holidays. Google said there was a security issue with completing them on the holidays.

Also, we did see some big turbulence days before Christmas and then things calmed down a lot. The truth is, the Google volatility is much calmer still than the previous couple of weeks. We also saw some fluctuations on December 26th.

The December 2022 helpful content update is over two weeks since it should have been completed; it is four weeks and a day. The December 2022 link spam update is now just under a week overdue, it is just about three weeks since it was released.

I do expect these updates to finish any minute/day now - but I have no more insight than any of you. As of the time this story was published, the Google updates page still says these two updates are not complete.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Google Search Volatility

More Details

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Google Search Engine Optimization

Google Adopts New AI Training Control

Oct 30, 2026 - 12:50 pm
Bing SEO

Microsoft Bing New AI New Controls With AI Training From AI Search Grounding

Oct 30, 2026 - 12:15 pm
ChatGPT Ads

ChatGPT Gets Wider Ads, Multi-Image Ads Expands, Expansion & More

Oct 30, 2026 - 11:17 am
Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: October 30, 2026

Oct 30, 2026 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Volatility X2, Spam Updates, AI Overviews Everywhere, Blending Ads & Organic, Google & Microsoft Earnings

Oct 30, 2026 - 8:01 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google AI Overviews & AI Mode 0.9% Click-Through Rate, Opt Out Study Says

Oct 30, 2026 - 7:51 am
Previous Story: Google Outdoor Holiday Decorations In Brazil