Published at 10:16 AM PHT,
by
Dennis Cabrera
Watch this Video on Google's Important Dec Core Update
This post features a video and continues to examine with additional details how the Core Update from , to , was Google's global search algorithm change to define what good websites are. 40% to 60% of all websites were affected; mostly sites with affiliate marketing, health sites, and e-commerce websites. If your Philippine MSME is into affiliate marketing, the health industry, or in e-commerce, then this post can be valuable.
One new criterion for ranking well now is "satisfying content". Search users' satisfaction in buying your PH MSME product or service is key. Therefore, besides E-E-A-T, it is imperative to produce user-centered content that "satisfies" [1].
How the Update Also Affected Philippine MSMEs
* Traffic Losses: Sites hit by the update saw an average organic traffic decline of
17.3%, with some high-competition niches, like E-commerce, seeing a
52% impact because of "generic product descriptions".
* The "Zero-Click" Reality: By the end of , nearly 60% of Google searches ended without a single click, because users found answers directly in AI Overviews or Featured Snippets. Only 40%, or even less, made an effort to search more by examining the rest of the source links after the AI Overview.
* Mobile Dominance: In the Philippines, 92% of consumers conduct local searches on smartphones, and 76% of them contact a business within 24 hours. If your mobile speed was slow, you likely felt the drop more severely, as 94% of sites with poor Core Web Vitals lost visibility and rankings [2][3].
* The "Zero-Click" Reality: By the end of , nearly 60% of Google searches ended without a single click, because users found answers directly in AI Overviews or Featured Snippets. Only 40%, or even less, made an effort to search more by examining the rest of the source links after the AI Overview.
* Mobile Dominance: In the Philippines, 92% of consumers conduct local searches on smartphones, and 76% of them contact a business within 24 hours. If your mobile speed was slow, you likely felt the drop more severely, as 94% of sites with poor Core Web Vitals lost visibility and rankings [2][3].
Action Plan for Solutions: If Your Traffic Fell
1. Audit for "Experience" (The new E-E-A-T): Google now prioritizes content backed by firsthand knowledge. For a food MSME in Kapitolyo or a local food service with delivery, stop using stock photos or AI-generated photos. Replace them with original photos, how-to-use videos/reels, and verified customer reviews to prove your MSME is real and active.
2. Fix the Technical Groundwork: Technical excellence is no longer optional. Ensure your Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is under 2.0 seconds and your site has no horizontal scrolling on mobile (These are all part of the Core Web Vitals mentioned above).
3. Consolidate content: Google is rewarding concise, high-signal content. If you have old content that are not ranking well, consolidate them into a comprehensive Pillar Page/Cluster Topic structure to produce traffic not only for those old content but to other webpages as well.
4. Taglish & Voice Search: Filipinos using search are typing more conversational language like "Anong restaurant ang class, affordable at malapit sa akin?". Update your FAQPage sections to directly answer Taglish queries and to capture voice search traffic (Voice search is becoming popular now because of AI's voice-to-text capabilities) [4][5].
2. Fix the Technical Groundwork: Technical excellence is no longer optional. Ensure your Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is under 2.0 seconds and your site has no horizontal scrolling on mobile (These are all part of the Core Web Vitals mentioned above).
3. Consolidate content: Google is rewarding concise, high-signal content. If you have old content that are not ranking well, consolidate them into a comprehensive Pillar Page/Cluster Topic structure to produce traffic not only for those old content but to other webpages as well.
4. Taglish & Voice Search: Filipinos using search are typing more conversational language like "Anong restaurant ang class, affordable at malapit sa akin?". Update your FAQPage sections to directly answer Taglish queries and to capture voice search traffic (Voice search is becoming popular now because of AI's voice-to-text capabilities) [4][5].
Action Plan for Sales/Income: If Your Traffic Rose
If you are among the
23% of sites that gained traffic, now is the time to turn those "Clicks" into "Benta/Kita" (Sales/Income).
1. Build a Value Ladder: Don't just settle for traffic; move visitor traffic technically toward a sale. Use Gateway Content (like a free PDF guide for download or a discount code) to gather email addresses for further marketing through email. Then, technically move first time buyers from entry-level offers to your "premium" products/services.
2. Master "Serialized Content": 57% of consumers now want original, unscripted video series. Use your smartphone to create "behind-the-scenes" stories on TikTok. Use Reels to convert casual scrollers into a loyal community of "suki" (Tagalog term for repeat buyers).
3. Implement FAQPage Schema: To keep your "Position Zero," use Schema.org markup. This helps your MSME appear in the People Also Ask (PAA) boxes and increase your click-through rate by 25% to 35%.
4. The "Tiangge" Mindset: Leverage the Filipino love for limited-time offers and personalized discounts ("ang presyo para sa 'yo"). Use your rising traffic to run A/B tests on different promos to see which converts more visitors into Sales.
1. Build a Value Ladder: Don't just settle for traffic; move visitor traffic technically toward a sale. Use Gateway Content (like a free PDF guide for download or a discount code) to gather email addresses for further marketing through email. Then, technically move first time buyers from entry-level offers to your "premium" products/services.
2. Master "Serialized Content": 57% of consumers now want original, unscripted video series. Use your smartphone to create "behind-the-scenes" stories on TikTok. Use Reels to convert casual scrollers into a loyal community of "suki" (Tagalog term for repeat buyers).
3. Implement FAQPage Schema: To keep your "Position Zero," use Schema.org markup. This helps your MSME appear in the People Also Ask (PAA) boxes and increase your click-through rate by 25% to 35%.
4. The "Tiangge" Mindset: Leverage the Filipino love for limited-time offers and personalized discounts ("ang presyo para sa 'yo"). Use your rising traffic to run A/B tests on different promos to see which converts more visitors into Sales.
How the Update can be compared to an "Inspection"
Think of Google's December Core Update like a PH government official making a city-wide inspection of all food stalls in a tiangge. If your stall (your website) does not meet government standards or only serves generic "copycat" food (what we Filipinos know as "gaya-gaya"), the inspectors can move your stall's food products (site's food products) to the background. But if you have a solid stall/kiosk structure (a website with very good Schema implementation) and a unique recipe people trust (the E-E-A-T signals of your site), the inspector can move you to the front-row spot where everyone can see your stall's food products (your site's food products).
So the strategy is: make your physical stall (and your website/blog online) the one customers actually want to visit and return because of Google's new search algorithm's "satisfaction" standards.
So the strategy is: make your physical stall (and your website/blog online) the one customers actually want to visit and return because of Google's new search algorithm's "satisfaction" standards.
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Review video: Click Google's 2025 Search Shake Up displayed above.
