Google has publicly committed to December 31 as a deadline for improving how independent publishers appear in search results.
This timeline emerged during an exchange on X between Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, and several concerned publishers.
A Turning Point for Independent Publishers?
The exchange began with Jonathan Jones sharing notes from a discussion where Google addressed concerns about independent content creators.
Danny covers “independent” content creators.
“How do we spend more time to guide smaller independent sites to succeed”
Reference to a trip to Zurich where they discussed how they could do more. What could they do internally.
Reference to “we’ve done things to help”
Unlikely… pic.twitter.com/Ob2C8KNNwt
— Mr Jonathan Jones 🇹🇼🇬🇧 (@Jonny_J_) March 20, 2025
According to Jones’ post, Sullivan acknowledged Google’s need to “reward sites better” and expressed interest in helping “smaller independent sites to succeed.”
What made this conversation notable was publisher Nate Hake’s push for accountability, which resulted in Google providing a deadline. Something Google typically avoids when discussing ranking improvements.
“Can we take that to mean ‘December 31, 2025’ (if not before)?” Hake asked directly.
“Yes,” responded Google’s Search Liaison, adding the caveat that “this doesn’t mean all sites will go back up to wherever they were if they are down from a previous peak.”
1) Yes. With the important caveat that this doesn’t mean all sites will go back up to wherever they were if they are down from a previous peak.
Our results have continued to change since 2023, including showing more social content, for example. The results are going to continue…
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) March 21, 2025
Long-Standing Frustrations Come to a Head
The exchange highlighted the tension between Google and independent publishers, which have seen their search visibility decline in recent years.
“Honestly, everything you are saying sounds exactly like what you said when we visited Google HQ in October,” Hake wrote. “Same words, same inaction.”
Hake then detailed what he claims Google has done since October: “reduced independent publisher visibility even more” while continuing “to preference Reddit, Quora, and the 16 VC-backed media companies.”
Others joined the conversation, expressing similar frustrations with Google’s communication style. Mordy Oberstein characterized Google’s guidance as “ethereal” and “anything but concrete and consistent,” noting that publishers need more precise models of “what good sites look like.”
Google’s Response: Gradual Improvements, Not a Single Update
In response to these criticisms, Sullivan explained that improvements would be incremental rather than delivered in one major update:
“There’s no specific date because there’s no one specific thing that the teams are working on to improve. There are multiple things, because search has multiple things that are involved in ranking.”
He added:
“There have been some changes already launched with that goal. Some sites may have benefited from them; others might not, but that’s also because the sites themselves are all different.”
Sullivan acknowledged the need for better guidance, stating:
“I’d like to see us do a better job with guidance and documentation focused on content issues to add to our existing stuff that’s primarily about technical issues.”
Why This Matters
Many publishers have reported traffic declines following recent Google updates, with some claiming visibility has dropped despite maintaining high-quality content.
As Google’s March Core Update continues to roll out, publishers are anxious to see if it will resolve their ranking issues.
Some websites might notice changes with this update. However, we can expect improvements for more publishers by December.
Sullivan’s commitment is a small but notable victory for those who have pushed for greater transparency and accountability from Google.
