British news publishers are facing serious challenges after a recent Google update caused a sharp drop in their search rankings. The change has led to a noticeable decline in online visibility, leaving many publishers struggling to understand the impact and decide their next steps.
The issue began after Google rolled out changes to its search system in December 2025. Industry analysts who reviewed the data shared their findings with PPC Land, showing that many UK news websites were affected.
The update ran between December 11 and December 29 2025 and resulted in ranking losses for a large number of publishers. An analysis of Sistrix visibility scores found that 69 percent of the 75 UK news sites reviewed experienced a decline. More than half of them saw significant drops, with some losing over ten percent of their search visibility.
Several major news organizations were hit by the update. These included The Guardian, The Telegraph, BBC News, Sky News, Reuters and The Independent. All of these outlets saw notable reductions in the number of users finding their content through Google search during this period.
Not all publishers were affected in the same way. Some websites gained visibility after the update. Money Saving Expert, Substack, The Times and The Mirror recorded increases in search traffic, showing that the changes benefited certain publishers.
Search ranking shifts became more noticeable shortly after the update was announced. Tracking tools showed major changes in search results by mid December. The timing of the update was especially challenging because it took place during the holiday season, a period when search activity is usually high. This increased the impact on publishers that rely heavily on Google for traffic.
The December update was Google’s final core algorithm change of 2025. It has added to growing concerns in the news industry about falling search referrals and the rising need to depend on alternative traffic sources outside of search.
