1. Google Executes December Core Algorithm Update
On December 11th, Google launched its December 2025 core update with a typical announcement, saying it was a normal update and could take up to three weeks to roll out. It actually completed in just 18 days. While there was volatility in the SERPs during the update, the impact on our clients seemed minimal. We noticed some saw an increase in the number of AI Overviews (AIOs) they captured during that period, and Google considers AIOs part of the overall ranking process.
If you think you were affected by the recent Google update, contact the ROI Revolution SEO team to discuss what you can do to get back on track.
2. Google & CoPilot Introduce Agentic Shopping and Branded Chatbots
Last month, the ROI SEO team posted a deep dive into making the most of the ChatGPT/Shopify integration that allows ChatGPT users to make purchases from ecommerce sites from within the answer engine’s chat box.
Not to be outdone, in the last month, both Google and Microsoft introduced their versions of agentic shopping, also highlighting partnerships with Shopify, Stripe, and Etsy, among others.
- CoPilot users in the U.S. can use CoPilot Checkout on CoPilot.com. Shopify merchants are automatically opted in and should opt out if they are not interested in participating.
- Microsoft also announced that Brand Agents is now available for Shopify sites. The AI chatbot can be trained on the retailer’s catalog and brand voice to provide detailed answers to customers’ questions.
- Similarly, Google launched Business Agent, saying the on-site chatbot “can answer product questions in a brand’s voice, enabling retailers to connect with consumers during critical shopping moments and help drive sales.”
- In that same blog post, Google introduced Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard for agentic commerce that establishes a common language for agents and systems to operate together. The announcement boasted buy-in from a wide range of industry leaders, including retailers and payment processors.
Keep in mind, though, that adoption is optional for these systems, and each business must decide what will work best for its objectives.
3. Updated JavaScript Guidance from Google
Google updated its documentation around indexability and canonical usage pertaining to JavaScript. At scale, JavaScript can be handy to deploy changes across large ecommerce sites. However, Google warns that using it for some indexing directives may not work as intended. Misuse of these tools can critically impact site visibility and performance.
As one common example, a site owner may want to use JavaScript to remove noindex meta tags from many pages at the same time. Google had previously warned against this and recently updated its guidance, explicitly saying that the noindex tag should be removed from the source code itself, instead of being removed via JavaScript.
In a similar vein, the tech giant added a new section to its JavaScript guidance for canonical usage. Google recommends that site owners manage canonicals directly in the HTML to ensure that Google is able to read the canonical throughout the rendering process. In situations where setting canonicals with HTML isn’t feasible, canonicals can be set with JavaScript but should match what is in the original HTML. If there is a mismatch between the canonical in the HTML and a canonical being set by JavaScript, this can confuse Google, leaving the door open for Google to ignore your canonicals.
If you are concerned about how Google is interpreting the JavaScript on your site, reach out to the ROI SEO team.
4. Bing Chimes in on How Duplicate Content Impacts SEO and AI Search Performance
SEOs have been working to eliminate content duplication for years based on the risk of keyword ranking cannibalization (multiple URLs competing to rank for the same terms). As the search landscape evolves, we’re also wondering how these more traditional SEO tactics impact modern performance metrics, like AI search visibility. A recent Bing Webmaster Blog post breaks down how duplicate content can hurt both organic and AI search performance, plus how to fix it. Here are the key takeaways:
Organic Search
While having duplicate content doesn’t inherently penalize your site, it can affect organic search visibility. When search engines encounter duplicate content, they must decide which version to index and rank. This decision can lead to some of your pages being less visible if they’re perceived as duplicates.
For e-commerce sites, this often happens with product descriptions and categories, but it can also be present in informational content (e.g., blogs and resource centers). To mitigate duplication, ensure each page has unique, valuable content and consider adding canonical tags to signal which are your preferred versions of a page to search engines.
AI Engines
AI-enabled models place a lot of emphasis on content originality. They use context plus user intent signals to discern subtle differences between similar pieces of content, then prioritize the more unique and high-quality options in their outputs.
To dominate the competition in terms of AI visibility, invest time in creating compelling, informative content that resonates with your audience and stands out from the crowd.
5. Improved Conversations in Google Live
If you have the Google IOS or Android app, you can now have a more fluid conversation with the Live feature. Just open the app, tap the Live icon under the search bar, and ask a question. This enhancement is powered by the latest Gemini model for native audio. We tested it to determine if a houseplant was in distress, and the tool was able to look at our live video of the plant, assess its health, and offer tips to keep it happy.
From an SEO perspective, if you want to be a source used in Google Live, ensure your website is optimized for voice search. If you’re unsure, just reach out to your ROI SEO team for more information.
6. Updates from ChatGPT
OpenAI revised its description of the spider/crawler it uses for ChatGPT, OAI-SearchBot, removing the phrase “link to” from the sentence explaining that it’s used to “link to and surface websites in ChatGPT’s search features.” Another related update: GPTBot and OAI-SearchBot can share information with each other, so you may see one less bot from OpenAI in your log files.
ChatGPT also recently added local knowledge panels to its answers, but users must click on a business name within the chat to access the feature. While unconfirmed, it appears to be taking, or mirroring, the information from Google Business Profiles, so there’s one more reason to ensure yours is up to date! (And one more reminder that SEO is still quite valuable!)
