Google’s December 2025 Core Update: What Life Science Organizations Need to Know

Google dropped a significant core algorithm update on December 11, and if your life science organization relies on organic search traffic (tip: it does), you’ll want to pay attention.

Whether you’re a biotech company competing for visibility in competitive research areas or a clinical research organization attracting study participants, this update could impact how your content performs in search results.

First Things First: Don’t Panic (Yet)

Wait for a couple of weeks, or ideally until the update finishes rolling out, before deciding if you’re impacted. Things can be turbulent following the initial rollout. Rankings often bounce around during this period, so resist the urge to make hasty changes based on day three of the rollout.

If You Are Impacted, Here’s What to Do

It’s likely not something you can fix with technical changes. Instead, you need to really look at your content and compare it to the pages Google is now ranking above you. Your goal is to see which sites increased at the same time that yours decreased. Ask yourself:

• Do they have more original information? For example, if you’re a clinical research organization, are your competitors including more detailed protocol information or patient journey insights?
• Are they in some way more helpful? Perhaps a competing CDMO has added process flow diagrams or capacity specifications that make their content more actionable.
• For pharmaceutical or medical device companies, are competing pages including more robust safety information, clinical data, or real-world evidence?

Also, know that core updates impact AI Overviews (and likely AI Mode as well), and this will be difficult to measure. If you’ve noticed changes in how your content appears in AI-generated summaries, that’s part of this update too.

What Makes This Update Different?

Google recently announced major advancements with their Gemini 3 model, which is “much better at figuring out the context and intent behind your request.”

This is particularly relevant for life science organizations because search queries in our space are often highly technical and context-dependent. When someone searches for “antibody conjugation methods,” are they a researcher looking for protocols, a biotech professional evaluating CDMOs, or a student learning the basics? Better intent understanding means Google can serve more appropriate results.

Forma’s Predictions for Life Science Content

We’re expecting pages with unique and helpful imagery or video to perform particularly well.  For example, a pharmaceutical company that includes clear infographics explaining their drug’s mechanism of action, a medical device manufacturer with detailed product videos, or a clinical research organization with visual timelines of their trial process. These elements don’t just make content more compelling; they make complex scientific information more accessible.

But ultimately, we expect this core update to be similar to what we’ve seen for several years now; Google’s AI systems that help determine what a user is likely to find helpful and satisfying will continue to improve.

What This Means for Your Organization

• For biotech companies, this might mean your technical resources need to go deeper than competitor content while remaining accessible to your target audience.
• For pharmaceutical organizations, original research data, clinical trial results, and expert medical perspectives will likely carry more weight than ever.
• For CDMOs, detailed process information, capacity specifications, and case studies showing real-world applications could help you stand out.
• For clinical research organizations, transparent information about your methodologies, patient-centric content, and clear enrollment criteria could improve visibility.
• For medical instrumentation companies, technical specifications paired with real-world applications and comparative data may perform better than generic product descriptions.

The Bottom Line

The life science space is unique. We’re dealing with highly technical content, strict regulatory requirements, and audiences that need both accuracy and accessibility. This update appears to reward content that genuinely serves user needs with original, helpful information.

Monitor your rankings over the next few weeks, but don’t make knee-jerk reactions. If you do see sustained impacts, focus on content quality and user value rather than technical SEO fixes. And remember, the organizations that will weather this update best are those already committed to creating genuinely helpful, original content for their audiences.

If you’re looking for a trusted partner with decades of experience supporting life science organizations, contact Forma today to see how we can help grow your business.