Google Search Central Live returns to Zurich in December 2025

Google announced on November 11, 2025, that Search Central Live will return to Zurich on December 9, marking the latest installment of the company's global event series for SEO professionals and digital marketing practitioners. The event will take place at Google Zurich Europaallee, located at Europaallee 36, 8004 Zurich, Switzerland, running from 9:00 to 17:00.

According to Martin Splitt, Search Advocate at Google Switzerland, the event represents "a fantastic opportunity for SEO and digital marketing professionals to connect, learn and engage with each other and the Google Search teams." The announcement indicates that multiple Google Search teams will participate, including Search Console, Search Relations, Shopping, and other divisions.

The registration process requires interested participants to submit applications before November 19. Confirmations will be sent by November 24. Attendance requires confirmation, as the event operates under capacity constraints typical of Search Central Live conferences. The event maintains Google's standard no-cost attendance policy, though participants must arrange their own transportation and accommodation.

Search Central Live Zurich 2025 will feature presentations from various Google Search teams alongside a community participation component. The event will include Lightning Talks, which are 10-minute sessions allowing community members to share insights and ideas with the audience. Interested speakers can apply through a separate submission form for these speaking slots.

The event structure combines technical education with networking opportunities. Attendees will gain access to presentations covering search optimization strategies, algorithm updates, and tool applications while having the opportunity to participate in question-and-answer sessions with Google employees. The networking component allows professionals from the SEO and digital marketing industries to exchange ideas and build connections.

Search Central Live events represent Google's primary platform for direct community engagement with web professionals worldwide. The series has expanded significantly throughout 2025, reaching multiple continents with varying formats and specialized content tailored to regional markets.

Google brought the series to New York City for the first time on March 20, 2025. According to John Mueller from the Search relations team at Google Zurich, the New York event marked the first time the flagship search event took place in "the city that never sleeps." The New York edition featured six key speakers from Google's search and news teams, including John Mueller, Danny Sullivan, and Daniel Waisberg.

Google brought the event to Brazil in February 2025, with sessions in São Paulo on February 18 and Recife on February 20. According to Daniel Waisberg from Search Relations and the Google News Partnerships Brazil team, the expansion to Recife demonstrated acknowledgment of Brazil's growing regional tech communities beyond traditional centers. The events focused on artificial intelligence integration with search and recent developments from the Search Console team.

Google announced an expanded "Deep Dive" format for Asia Pacific audiences on March 17, 2025. The enhanced format represented a substantial shift from previous single-day events, offering multi-day experiences between July 7 and July 27, 2025. The Deep Dive format focused extensively on technical aspects of search optimization, with detailed examinations of how Google Search functions, practical applications of robots meta tags, hands-on workshops for robots.txt implementation, and in-depth sessions on rendering processes.

The Bangkok event ran from July 23-25, 2025, at Carlton Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit. According to coverage from the event, Gary Illyes clarified that AI-powered search tools operate through mechanisms largely similar to traditional search systems. The presentation demonstrated technical overlaps between Search, AI Overview/Mode, and Gemini platforms, indicating that existing SEO knowledge remains relevant for AI search optimization.

The series returned to Mexico City on September 25, 2025. Google announced the event on August 20, 2025, with the conference taking place in the Colonia Roma neighborhood between 8:30 and 16:00. According to the announcement posted by Daniel Waisberg from Search Relations and Alejandra Brambila from Google News Partnerships Mexico, the event continued the company's mission to help participants enhance their website performance in Google Search.

Google hosted its first Chinese-language event in Hong Kong on October 31, 2025. Google announced on September 8, 2025, that the event would take place at The Mills Fabrica in Tsuen Wan. According to Cherry Prommawin and Gary Illyes from Search Relations, the event marked the first time the company's flagship search optimization conference was conducted primarily in Chinese. The October 31 event focused on ecommerce SEO challenges specific to international market expansion.

The December 9 Zurich event arrives during a period of significant changes to how search traffic patterns function. Martin Splitt addressed "The Great Decoupling" at the Warsaw event on June 17, 2025, marking the first time a Google representative directly explained the dramatic changes affecting website traffic patterns worldwide. The term describes the unprecedented separation of search impressions from clicks that publishers have experienced since AI Overviews became standard in Google Search results.

According to documented instances across the industry, websites now receive significantly more impressions while experiencing substantial click decreases. Martin Splitt acknowledged that "if things are being shown in AI overviews, you will probably see less clicks." This phenomenon represents a fundamental shift in how search traffic functions, with direct implications for publishers and digital marketing professionals.

The Lightning Talks component has become a signature feature of Search Central Live events, allowing community voices to complement Google presentations. These brief sessions provide platforms for practitioners to share real-world experiences and optimization strategies with peers. The format encourages dialogue between company representatives and industry professionals rather than one-directional information delivery.

Marketing professionals attending Search Central Live events gain insights into Google's current search priorities and technical implementations. Sessions typically address common SEO misconceptions, provide updates on Search Console functionality, and explain how search systems operate. The hands-on nature of many presentations allows attendees to develop practical skills for performance analysis and optimization strategy development.

The event's timing in December 2025 positions attendees to incorporate learned strategies into year-end planning cycles and prepare for implementation in early 2026. This scheduling aligns with typical SEO planning periods when businesses evaluate annual performance and develop optimization strategies for the coming year.

Search Central Live maintains strict attendance policies aligned with Google's corporate standards. According to event documentation, participants must be at least 18 years old, and unregistered guests cannot attend. The organizing team provides catering services, accommodating dietary restrictions declared during the registration process. All attendees must comply with Google's Event Community Guidelines and Anti-Harassment Policy.

The selective registration process typically generates significant interest among SEO professionals, given the limited venue capacity and direct access to Google team members. Applications undergo review, with the organizing team sending confirmations to accepted attendees according to the published timeline.

For professionals unable to attend the Zurich event, Google maintains a calendar featuring future Search Central Live conferences in other locations worldwide. These events form part of the company's global community engagement strategy, designed to address region-specific challenges and opportunities in search optimization and web development.

Shopping team participation in the Zurich event indicates potential coverage of product search optimization, merchant center implementations, or ecommerce-specific search considerations. This represents an expansion beyond traditional organic search topics to encompass commercial search functionalities increasingly important for businesses operating online retail channels.

The event structure allocates time for both formal presentations and informal interactions. Dedicated networking periods allow attendees to connect with Google team members in less structured settings, facilitating discussions about specific optimization challenges or technical questions beyond formal Q&A session formats.

Timeline

• November 11, 2025: Google announces Search Central Live Zurich 2025 for December 9 event
• November 19, 2025: Application deadline for Search Central Live Zurich
• November 24, 2025: Confirmation deadline for accepted attendees
• December 9, 2025: Search Central Live Zurich takes place at Google Europaallee office
• February 13, 2025: Google announces first-ever New York City event for March 20
• February 18-20, 2025: Search Central Live Brazil events in São Paulo and Recife
• March 17, 2025: Google announces Deep Dive format for Asia Pacific region
• March 20, 2025: Search Central Live debuts in New York City
• June 17, 2025: Martin Splitt addresses "Great Decoupling" at Warsaw event
• July 23-25, 2025: Search Central Live Deep Dive Asia Pacific takes place in Bangkok
• August 20, 2025: Google announces Mexico City event for September 25
• September 8, 2025: Google announces Hong Kong event for October 31
• September 25, 2025: Search Central Live Mexico City in Colonia Roma neighborhood
• October 31, 2025: Search Central Live Hong Kong first Chinese-language event

Summary

Who: Google Search teams, including Search Console, Search Relations, Shopping, and other divisions, organized the event through Martin Splitt, Search Advocate at Google Switzerland. The event targets SEO professionals, digital marketing practitioners, web developers, and website owners.

What: Search Central Live Zurich 2025 represents a full-day conference featuring presentations from multiple Google Search teams, Lightning Talks from community members (10-minute sessions), Q&A sessions with Google employees, and networking opportunities for industry professionals. The event provides technical education on search optimization strategies, algorithm updates, and tool applications.

When: The event takes place on December 9, 2025, running from 9:00 to 17:00. Applications must be submitted before November 19, 2025, with confirmations sent by November 24.

Where: Google Zurich Europaallee, Europaallee 36, 8004 Zurich, Switzerland. The venue hosts developers and search professionals from across Europe, with particular focus on the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland).

Why: The event serves as Google's primary platform for direct community engagement with SEO professionals worldwide, offering insights into search technologies, best practices, and updates while fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing within the industry. The event allows Google to disseminate current information about search technologies, provide insights into algorithms and best practices, and offer platforms for direct interaction between Google representatives and industry practitioners during a period of significant changes to search traffic patterns caused by AI Overview integration.