Google rolled out the March 2025 core update on 13th March and is expected to last two weeks (although it’s worth noting last March’s core update took 45 days to complete!)
"This is a regular update designed to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites. We also continue our work to surface more content from creators through a series of improvements throughout this year"
Should website owners be worried?
This update isn’t so much about penalising poor quality, but rather boosting (or ‘surfacing’ as Google prefers to phrase it) sites offering a good user experience.
That said, site owners should be worried if:
- Content on their site is deemed low quality, i.e. overuse of AI or duplicated / irrelevant content.
- There are too many technical problems, i.e. slow page load times, broken links or poor mobile optimisation.
- They use uses spammy / frowned upon SEO tactics, i.e. keyword stuffing or non-ethical link-building.
What to do if you’re impacted by the March core update
1. Stay patient and don’t make hasty changes
Website owners should expect rankings to fluctuate before they start to settle. Avoid making knee jerk, hasty changes to your site structure or content straight away as these changes might not address the actual issues and could lead to further problems.
2. Conduct a technical audit now and on a regular basis
Slow page speed, crawl errors and broken links can all impact your website’s visibility. Conducting regular technical audits can keep all this in check and make your site less likely to fall foul of future updates.
3. Have a long-term strategy
It’s wise to play the long game – focus on creating fresh, high-quality content rather than putting temporary sticking plasters over existing issues.
4. Make user experience your priority
Ensure your site offers a great user experience incorporating responsive design and is easy to navigate with good loading times, relevant content and a smooth user interface
5. Rethink how you use AI-generated content
AI has its uses but too much of it can flag to Google that your site contains spammy or low-quality content. Keep it original, authentic and relevant (that’s what your audience wants to see too!).
6. Ensure you’re using the right tools
Tools such as Google Analytics and Search Console can monitor your site’s performance and enable you to adjust strategies effectively now and moving forward.
Have your rankings taken a hit?
If you’ve been negatively impacted by the March core update, we can help get you back on track. Our highly skilled team of technical SEO specialists and content strategists can work with you to implement effective solutions to restore and improve your search visibility.
Drop us a line today!
