Introduction
The digital realm is continuously transforming, with Google Search being one of the most dynamic areas. For businesses, staying visible online is key to expansion, but navigating Google’s significant algorithm updates can be demanding.
Announced and rolled out over two weeks in Google’s March 2025 Core update, this update is now completed, leaving many businesses wondering: What just happened? How does this affect my website’s ranking? And most importantly, what do I need to do now?
In this blog, we will describe everything you need to know about the Google March update, explaining its impact, who it affects, and, most importantly, what your business needs to do to improve SEO performance.
What does Google’s March 2025 core update mean?
First, let’s clarify what a “core update” actually is. Unlike smaller, more frequent tweaks or specific updates targeting spam or page experience, Google’s core updates are broad changes to its main ranking systems and algorithms.
They aren’t designed to penalise specific websites or tactics. Instead, they represent a refinement of how Google assesses content quality and relevance overall.
Think of it like Google recalibrating its understanding of what constitutes a “great” web page that truly satisfies a user’s search query. When a core update rolls out, pages that were previously under-rewarded might see a boost.
In contrast, others might experience a drop if Google’s refined systems now deem them less helpful or relevant compared to other available content.
The March 2025 Core Update, according to Google and initial observations from the SEO community, continued the trend of prioritising high-quality, user-centric content. However, it appears to have placed an even stronger emphasis on signals related to E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) and taken a firmer stance against content perceived as low-value, unhelpful, or primarily generated for search engines rather than humans.
It’s crucial to understand that a drop in rankings following a core update doesn’t necessarily mean your website has done anything “wrong.” It often indicates that Google’s updated system now perceives other content as being more relevant and of higher quality for specific search queries.
Google's March 2025 core update quick facts
To provide a clear overview, here are the key details about the March 2025 Core Update:
- Name: Google March 2025 Core Update (not quite as much fun as ‘Penguin’ or ‘Mobilegeddon’)
- Launched: March 13, 2025, at approximately 12:30 pm ET (around 4:30 pm GMT for UK businesses)
- Completed: March 27, 2025, at approximately 8:34 am ET (around 12:34 pm GMT)
- Targets: All types of content across the web.
- Penalty: This is not a penalty. It’s a re-evaluation of content that can lead to some websites being rewarded with higher rankings and others seeing declines.
- Global: This was a global update, impacting search results in all regions and languages, including the UK.
- Impact: Google described it as a “regular update” aimed at refining its core ranking systems. While the goal is always to surface the best content, initial reports suggest significant volatility. Some content creators focusing on quality may see improvements, but the impact varies widely. Sites focusing on thin, automated, or unhelpful content likely saw declines.
- Discover & features: Core updates often influence other Google surfaces. This update reportedly impacted rankings within Google Discover, as well as the visibility of Featured Snippets and potentially other Search Engine Results Page (SERP) features. Some webmasters also noted fluctuations in indexing during the rollout.
- Recovery: If your site experienced a negative impact, recovery involves a fundamental reassessment of your content quality. There’s no quick fix. You’ll need to align your content strategy more closely with Google’s guidelines on creating helpful, reliable, people-first content.
- Refreshes: Google may periodically refresh the algorithms related to this core update without necessarily announcing every minor tweak. This means the effects might continue to evolve subtly.
Highlights of Google's March 2025 Core Update on SEO
Based on initial observations and analysis, here are some key highlights of the Google’s March 2025 Core Update:
1. Global impact across all content types
Similar to past core updates, the March 2025 update had a global impact, influencing all types of online content, including blog posts, product listings, service details, and informational articles.
2. Significant visibility shifts
Google’s search algorithm updates often cause major ranking fluctuations. When Google adjusts its ranking factors (such as E-E-A-T, content quality, or backlink relevance), a few websites gain visibility while others drop.
Websites with improved content, better user experience, or stronger authority tend to rise, whereas those relying on outdated SEO tactics (like keyword stuffing or low-quality links) lose rankings. These shifts affect multiple industries because updates apply universally, not targeting specific niches.
3. Crackdown on low-value content
A significant takeaway seems to be a further devaluation of content perceived as thin, shallow, unoriginal, overly aggregated, or primarily generated using automation (AI) without significant human value-add. Sites relying heavily on such content reported substantial ranking drops.
4. Forum demotions (with exceptions)
Many general forums or Q&A sites (often filled with user-generated content of varying quality) reportedly lost visibility. However, high-authority, well-moderated forums with strong community engagement and expertise, like Reddit, seemed less affected or even saw gains in some areas, potentially due to their perceived E-E-A-T signals in specific contexts.
5. E-E-A-T more crucial than ever
The update appears to have strengthened the importance of demonstrating Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Sites that clearly showcase who created the content, why they are qualified, and provide evidence of their credibility were seemingly favoured.
6. SERP feature & discover volatility
As mentioned, fluctuations were seen not just in standard blue link rankings but also in Google Discover traffic feeds and the appearance of Featured Snippets. This indicates that the core quality assessment impacts multiple facets of Google’s ecosystem.
7. Fluctuations in Discover, snippets, and indexing
Some websites reported volatility in their Google Discover traffic, featured snippet appearances, and even indexing status during and after the rollout. This highlights the interconnectedness of Google’s various systems.
8. Focus on user-centric improvements
Google reiterated its long-standing advice: focus on creating high-quality content that is helpful, informative, and provides a positive user experience. There are no shortcuts or technical tricks to bypass the core update’s intent.
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What has actually changed?
While Google doesn’t explicitly detail the specific algorithmic changes within a core update, the observed effects provide valuable clues:
1. Enhanced content quality assessment
The update likely involved refinements to how Google evaluates the quality and depth of content. This could include a greater emphasis on factors like factual accuracy, originality, comprehensiveness, and the level of detail provided.
2. Stronger emphasis on E-E-A-T
The demotion of content from less authoritative or less experienced sources suggests an enhanced weighting of E-E-A-T signals in the ranking process. This could involve better identification of expert authors, reputable sources, and evidence of real-world experience.
3. Improved understanding of user intent
Google’s ability to match content to the specific needs and intent behind search queries seems to have been refined. This means content that directly and thoroughly addresses the user’s question is more likely to rank well.
4. Re-evaluation of forum relevance
The shift in forum rankings (excluding Reddit) suggests a possible re-evaluation of how Google perceives the authority and reliability of information shared in traditional forum formats compared to other content types.
Reasons you might get affected
If your small business website experienced a negative impact from the Google’s March 2025 Core Update, it could be due to one or more of the following reasons:
1. Thin or low-value content
Pages with minimal text, superficial information, or content that doesn’t adequately address the user’s query.
2. Over-reliance on AI without human oversight
Publishing large amounts of AI-generated text that is generic, potentially inaccurate, lacks real insight, or hasn’t been significantly edited and enhanced by a human expert.
3. Weak E-E-A-T Signals
Lack of clear author information, no ‘About Us’ page detailing expertise, insufficient evidence of authority in your field, or a poor online reputation (e.g., many negative reviews).
4. Poor user experience
Slow loading times, confusing navigation, aggressive advertising, or content that’s difficult to read on mobile devices.
5. Content not matching search intent
Your pages might rank for certain keywords but fail to truly satisfy what the user was looking for when they typed that query.
6. Outdated or inaccurate information
Content that is no longer current or contains factual errors.
7. Focusing on search engines over users
Content stuffed with keywords unnaturally, designed purely to manipulate rankings rather than inform or help the reader.
What to do next if Google's March 2025 Core Update hits you?
If your small business website has been negatively impacted by the Google’s March 2025 Core Update, it’s crucial to take a strategic and methodical approach to recovery. Here are the steps you should take:
1. Perform a content audit
Go through your website’s content in depth to ensure quality and accuracy. Ask yourself honestly:
- Is this content truly helpful and valuable to my target audience?
- Is it comprehensive and insightful or superficial?
- Is it original, or does it just rehash what others have said?
- Is it accurate and up-to-date?
- Does it provide a good user experience?
- Does it clearly demonstrate E-E-A-T?
- Does it satisfy the likely intent behind the keywords it ranks for?
- Use Google’s own questions about content quality as a checklist.
2. Check Google Search Console
Examine your Google Search Console performance reports.
- Look at the Performance report: Identify which pages and queries saw the biggest drops. Note the dates the drop occurred (does it align with March 13th- 27th?).
- Check for Manual Actions: While core updates aren’t penalties, rule out any separate penalties.
- Review Page Experience reports: Ensure your Core Web Vitals are good, the site is mobile-friendly, and uses HTTPS. Technical issues can exacerbate content quality problems.
3. Improve your E-E-A-T Signals
Focus on enhancing the experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness of your website and content:
- Clearly showcase author expertise: Provide detailed author bios with relevant qualifications, experience, and links to their professional profiles.
- Provide credible references: Strengthen your arguments by citing authoritative sources with relevant links.
- Demonstrate real-world experience: If applicable, highlight your business’s experience, case studies, and customer testimonials.
- Ensure website security and transparency: Have an SSL certificate, clear contact information, privacy policy, legally required information, and terms of service.
- Build your online reputation: Encourage positive reviews and engage with your audience professionally.
4. Check your competitors
Analyse the websites that are now ranking higher for the keywords you’ve lost ground on. What kind of content are they publishing? How does their content quality, depth, and E-E-A-T compare to yours? Identify areas where you can improve.
5. Review affected pages in detail
For the pages that have been most affected, ask yourself critical questions:
- Does this content fully address the user’s search intent?
- Is the information accurate and up-to-date?
- Is the content original and insightful?
- Is the content well-structured and easy to read?
- Does it provide genuine value to the user?
- Does it demonstrate expertise on the topic?
6. Follow Google’s quality guidelines
Familiarise yourself with Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. Although these guidelines are meant for human evaluators, they offer useful insights into Google’s standards for high-quality content. Focus on the principles of creating helpful, reliable, and people-first content.
7. Update underperforming content
Based on your audit and competitor analysis, identify areas where you can significantly improve your underperforming content. This might involve:
- Adding more in-depth information and detail.
- Updating outdated information.
- Improving the accuracy and fact-checking.
- Incorporating original research or insights.
- Enhancing the readability and structure.
- Strengthening the E-E-A-T signals.
8. Diversify your traffic sources
While SEO is vital, relying solely on Google’s organic traffic makes your business vulnerable to algorithm updates. Explore other channels:
- Social Media Marketing (organic and paid)
- Email Marketing (build a subscriber list)
- Paid Search (PPC) like Google Ads
- Local SEO (Google Business Profile optimisation)
- Referral partnerships
- Content Marketing distribution on other platforms
What should you avoid?
Reacting hastily or incorrectly can make things worse:
1. Avoid keyword stuffing
Don’t just start cramming keywords into your pages reactively. This looks unnatural, harms user experience, and goes against Google’s guidelines. Focus on natural language and covering topics comprehensively.
2. Avoid drastic site changes without analysis
Don’t suddenly overhaul your website structure, delete masses of content, or change your entire strategy without first understanding why you were affected and having a clear, data-driven plan for improvement.
3. Avoid publishing thin or low-quality AI content
Resist the temptation to quickly churn out more content just for the sake of volume, especially if it’s low-quality or purely AI-generated without significant human value-add. This is precisely the type of content the update aimed to devalue. Focus on quality over quantity.
4. Avoid chasing algorithm trends
Don’t constantly change your strategy based on rumours or short-term fluctuations. Stick to the evergreen principles of creating excellent, user-focused content and building genuine E-E-A-T.
How can we help small businesses navigate this?
Understanding and responding to Google’s March 2025 Core Update can be time-consuming and complex, especially when you’re busy running your small business. But a reputed marketing agency can help you in different facets such as:
- Perform in-depth audits – We conduct comprehensive SEO audits, including detailed content quality assessments against Google’s guidelines and E-E-A-T criteria.
- Analyse impact & competitors – We analyse your GSC data and analytics to pinpoint the impact of the update and perform a thorough competitor analysis to identify opportunities.
- Develop a strategic recovery plan – Based on the audits and analysis, we create a prioritised action plan focused on improving content quality, enhancing E-E-A-T signals, and fixing technical issues.
- Content optimisation & creation – Our team can help you revise existing content or create new, high-quality, SEO-optimised content that meets the standards of the latest updates.
- E-E-A-T enhancement – We provide comprehensive support to enhance your credibility by guiding you on how to effectively demonstrate your expertise and build trust signals both on and off your website
- Technical SEO – We ensure your website’s technical foundation is strong, guaranteeing speed, mobile responsiveness, and seamless indexing by Google’s search crawlers.
- Ongoing monitoring & reporting – We continuously monitor your website’s performance, track progress, and provide clear reports on the impact of our efforts.
- Be proactive – Our team stays current with Google’s evolving algorithms and updates, adapting your SEO plan to ensure its continued success.
By leveraging our expertise and resources through partnership, you can offload certain responsibilities and dedicate your time to more strategic initiatives within your business.
Conclusion
The Google’s March 2025 Core Update serves as another potent reminder from Google: prioritise your users. Create content that genuinely helps, informs, or engages them. Users will trust you more when you effectively communicate your expertise and provide a seamless user experience.
While algorithm updates can cause short-term fluctuations, businesses that consistently invest in high-quality content and a user-first approach are best positioned for long-term success in search. Don’t view this update as a setback but as a prompt to ensure your website truly offers the best possible experience and value to your potential customers in the UK and beyond.
Need help assessing your website’s performance after the March 2025 Core Update? Contact us today for a free consultation, and let us help you navigate the path to better rankings and sustainable online growth.
