Several times a year, Google has a ‘core update’ – basically shaking up the search algorithms to keep us all on our toes. This is where they make broad changes to the search algorithms and systems for searchers. Most sites don’t notice they happen in the moment or even months down the track, but for others, there can be a change in their traffic. Over the past couple of weeks, Google’s March 2025 core update has been quietly rolling out.
Curious what that means for your traffic? Let’s dive into it.
How do core updates work?
Since online content is always changing and new websites are popping up here and there, Google’s core updates are designed to sift through the noise and serve up the most helpful, reliable links for searchers. They usually take a couple weeks to roll out and Google recommends waiting a full week after the update completes before analysing your site. The most recent roll out was complete as of the 27th of March, 2025, so now is the time to see how it has affected your site.
How to analyse and change your site after a core update
The first thing to do is compare your site’s position to its previous position in Search Console and assess the changes.
If there’s a small drop in position, there’s no need to worry or take action. Google suggests avoiding big changes to content that is already performing well. If there’s a large drop in position, such as 4 to 29, that’s when conducting a deeper assessment is needed to see why that happened. There are a few different search types to review: Web Search, Google Images, Video Mode, or News—analyse all of them.
Try to be objective as you assess your pages—some will be performing better than others. To get a fresh perspective, ask someone you trust to take a look and give honest, unbiased feedback. If you start to make changes, consider if the changes are sustainable for the long term and if they are making it easier for your audience to digest your content. Deleting content should be a last resort if it’s dragging down your SEO. Before hitting the delete button, see if a reword or refresh can do the trick instead.
SEO is a long-term process, and high-quality results don’t happen overnight. If you make changes, it can take anywhere from days to weeks, or even to a few months, until you see your site ranking higher again. Don’t let this get you down, because a strong SEO strategy can bring you long-term success. The best way to rank higher is by developing people-first content that is reliable and trustworthy. So make that a mission—how can you implement that type of content?
What’s new about the March 2025 update?
Now the question—what’s new since the last December rollout?
First off, the 2025 core update brought the most volatile SERPs we’ve seen in a while. It was the biggest spike we’ve seen in the last 12 months. SEO tools were running hot, with both Ahrefs traffic and SE Ranking confirming issues with Google tracking. Users took to X, sharing their shock and frustration. Many tools experienced either extreme dropping or all-time highs — like a rollercoaster ride. But as of now, they have fully recovered.
In general, this update targeted a variety of sectors, including retail, government, forums, and content publishers. Based on early observations from Sistrix and Local SEO Guide, three patterns emerged. Forum sites are losing visibility despite previous gains, mass-produced AI-generated content is getting devalued, and established platforms like Reddit and major retailers are gaining even more search visibility.
Google shared there will be a series of improvements aiming to “better surface relevant, satisfying content” from content creators. According to Google Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, some sites don’t deserve to rank because while they have great content, they don’t provide a satisfying website. What Google ranked in the past is not the same year over year. Sullivan shared: “Our results have continued to change since 2023, including showing more social content, for example.” Google has a help page all about creating helpful, reliable, people-first content, so for those not ranking as high, it may be best to check it out.
Learn and grow from the 2025 update
Throughout 2025, we will see how this update evolves and what implications it will have. It’s important that, as each core update comes out, you don’t act too quickly and wait until it finishes rolling out to make changes. But since it’s now finished, this is the prime time to take a look at your traffic and visibility. See what content pages can be altered and build a strategy out to improve them. Hopefully, the core update rewards you and sends you more traffic and conversions!
If you’re looking to connect with expert SEO specialists that can guide you through an SEO strategy and give you tips and tricks on how to rank higher, exchange your details with us! We are here to help.
Your next successful campaign starts with us! Contact us and get started today.
