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Google’s core update is eagerly awaited across the world with a mix of patience and anxiety by website owners. No one knows exactly what changes the next update will bring or how it will affect their websites.
After notifying us about the new core update on March 13th, Google finally rolled out the March 2025 core update on the 27th of March, taking 14 days in total.
Google’s core updates always come with new challenges and opportunities for websites. And since this March update was a kind of extension of last year's December core update, websites that were hit hard in the last update were looking forward to this update for any relief.
In this post, we’ll cover how the update may have changed rankings and what it means for your content so you can stay on track.
Aftermath of Google’s March 2025 Core Update
While Google's March 2025 core update didn't bring any major breakthroughs for websites, there are certain areas where its impact has been noticeable.
The March 2025 core update caused significant shifts in website rankings. During the rollout, SERP volatility spiked sharply, reaching its peak on March 16th. Most industries experienced noticeable fluctuations in their rankings. However, the healthcare sector remained largely unaffected by the update.
If your website saw sudden changes in traffic or rankings, this is a key moment to revisit your SEO strategy. Aligning your site with Google’s latest standards can help you recover and stay competitive.
Forum Websites Drop in Rankings After Google’s March 2025 Update
As of now, it appears that forum websites have experienced a negative impact from Google’s new core update. While platforms like Reddit, which feature high-quality user-generated content, have remained relatively unaffected, many other forum websites have seen a substantial drop in their rankings following this update.
According to Sistrix, Quora has been one of the most significantly impacted sites by Google’s March 2025 core update, experiencing a 22% drop in search visibility within the UK alone. Even government forum websites have seen negative visibility in search results, highlighting that no site, not even those of governmental organizations, was immune to the effects of this update.
The Continued Struggles of Programmatic (AI) Content in Google’s March Update
AI-generated content itself isn't the enemy of your website. However, flooding your site with AI content solely for ranking purposes without considering user needs can significantly harm your website's performance.
We've seen a similar trend in this rollout. Websites flooded with bulk programmatic content have experienced a decline in rankings. This update serves as a reminder for websites to prioritize content that aligns with users' needs and perspectives rather than focusing solely on quantity.
Steps to Take Post-March 2025 Core Update
As always, Google has not given any indication of post update activities or suggestions to work on if your site has been hit. But the first question you should ask yourself after this update is that if you are affected or not.
Here are some steps to take after Google’s March Update:
Website Audit
Conduct a comprehensive website audit to identify any changes in your site’s performance. Focus on the web pages that have seen significant fluctuations and analyze their behavior post-march core update rollout. Address any issues promptly to minimize the impact of the update and ensure your site remains optimized for the best possible rankings.
Optimize Programmatic Content
If you have been using AI content for your web pages, it's important to closely monitor the programmatic SEO of those pages for any negative impact on search rankings after the update. If you notice a decline, consider optimizing them to sound as natural and engaging as possible or even removing them from your site altogether to avoid further harm.
Expert Tip: Try to publish well-researched and high-quality humanly written content as much as possible on your websites as it has a higher chance to get ranked as compared to AI content.
Stay Patient After Core Updates
Fixing all the issues after the update doesn’t guarantee immediate improvements in your website’s rankings. Google requires time to re-evaluate and process changes. In the meantime, focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that serves your users' needs. Stick to the basics, follow Google’s writing guidelines, and be patient as your website works its way back up.
Conclusion
Aside from the SERP volatility and the decline of forum websites, there haven't been many significant changes in website performance globally. Programmatic content was also impacted by this update, but mainly when generated in bulk without considering the audience's needs.
One key takeaway that remains unchanged after the update is this: "Content is King." Focus on creating high-quality, engaging content for your readers, follow the fundamentals, and you'll no longer need to worry about the impact of Google’s core updates.
