The announcement of the Google March 2025 core update created waves of trepidation throughout the marketing sector. Now that the first core update of the year is officially complete, digital marketers have been closely following the rollout to gauge the impact it will have.
As a full-service digital and marketing agency, CTI Digital is well-positioned to summarise what to expect from the March core update and what the changes might mean for your business.
Google core algorithm updates are a series of broad changes to Google's search engine algorithms. But however much these changes may seem like a cause for concern, they are simply designed to make search results more relevant and helpful.
The Google core updates aim to reward high-quality content and discourage marketers from adopting manipulative practices to increase rankings. Google use this helpful analogy to describe why their algorithms need updating at all:
“One way to think about a core update is to imagine that a friend asked you for your top food recommendations. While you do have a list of your 20 favorite restaurants, things have changed since you initially wrote it in 2019. The list will change, and restaurants that move down aren't necessarily "bad"; there are just other restaurants that make your top 20.”
Updates to the Google core algorithm typically occur a few times each year. Although it is worth noting that these updates are not designed to surprise or catch anyone out. Google gives clear notice of when core updates will be rolled out in their Google Search ranking updates.
The March Google core update focuses on improving search quality, in a similar manner to previous updates. By prioritising helpful and relevant content and reducing the visibility of low-quality pages, Google aims to provide a more rewarding search experience. Elements of the new update include:
The March update includes spam policies that are tailored to address quickly evolving abusive practices. By taking necessary action, Google will be helping to prevent unoriginal and low-quality spam content to become more common in search results.
The latest core update aims to address the practice of producing vast quantities of content in an attempt to boost search rankings. Large-scale content production will come under scrutiny, regardless of whether that content is created by a human, automation, or a combination of the two.
Google also plans to take action against content that has little or no value for a user. They will penalise pages that pretend to answer popular searches but don’t actually say anything helpful.
It is possible for websites to host low quality third-party content in addition to their own helpful content. The end goal is for third-parties to capitalise on the good reputation of the hosting site, which can be misleading to visitors.
From May 5th, Google will now consider very low-value, third-party content that has been produced purely for ranking purposes to be spam. The announcement comes early to allow site owners some extra time to make any necessary changes.
Expired domains can be purchased and repurposed with the intention of boosting the search ranking of low-quality or unoriginal content. Users may be led to believe that the new low-quality content is part of the old website, and therefore more trustworthy than it really is. However, as part of the March Google core update these domains will now be considered spam.
Changes to the core algorithm won't target specific sites or individual web pages. Marketers are encouraged to continue to follow EEAT best practices to help ensure that all content aligns with Google’s definition of a good search result. Some tips include:
Prioritising helpful, original content that provides a good user experience.
Auditing existing content to identify areas for improvement and ensure every page provides value for users.
Focusing on providing a positive user experience with information that is accurate and helpful.
However, it is worth bearing in mind that it may take several months for Google to confirm that your site is producing helpful and reliable people-first content.
If your rankings have shifted recently, the March core update could well be the reason. During the rollout, many websites saw significant ranking volatility. At CTI Digital, we’re monitoring these fluctuations on behalf of our clients. One client experienced a dramatic increase in organic visibility, as their site featured in 4151 AI Overview snippets - increasing from just 437 in the previous month.
Our team will continue to assess any changes and help to ensure our clients are at the forefront of any developments. If your SEO rankings have dropped, get in touch. Our team can carry out an audit and create a clear strategy to help you get back on track.
Learn more about CTI Digital and our expert SEO services here.