All You Need to Know About the March 2025 Google Core Update 

The first major Google update of 2025 is here: The March 2025 Core Update. It was announced on March 13, 2025, and rolled out over a period of two weeks. As the implementation was completed on March 27, you might have noticed a few changes to your metrics. With any Google Core Update, there are going to be some changes and volatility in the algorithm.

These fluctuations don’t necessarily merit any panic or knee-jerk changes. It’s best to let the dust settle and do some research on what these changes actually are. So, without further ado, let’s recap all you need to know about the March 2025 Google Core Update. 

SERP Volatility

SERP volatility refers to how drastically the search engine results pages (SERPs) have shifted during the update. According to the graphic above, we can see that the highest volatility was seen on March 21, 22, and 26. This makes sense as those were days closer to the completion of the rollout.

What This Means

While some platforms have experienced notable declines in traffic and visibility, others have seen improvements. Here is a compilation of U.S.-based websites that have reported decreases, along with available metrics:

Domains with Decreased Visibility:

• Quora.com: Experienced a 15.76% decline in search visibility.​
  
• Vocabulary.com: Saw a 10.93% decrease.
  
• Amazon.com: Noted a 13.84% drop.​
  
• Medicalnewstoday.com: Experienced an 8.07% decline.
• Cancer.gov: Noted an 18.16% drop.​
  
• Hbr.org: Had a 37.43% decrease.​
  

Domains with Increased Visibility:

• Hulu.com: Reported a rise in search visibility.​
  
• Vote.org: Also experienced gains in search visibility.​

*These insights are sourced from SISTRIX’s analysis of the March 2025 Core Update. ​

Industries Most Affected

As we can surmise from our research, here are the top industries that have been impacted most by the update:

Health and Medical

Websites such as medicalnewstoday.com and cancer.gov have seen significant decreases in visibility, indicating a substantial impact on health-related content. This makes sense because, due to the sensitivity of this category of business, these are among the first pages Google looks at whenever an update occurs.

Travel and Tourism

Platforms like expedia.co.uk have experienced notable declines, suggesting that travel-related sites were considerably affected by this update. 

E-commerce and Retail

Major online retailers, including Amazon.com, faced reductions in search visibility, highlighting the update’s influence on e-commerce platforms.

Education and Reference

Educational resources like Quora.com and Vocabulary.com have undergone visibility losses, pointing to an impact on informational and reference websites. The drop in visitability for Quora.com could be attributed to users having more trust in other platforms, such as Reddit.

Finance and Government

Government-related sites such as hmrc.gov.uk experienced declines, indicating that financial and official information platforms were also affected.

Our Take Away

Industries dealing with health, finance, and legal matters are under increased scrutiny. Google now favors content authored by recognized experts to ensure accuracy and reliability. The above example shows a dip in metrics from a vape company that we noticed took place on March 13, illustrating the point that with health care, vape, ammunition, and legal industries are some of the first industries to be impacted when an update rolls out. 

Other industries that got impacted are – content publishers, affiliate sites, product reviews, news, entertainment, restaurants, travel, forums, and home services. We believe that traffic to these kinds of sites may have been affected by a significant rise in AI Overviews for these industries.

What Should You Do 

If you find that your metrics are a bit shaken up, there are some things to do to get back on track to stabilization and growth.

Prioritize High-Quality, User-Centric Content

• You should focus on developing original, insightful, and valuable content that addresses our audience’s needs and queries.​ 
• Ensure content is well-researched, factually accurate, and demonstrates expertise. This kind of “Helpful Content” is heavily weighted by Google.
  

Optimize User Experience (UX)

• Enhance your site’s navigation to be intuitive and user-friendly.​
• Improve page load speeds and ensure mobile responsiveness.​
• Create a visually appealing and accessible design. ​
  

Implement Structured Data Markup

• Use schema markup to help search engines understand your content better.
• Implement any site-specific schema that can help enhance visibility in search results. ​
  

Focus on E-E-A-T Principles

• Showcase Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness in your content.
• Highlight author credentials and provide clear citations for information.

Adhere to Ethical SEO Practices

• Engage in organic link-building strategies and maintain a natural backlink profile. ​
• Getting magazine links, creating video content, and engaging in PR should be built into your strategy.

Regularly Update and Audit Content

• Keep the content current and relevant to maintain accuracy.​ Use PAA (People Also Asked) for FAQ’s on the website. 
• Remove or revise outdated information on your site to ensure ongoing value.

Social Media 

• Every business should have a social media profile.  Feature them on your homepage, and provide the opportunity for others to share your articles on social media.
• If you are missing an account on a social media platform, we’d strongly recommend you consider creating the missing accounts and being active on them to boost brand visibility.

Let the Experts Help

Need assistance getting your site back on track? Reach out to the experts at Coalition Technologies and let us help you build a robust, update-proof strategy designed to increase conversions and grow brand awareness.