March 2025 is turning out to be the beginning of a new adventure in SEO. With the release of the Core Update (Core Update) of the Google search engine, which began on March 13, Many website administrators woke up overnight to a sudden drop in organic traffic, while others reported surprising increases. Regardless of the situation, one thing is clear: this update changed the rules of the game, affecting sites of all types, from old ones to newly launched ones. If you too have noticed a drop in organic traffic from Google Search, don’t panic – it’s not necessarily a penalty. You just need to rethink your SEO strategy and wait for the next major update.
Content
Google Search Core Update (March 13, 2025). What's new in this change?
Core Update Update The March 2025 update, officially announced by Google on March 13th – but I suspect it started earlier – is a major algorithm overhaul aimed at improving the relevance and quality of results shown to users. Unlike a manual penalty, this change does not target specific sites, but adjusts how Google evaluates content and user experience on a large scale. The implementation process is expected to take up to two weeks, during which time fluctuations in rankings are inevitable.
The main directions of this update include:
EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trust): Google is placing an even greater emphasis on content that demonstrates expertise and credibility, especially in areas like health, finance, or legal services (YMYL – Your Money or Your Life). Sites that don’t provide expert-validated information risk losing rankings.
User Experience (UX): Loading speed, mobile-friendliness, and intuitive navigation are essential factors. Sites that do not meet these standards may be devalued.
Content update: Updating favors sites that keep their information up to date, especially in dynamic industries like technology or healthcare.
User intent: Google is increasingly adept at understanding what users are looking for, rewarding content that directly responds to their needs.
According to Google, this regular update is intended to provide users with more relevant and satisfying content, regardless of the type of site and its age.
Why is there a sudden drop in organic traffic to your website?
If your site's organic traffic dropped sharply in March 2025, you should know that this is not a manual penalty from Google. Core Updateare automatic algorithmic changes that affect all sites, not just those that violate the rules. These demotions are the result of a reassessment of how Google perceives the quality of your content, the user experience, and the authority of your site. In other words, if your site doesn’t offer quality content or is difficult to access on mobile devices, it’s very likely that organic traffic recovery will start at these points.
Here are some possible reasons why your SEO was affected after the March 2025 update and what you need to do next to recover organic traffic to your site:
1. Low quality content
If your articles are not well-documented, lack credible sources, or do not respond to user intent, Google may consider them less valuable.
For example, if you have articles on your site about health or finance, make sure the articles are written or reviewed by specialists to maintain credibility and user trust. Alternatively, citing reliable sources can add to the validation of the information.
2. UX issues
A site that is slow, not mobile-friendly, or difficult to navigate can be demoted. User experience has remained a “must have” for Google, which web developers must always keep in mind. Google rewards sites that offer fast loading speeds, mobile compatibility, and easy navigation. Conversely, sites that load slowly, are difficult to use on mobile, or have a confusing structure can suffer drops in rankings.
If your site is having performance issues, use tools like Google Insights PageSpeed to identify and resolve bottlenecks that affect speed and user experience.
3. Outdated content
This is especially a problem for technical information sites. Information that hasn’t been updated recently can lose relevance, especially in competitive niches.
Revise older articles and add new information, recent statistics, and current trends. This is especially important in industries where information evolves quickly, such as technology or finance. Fresh, relevant content is more likely to be favored by the algorithm.
In short, analyze older articles and make sure they are still relevant.
4. Adapt content to user requirements
Analyze the queries that bring traffic to your site (via Google Search Sideboard) and create content that directly answers what users are looking for. If your audience wants how-to guides, provide detailed steps. If they want product comparisons, include in-depth analysis. Understanding intent is key to climbing the rankings.
Also, avoid unnecessary text and don't always rely on SEO module suggestions (Yoast, Rank Math).
5. Increased competitiveness
Google Search it must be seen as a competitive market, in which the "quality - price" ratio can be translated as: content quality - user experience.
If your site has lost organic traffic, surely other sites that have adapted better to the new criteria have gained better positions at your expense.
What should you not do if your website traffic has decreased?
When traffic drops, it's tempting to react impulsively, but certain actions can make the situation worse. You need to keep a cool head, follow the latest updates, and Google Search and not to take hasty action.
Massive changes to your site’s content or structure without clear analysis can further confuse the algorithm. Wait for the update to stabilize and evaluate the data. Constantly monitor Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
Don’t ignore user intent and experience. Creating irrelevant content or keyword stuffing will lead to even poorer results. Focus on usability, not gimmicks. Also, a site that isn’t mobile-optimized is a surefire target for demotion, given the importance of mobile-first indexing.
Take it easy with suggestions from SEO optimization modules like Rank Math and Yoast!. Modern SEO emphasizes quality and context, not excessive keyword repetition.
Don't look for quick fixes to get back into organic search results. Google itself has emphasized that there are no quick fixes for recovering from a Core UpdateAny change must be well thought out and user-centered.
You can learn more about how to align your website with the new SEO requirements on Google Search Central.
On another topic, I think it would be interesting to read: Search Generative Experience (SGE), Google artificial intelligence.
In conclusion...
The March 2025 Core Update is a new step towards delivering the most relevant and quality results for users. If your site is built on valuable content and provides a great user experience, the negative impact will be minimal. If you’ve been downgraded, don’t focus on “quick fixes,” but on providing quality content in an interface that’s easily accessible, especially on mobile devices.
