Google rolled out the March 2024 Core Update between March 5 and April 19, 2024. However, Google only announced its completion one week later, on April 26, 2024. Unlike previous core updates, this was an update to multiple core systems.
Google’s Official Announcement
Google announced the March 2024 core update in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Today we announced the March 2024 core update & new spam policies that, in combination, are designed to show less content made to attract clicks and more content that people find useful. Learn more: https://t.co/wQVZ8mExRB
— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) March 5, 2024
In the documentation published on March 5, 2024, Google mentioned the update was intended to increase the helpful content and reduce the unhelpful content displayed in search results. The update was released alongside an updated spam policy and the March 2024 Spam Update.
What Are People Saying?
On March 6, 2024, Barry Schwartz shared reports of some search tracking tools on X (formerly Twitter). The tools indicated low volatility on search results pages.
So far the volatility is low, but that is expected to change when the Google March 2024 core update rolls out pic.twitter.com/QYnYnKLkCX
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) March 6, 2024
In another post, Glenn Gabe mentioned that site owners could be affected by updates to different core systems. So, even if you don’t experience volatility now, you could experience one before the update is completed.
Important from Barry after speaking with Google about the update -> "So you might think you are fine and not hit by this core update today, but next week, you might get hit by another core system update to this March 2024 core update. Google will let us know when this update is… https://t.co/8f8p4wyiXV
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) March 6, 2024
In the next few days, SEOs reported significant drops in their traffic. For instance, Niche Site Lady posted some analytics data showing a massive drop in her traffic. In response to her post, Chris shared data showing that his traffic dropped to zero.
I'm out.
See yall later 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ehX3lIWxvv
— Chris (@ChrisBarnes3D) March 10, 2024
This is also happening with me but I have not received any manual action. pic.twitter.com/obzzvytmSC
— Akshay Kumar Sharma (@alexsharma111) March 11, 2024
Some SEOs are also seeing a reversal of the sudden drop in traffic, they observed their traffic go back up within a day of dropping to zero. Hence, it is advisable to stay calm and do not panic after seeing your site’s traffic tank.
This site went down and recovered in just 1 day. Most of my competitors are down now, let's see what happens! pic.twitter.com/HncrKvZhFG
— Mushfiqur Rahman Swopnil (@saswopnil) March 11, 2024
Previous Core Updates
The March 2024 Core Update is one of the core updates we have reported since 2021. Below are details of the other core updates we have documented so far.
- November 2023 Core Update: November 2 – November 28, 2023
- October 2023 Core Update: October 5 – October 19, 2023
- August 2023 Core Update: August 22 – September 7, 2023
- March 2023 Core Update: March 15 – March 28, 2023
- September 2022 Core Update: September 12 – September 26, 2022
- May 2022 Core Update: May 25 – June 9, 2022
- November 2021 Core Update: November 17 – November 30, 2021
- July 2021 Core Update: July 1 – July 12, 2021
- June 2021 Core Update: June 3 – June 12, 2021
What’s Next – Dealing With This Update
The March 2024 Core Update is several core updates rolled into one. So, even if one update doesn’t affect you, there’s no guarantee that you won’t be affected by another one. For this reason, you should continuously monitor your site with Rank Math Analytics until this update is over.
The Core Update also runs alongside the March 2024 Spam Update and both updates could cause traffic loss. So, if you notice a drop in your traffic, follow the guide below to identify which of the updates is responsible.
SEO Implications of the March 2024 Core Update
The March 2024 Core Update reduced the importance of links in Google rankings. Before this update, Google considered links “an important factor” in deciding a page’s relevance. However, Google now considers links “a factor.”
Instead of links, Google now gives more attention to helpful, high-quality, and trustworthy content.
In the meantime, Google has opened a feedback form for this Core Update. You can use it to inform Google of ranking issues resulting from this Core Update. The form closes on May 31, 2024.
How to Identify Whether Your Site is Affected by the Core or Spam Update
Once you observe a drop in traffic, check your Google Search Console dashboard to see if you received a manual action notification. If you don’t see one, check the email registered to the Search Console. Keep in mind that the notification may arrive hours after the traffic loss.
- If your site received a manual action notification, then you were affected by the Spam Update
- If your site remained indexed in Google and didn’t receive a manual action notification, then it’s the Core Update
If you were affected by the Core Update, watch the video below for tips on recovering from a Google algorithm update.
