The Google’s March 2025 Core Update has officially launched, bringing significant changes to how search rankings work.
This update has been highly anticipated, especially after Google’s previous updates aimed at reducing low-quality content.
In this post, we’ll analyse what this update means for content creators, businesses, and SEO professionals, incorporating insights from the latest Niche Pursuits News video.
What Is the March 2025 Google Core Update?
Google regularly rolls out core updates to improve search quality by prioritising useful, relevant, and original content.
The March 2025 update is particularly noteworthy because:
- It aims to prioritise human-written content over AI-generated or search-engine-targeted material.
- It refines ranking systems to reduce the amount of low-quality, unoriginal content in search results.
- Google claims this update will better highlight creator-driven content, aligning with feedback received from the Web Creator Summit in 2024.
According to Google, this update is part of an ongoing effort to increase valuable, engaging, and informative content while reducing the influence of AI-generated spam and manipulative tactics.
Key Changes in Google’s Algorithm
Let’s dive deep into the major changes:
- What specific industries are experiencing the biggest shifts, and what factors are driving these changes?
- Which businesses are seeing significant gains, and which ones are struggling to maintain their rankings?
1. Improved Quality Ranking for Search Results
Google’s main objective is to push low-quality, search-engine-optimised content down while improving well-researched and human-created content.
This means that websites relying on AI-generated bulk content or SEO-focused keyword stuffing may experience drops in rankings.
If your content is as original as a Netflix reboot, don’t be surprised when Google swipes left.
What This Means for You:
- Focus on depth, originality, and user experience in your content.
- Ensure your website offers real value, not just optimised content for search engines.
- If your site relies on AI-generated content, add human oversight to improve quality.
2. Google Discover Traffic Is Up for Human-Written Content
Anecdotal evidence suggests that websites producing original, human-written news content are seeing increased traffic from Google Discover.
Google appears to be favoring creators who consistently publish high-quality, engaging material.
Apparently, Google finally realised that AI-generated content sounds like an awkward first date—lots of talking, no real connection.
What This Means for You:
- If you’re in the news, education, or thought leadership space, expect more visibility.
- Google Discover could become a major traffic source for those who create content consistently.
3. Crackdown on Spam and Manipulative Practices
No more SEO hacks! Using old SEO tricks on Google is like trying to sneak vegetables into a toddler’s meal. They will find them and will throw a tantrum.
Google has introduced stricter spam policies, including:
- Scaled content abuse: Penalising websites mass-producing low-value AI-generated content.
- Site reputation abuse: Targeting third-party content hosted on authoritative domains for ranking manipulation.
- Expired domain abuse: Preventing old, high-authority domains from being repurposed for spam.
What This Means for You:
- Avoid AI-generated content without human refinement.
- If you allow guest posts, ensure high editorial standards to avoid penalties.
- Don’t use expired domains for ranking gains—focus on sustainable SEO strategies.
4. What This Means for AI-Generated Content
A major theme in this update is Google’s need for human-created content.
This is not purely an altruistic move—Google’s AI search models require high-quality training data, and AI-generated content trained on AI output (instead of real human input) leads to deteriorating quality.
AI writing is great… until you realise it’s confidently explaining that giraffes lay eggs.
What This Means for You:
- AI can still assist with content creation, but human oversight is essential.
- Google may further penalise sites heavily reliant on AI-generated text without originality.
- If your website has been hit by Google’s Helpful Content Update (HCU) in the past, now is a good time to audit and improve your content.
Industry Reactions and Speculations
Many SEO professionals believe this update is Google’s attempt to correct past mistakes. Some reactions include:
- Thomas Smith (from Niche Pursuits News) noted that his organic traffic has doubled since the beginning of March, particularly on human-written articles.
- Nate from Travel Lemming, who attended Google’s Web Creator Summit, indicated that Google has been working on this update for months, incorporating direct feedback from creators.
- Some speculate that this is Google’s counter to AI-powered competitors like Perplexity and ChatGPT, ensuring Google remains the best source for fresh, high-quality information.
SEO updates are like horror movies: you know something’s coming, you just don’t know if you’re the main character or the expendable extra.
How to Adapt Your SEO Strategy
1. Prioritise Human-Centric and Expert-Driven Content
Google is actively looking for content created by real people, with real expertise.
Strategies that worked in the past, such as AI-generated content, keyword-stuffed articles, and thin content pages, will no longer be effective.
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2. Create News-Based Content (If Possible)
If your industry allows it, try incorporating timely, news-style content into your strategy.
News-related content tends to outperform static informational content in today’s algorithm.
3. Improve Your Site’s User Experience
Google’s focus is on helpful, user-friendly sites. Ensure your site has:
- Fast loading speeds
- Easy navigation
- Minimal intrusive ads
4. Monitor Your Search Console and Analytics
During core updates, rankings fluctuate before stabilising. Keep track of:
- Traffic changes (Google Search Console and Google Analytics)
- Keyword performance (Ahrefs, SEMrush or Moz)
- Page experience metrics (Google’s Core Web Vitals)
Final Thoughts: What’s Next?
The March 2025 Core Update signals a shift back towards human-created content and website authenticity.
If your site prioritises quality, this update could be an opportunity to improve your rankings.
However, if your content strategy is heavily reliant on AI, low-quality articles, or manipulative SEO tactics, expect major ranking losses.
So, start focusing on genuine and user-first content—because let’s be honest, Google’s like a picky eater at a buffet: if your content isn’t fresh and high-quality, it’s getting left on the plate.
Keep an eye on your rankings, tweak as needed, and remember:
SEO isn’t dead, but if you’re not adapting, your rankings might be. Focus on original content, write like a human, and don’t trust AI to write your wedding vows.
-Danielog Joke-
