Google March 2023 Core Update Finally Live: Everything We Know So Far

Author: Team WH

Published On: 27-03-23

Last Updated on: 30-03-23

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Google makes frequent changes to its search algorithms and automated systems, significantly changing how SERP rankings work. Just recently, the tech giant announced the first Google core update for 2023.

Released on March 15, it is the initial phase in a long line of planned patches, all aiming to streamline the user search experience. Now, Google search queries will lead to the most relevant, informative, authoritative, and trustworthy content.

For SEO professionals and digital marketers, this could mean a shift in their site’s performance, traffic generation, and overall engagement.

And while this is still a developing topic, this article examines all the currently available information about the Google March 2023 core update.

Google March 2023 Core Update: Highlights & Noteworthy Points

• The Google core update targets all content types, covering all languages and regions.
• It does not focus on particular sites.
• It affects specific features, including Google Discover & Featured Snippets.
• The overall impact on SEO rankings, search queries, and SERPs is yet to be determined.
• Search rankings will be highly volatile during the rollout period
• A complete rollout will take approximately two weeks

What Should You Do if Your Site Underperforms After the Update?

The primary objective of the Google algorithm update 2023 is to enhance the user’s search experience while prioritizing relevant and value-driven content.

This essentially means that a few sites may experience a dip in traffic. However, it does not indicate that the pages violate spam regulations or policies. As such, Google Search Central uses a simple analogy to explain this occurrence.

For instance, if a specific movie makes it into the ‘Top 100 films of all Time’ in 2015, it does not necessarily mean it will make it into the same list five years later. In that interim period, a new release may take its spot.

Similarly, the Google update 2023 rewards sites for delivering informative, authoritative, and relevant material at the moment.

Regardless, Google has a few tips on what to do if your site is underperforming after an update. This includes a content assessment centered around three core pillars, those being:

• Quality
• Expertise
• Presentation

That aside, Google’s algorithms identify four elements to determine a particular site’s ranking on search results. These four factors are as follows:

• Experience: An evaluation of the writer’s first-hand experience with the topic
• Expertise: An assessment of the author’s knowledge in the niche or field
• Authority: An examination of the creator’s or page’s reputation in the genre
• Trust: An analysis of the content’s legitimacy based on the previous factors

Collectively, the points above are known as EEAT. Aligning your content to meet the EEAT criteria while conducting a thorough cross-examination of your site’s content is crucial to regaining your previous engagement rates.

Nonetheless, complete site recovery is not guaranteed after a core update.

Final Thoughts

Considering that the Google algorithm update 2023 is meant to enhance the user search experience, SEO professionals and digital marketers must focus on the same.

In other words, creators must prioritize quality content above all else. This will help recover your site’s performance while preparing it for future core updates. It is also crucial to monitor page metrics while optimizing your loading speeds and cross-device functionality.