What Changed in Google’s March 2025 Core Update - and How to Respond

Google’s March 2025 Core Update rolled out over two weeks in mid-March, and like every broad core update, it wasn’t about punishing specific websites. It was about raising the bar—refining how Google surfaces content it considers helpful, reliable, and aligned with what users actually want.

And this time, it came with a twist.

While the update itself reweighted quality signals in the algorithm, Google also expanded the rollout of AI Overviews—its generative summaries that answer search queries directly at the top of the page. Between the ranking shake-up and this shift in how results are displayed, the SEO and paid media landscape changed overnight.

In this post, we’ll walk through what changed, who it affected, and—most importantly—how to respond.

What Was the March 2025 Core Update—and What Did It Target?

The March update didn’t focus on a single type of content or technical issue. It was a broad, systemic recalibration of how Google evaluates pages across categories. If your site publishes blog content, product pages, reviews, tutorials, or even forums, you were part of the mix.

Here’s what it prioritized:

Content that demonstrates real expertise.
Original insights, clearly structured answers, and firsthand experience performed well. Pages that were thin, outdated, or heavily templated—especially if they leaned too hard on AI tools—tended to lose ground. Google didn’t penalize AI-generated content outright, but the update made it clear: originality and substance matter.

People-first content.
The update continued Google’s push toward E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Content that’s actually built to help people—rather than just attract search traffic—was favored.

A higher bar across the board.
This wasn’t limited to a single niche. From health and finance to ecommerce and entertainment, the update reassessed how well content aligns with user intent. Some industries saw sharper volatility than others, especially in YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) categories.

No quick technical fix.
If your rankings dropped, it doesn’t necessarily mean your site was broken. It likely means someone else’s content better addressed the query—or that Google’s understanding of search intent evolved. The path to recovery lies in improvement, not hacks.

How Much Did Things Move?

Quite a bit. According to Semrush and Similarweb, volatility levels during this update were nearly identical to those seen in December 2024. SERP rankings spiked in the first few days, then gradually stabilized.

Some industries saw sharper movement than others:

• Health and finance results were among the most disrupted, likely due to the sensitivity of “Your Money or Your Life” content.
  
  

• Travel and entertainment saw relatively modest shifts, especially at the top of the results, though mid-tier rankings still experienced reshuffling.

In short: this wasn’t a one-off shakeup. It was a slow, sweeping adjustment to Google’s core systems, affecting how it evaluates trust, originality, and relevance. If your rankings changed, it likely had more to do with how your content compares to the competition than anything technical behind the scenes.

Winners and Losers in Organic Search

Every core update creates movement. Some sites rise, others fall, and many stay flat. The March 2025 update was no exception—but the trends it revealed say a lot about where Google is heading.

Who Benefited

Authoritative, expert-driven content

Sites that demonstrated clear expertise and usefulness saw strong gains. In health and finance, where trust is paramount, domains like Patient.info and Ballotpedia.org jumped in visibility. These sites provide well-sourced, up-to-date information with a clear editorial voice—exactly what Google wants to surface.

Mid-tier publishers with focused value

It wasn’t just the biggest players who won. Websites like Kinsta.com, which pairs technical depth with clear navigation and strong formatting, gained traction. This shows that Google is surfacing high-quality content even from lesser-known domains—especially when that content serves the query better than generic alternatives.

Rich product content

Some ecommerce sites also benefited, particularly when their product pages offered real substance—think user guides, FAQs, and detailed reviews embedded on-page. Shallow listings with thin descriptions struggled, but stores that treated product pages as information hubs saw improvement.

Who Struggled

Low-value AI or mass-produced content

Sites built on templated summaries or low-effort rewrites didn’t fare well. That includes some AI-generated pages, especially when the content felt derivative or lacked depth. This update didn’t target AI content specifically—but it did punish anything that failed to add meaningful value.

Outdated or poorly moderated forums

User-generated content hubs took a hit—particularly small forums that hadn't been updated or moderated consistently. One example: DIYChatroom reportedly lost significant visibility. Meanwhile, large communities like Reddit held steady or improved, likely due to their scale, activity, and topical authority.

Major platforms with thin or inconsistent pages

Even giants like Amazon and Quora weren’t immune. Both saw visibility dips in several markets. For Amazon, thin product listings may have been a factor. For Quora, inconsistent quality across pages likely played a role. Google’s takeaway: scale doesn’t override substance.

A Note on Intent

Not every drop in ranking is a sign of “bad” content. In many cases, Google simply shifted its understanding of what users want for a given query. Informational results may now outrank transactional ones. Niche sources might beat generalist publishers. Understanding that shift—and responding accordingly—is the first step toward regaining ground.

AI Overviews: What They Mean—and Why They Matter More Than Ever

As the March 2025 Core Update rolled out, Google also ramped up its display of AI Overviews—auto-generated summaries that attempt to answer queries directly at the top of the search results.

That timing was no accident. If the core update was about cleaning up content quality, AI Overviews were about changing how users interact with that content. Together, they show Google’s intent: reduce friction, provide faster answers, and keep users in the ecosystem.

What Are AI Overviews, Exactly?

AI Overviews are brief, conversational summaries powered by Google’s language models. They pull together information from various web sources to answer a query outright—often without requiring a click. Think of them as evolved featured snippets, but broader, more dynamic, and increasingly common.

Data from BrightEdge shows that during the March update window, AI Overviews surged across industries:

• +528% in entertainment

• +387% in restaurant searches

• +381% in travel

They’re especially prevalent for non-branded, informational queries, which makes them a key factor for content marketers and SEO pros.

How This Connects to the Core Update

You can’t separate the rise of AI Overviews from the March update’s content reshuffling. Google’s AI systems depend on high-quality content to generate reliable answers. If the web gets flooded with spammy, derivative material, those answers suffer. So Google tightens its standards.

That’s the link: the update improves the input, while AI Overviews change the output.

It’s also worth noting that the update slightly shifted how sources are selected. Before March, the overlap between AI-cited sources and top 10 organic rankings was about 16%. After the update, it dropped to 15% overall—with some verticals seeing bigger shifts. In travel, for instance, citation overlap actually increased. This suggests Google is experimenting with how and when AI answers pull from traditional top-ranked content.

Why This Matters

1. Visibility ≠ Traffic

Even when your site is cited in an AI Overview, the CTR can be negligible. Users often find what they need in the summary itself and move on. Ahrefs found that top-ranking organic results lost up to 35% of their CTR when an AI Overview appeared.

2. Not Just Page One Anymore

Before March, most AI citations came from top 10 results. Post-update, Google loosened that correlation. In some industries (like travel), the overlap increased. In others, it dropped—meaning AI Overviews are now sourcing from a broader content pool. Ranking high doesn't guarantee you'll be the answer.

3. Google Is Testing Ads Inside Them

On mobile, Google has started inserting “Sponsored” results inside AI Overviews. These native-style placements further fragment attention and push traditional listings down. You’re not just competing for clicks—you’re competing for visibility.

So What Can You Do?

Answer the next question.

AI Overviews often cover surface-level answers. Your content should go deeper—offering nuance, next steps, or clarity the AI can’t replicate.

Make your content citation-worthy.

Even if traffic from an AI citation is low, presence in these boxes builds authority. Treat it like an endorsement.

Track where Overviews show up.

Know which queries trigger them, and assess whether it’s worth competing or pivoting your content to where users still click.

Structure content for AI readability.

Clear sections, concise definitions, and context-rich phrasing all help your chances of being pulled in.

Paid Search in the Post-Update SERP: What’s Changing and What to Do About It

Even though the March 2025 Core Update was aimed at organic rankings, paid search didn’t escape unscathed. As AI Overviews take up more real estate and user behavior shifts, advertisers are seeing ripple effects—especially in CTRs and cost-efficiency.

This isn’t a time to panic. But it is time to adapt.

What We’re Seeing So Far

1. Click-through rates are down.

Analysis from Seer Interactive and others show that paid CTRs have slipped year over year—especially on non-branded, informational queries. This trend started before the update, but AI Overviews are accelerating it by absorbing attention that used to flow to ads.

2. AI Overviews are crowding out ads.

In some SERPs, AI-generated summaries now push ads lower on the page—or even insert ads inside the AI Overview box itself. On mobile, these placements are even more disruptive. You're no longer competing with just other advertisers—you’re competing with Google’s answer engine.

3. Brand lift is still strong.

There’s a bright spot: branded queries are holding up well. When your brand is mentioned in an AI Overview—or when users have previous familiarity—click-through and conversion rates remain stable or even improve. Brand trust and recognition are more important than ever.

How to Adjust

Refine your messaging.

You’re now up against AI-generated summaries that may answer the basic question before a user even sees your ad. Generic copy won’t cut it. Focus on urgency, differentiation, and clarity. What makes your offer stand out right now?

Use every inch of space.

Sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets can expand your ad’s footprint and give users more reasons to engage. If someone already got an answer from the Overview, your ad should provide the next step—whether that’s a quote, a tool, or a free trial.

Adjust bids based on visibility.

Monitor performance at the keyword level. If AI Overviews are cannibalizing clicks on a given term, it may be time to reallocate budget—or test higher-intent variants that are less affected.

Don’t ignore intent shifts.

If your ads are built to convert informational traffic, but that traffic is now resolving queries in the Overview, revisit your funnel strategy. You may need to lean more on retargeting, email capture, or brand-building tactics higher up the funnel.

Track experiments Google is running.

New ad formats—including AI-generated ad blurbs and integrations inside Overviews—are likely to expand. Stay current, test small, and be ready to shift creative when needed.

The Big Picture

Google isn’t just adjusting how pages rank—it’s rethinking how answers are delivered. For advertisers, that means less predictability in click flow and more competition for screen space.

But it also means new opportunities. If you build better messaging, target smarter, and align campaigns with evolving user behavior, you’ll be in a position to succeed—long after the dust settles.

How to Adjust Your SEO Strategy Post-Update

If your rankings shifted—up, down, or somewhere in between—don’t panic. This is your chance to step back, reassess, and make your site better. Here’s how to do that with intention and impact.

Start by evaluating quality.

Look at your content through the eyes of your user—not just a search crawler. Is it built on firsthand experience? Does it reflect real subject matter expertise? Would someone trust it enough to act on it, share it, or cite it? Pages that check those boxes are the ones Google increasingly rewards. If your site includes thin, overlapping, or underperforming content, prioritize updating it—or cut it altogether.

Revisit intent alignment.

Search behavior evolves, and so does Google’s understanding of what a query really means. If you’ve lost ground, it might be because your content no longer fits the expected format or angle. Are long-form explainers outranking your product pages? Has a how-to blog post been pushed down in favor of expert commentary? Rework the content to better match what users want to see for that search.

Optimize for how the SERP behaves now.

Today’s SERPs aren’t static lists—they’re interactive, AI-driven, and increasingly visual. Make sure your content is structured to earn visibility in these new formats. Use clear headings, scannable layouts, concise answers, and schema markup where it makes sense. Even if click-through rates drop, on-SERP visibility still builds authority and brand trust.

Measure what actually moved.

Don’t assume. Use Google Search Console to see which pages lost impressions or clicks—and why. Was it a dip in ranking? A drop in CTR? A change in SERP layout? Look at performance shifts by page, query, and device to pinpoint where and how to act.

Don’t overcorrect.

This is a moment for focus, not frenzy. Avoid stuffing keywords or rewriting high-performing pages out of fear. Instead, double down on what’s working, trim what isn’t, and trust that real improvements will earn results—especially when the next core update rolls around.

Think long term.

Recovery won’t be instant. Google doesn’t always re-evaluate changes right away. But if you stay focused on user value and clarity, you’ll put yourself in a stronger position for future updates.

Conclusion: Keep Calm and Optimize On

The March 2025 Core Update wasn’t just a routine recalibration—it was a signal. Google is investing in surfacing helpful, trustworthy, and experience-driven content, whether that content shows up in a traditional link or an AI-generated summary.

If your site lost visibility, don’t chase quick fixes. Re-align your content with real user needs. Improve what matters. Let go of what doesn’t. If you gained ground, keep building—but stay alert. The search landscape is still shifting underfoot.

AI Overviews aren’t a novelty—they’re a window into where Google is heading. Yes, they may reduce clicks in some cases. But they also elevate brands and creators that communicate clearly, deliver depth, and earn trust. That’s where your opportunity lies.

So the path forward isn’t about outsmarting the algorithm—it’s about out-serving your audience. Focus on being the best answer. Not just the first result, but the one that users remember, return to, and rely on.