Guide · SEO
Google Core Update: What to Do When Traffic Drops
Google core update is the name Google gives to a broad change in its search systems, and one began on 13 March 2025. If your site traffic dropped this week, do not panic and do not rush to edit pages. This guide explains what a core update is, how to check if a drop is linked to it, and what Google says to do and not do.
What a core update is
Google says it makes significant, broad changes to its search algorithms and systems several times a year. It calls these core updates. The aim is to show helpful and reliable results to people who search.
The changes do not target a site or a single page. Google compares it to a list of your 20 favorite restaurants. Over time new places open, and you might rank some old ones higher or lower. A place that moves down is not necessarily bad. There are just others that now fit the list better.
Google also says most sites do not need to worry about core updates. Many owners never notice one.
Sources: Google Search Central, Google Search's core updates and your website
The March 2025 update so far
Google lists its ranking updates on the Search Status Dashboard. As of 19 March 2025 the dashboard shows the March 2025 core update with a start date of 13 March 2025. It shows no end date yet, so the rollout is still going.
Past rollouts took different lengths of time. The dashboard lists these durations:
Update Started Rollout time March 2024 core update 5 March 2024 45 days August 2024 core update 15 August 2024 19 days, 4 hours November 2024 core update 11 November 2024 23 days, 13 hours December 2024 core update 12 December 2024 6 days, 4 hours So a rollout can last from under a week to more than six weeks. Rankings can move up and down while it runs.
Sources: Google Search Status Dashboard
How to check if a drop is linked
First, confirm the update has finished. Check the dashboard and note the start and end dates. Do not judge your traffic before that.
Google then advises waiting at least one full week after the update completes. After that week, use Search Console to compare it with the week before the update began. This makes it easier to see what changed.
Next, look at your top pages and top queries. Ask how they ranked before and after. Google gives two examples:
- A small drop, such as position 2 to position 4. Google says no drastic action is needed.
- A large drop, such as position 4 to position 29. Google says to do a deeper review.
Also split the data by search type. A drop in Web search is a different story from a drop in Images, Video or News.
Sources: Google Search Central, Google Search's core updates and your website
What to do after a large drop
If your whole site shows a big, lasting drop in position, Google points you to its self-assessment questions on helpful, reliable, people-first content. It gives these tips:
- Look at the site as a whole and try to be fair about it.
- Ask people you trust, who are not tied to your site, to answer the same questions.
- Study the pages that lost the most. Compare them with other pages on the web that help the searcher better.
For an agency or a business, this means asking plain questions. Does the page give original information? Does it say who wrote it and why they know the topic? Would a visitor feel they learned enough?
Sources: Google Search Central, Google Search's core updates and your website
What not to do
Google warns against quick fixes. An example is removing a page element only because you heard it hurts SEO. It says to make changes that make sense for your readers and last over time.
Good changes include rewriting or restructuring a page so it is easier to read and move through. Google says to treat deleting content as a last resort. It may help only if whole sections look built for search engines instead of people.
Google also says not to change content that already performs well. That matters in a tight week. Editing your best pages in a panic can cost you more than the drop did.
Sources: Google Search Central, Google Search's core updates and your website
How long recovery can take
Google says some changes can take effect within a few days. But its systems may need several months to see that a site is making helpful content on a steady basis. If nothing moves after a few months, the gain may have to wait for a future core update.
Google adds that results are not fixed in place. A rise or fall does not always come from your changes. Better work is not promised a better rank.
A sound plan for this week is short. Wait for the end date. Wait one more week. Compare the right dates in Search Console. Then decide if the drop is small enough to ignore or large enough to review.
Sources: Google Search Central, Google Search's core updates and your website
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