The Great Google Algorithm Shake-Up has landed

Google’s March 2025 core algorithm update is more than a technical shift. It’s a signal. A signal that your website, your content, and your overall digital trust footprint must now meet higher standards.

Below are three specific, practical actions your business can take now to adapt.

1. Audit and restructure outdated or unhelpful content

Google confirmed this update is designed to reduce low-quality, unoriginal content in search by 40 percent. That’s a brutal benchmark if you’ve let your content stagnate.

Practical move:

• Pull your top 100 indexed URLs and run them through a content quality audit

• Use tools like SurferSEO or Clearscope to assess relevance, depth and originality

• Immediately “noindex” or remove pages with thin, repetitive or outdated content

Critical question: If you deleted 30 percent of your website today, would your users miss it or thank you for it?

2. Add authorship and credibility signals

Google’s Search Status Dashboard confirmed this update includes changes to ranking systems, not just spam detection. This means Google is re-evaluating how it assesses trustworthiness.

Practical move:

• Ensure all blog content is attributed to real people with credentials, not "Admin"

• Add author bios, LinkedIn links and signals of professional expertise

• Link to reputable third-party sources and cite original research where possible

  
  

Pro tip: Update your About and Team pages to explicitly showcase your expertise and experience. This feeds into E-E-A-T.

3. Monitor traffic by content type, not just overall traffic

Generic traffic drops aren’t helpful. What matters now is understanding what types of content are gaining or losing visibility.

Practical move:

• Segment Google Search Console data by URL pattern (for example, /blog/, /services/, /case-studies/)

• Identify which content categories are gaining impressions and which are tanking

• Prioritise updates to your top-converting content that’s losing visibility

Watch out: Many sites are seeing volatile performance in evergreen content, especially content older than 12 months that hasn’t been refreshed.

Treat cheat sheet: March 2025 Google Algorithm Response Plan

If you need a simple way to brief your team or plan your next SEO sprint, our Treat Cheat Sheet is for you. It's a printable, no-fluff checklist that turns Google’s latest update into clear, actionable steps. Designed for business owners, marketers and SEO leads, it covers everything you should audit, fix and track post-update, without the jargon.

Need help?

We’re not just following the updates. We’re ahead of them. At Treat Marketing, we specialise in performance-focused SEO, content audits, and algorithm-proof strategies that protect your rankings and deliver long-term results. Enquire today.

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Sources and further reading

• Google Search Central: March 2025 Core Update — Official update timeline and status from Google.

• Search Engine Journal: Google’s March Core Update: Early Observations — Analysis of initial impact and volatility.

• Search Engine Journal: Google Begins Rollout of March 2025 Core Update — Announcement and industry commentary.

• SERoundtable: March 2025 Core Update Volatility Hits — Reports from webmasters and SEOs experiencing traffic fluctuations.

• O’Brien Media: Early Indications from Google's March 2025 Update — Key takeaways from initial performance patterns.