Impact of the March 2023 Broad Core Update on Businesses

Google has introduced thousands of updates to improve the quality and relevance of search results. Each minor and major update aims to provide a better user experience. 

On March 15, 2023, Google announced its first broad core search algorithm update of the year, known as the March 2023 Broad Core Update. It has the potential to drastically alter search rankings and your search engine optimization (SEO) approach. Businesses that fail to track and respond to these Google core changes run the risk of experiencing an unexpected drop in visibility and traffic.

Considering the technicalities, adapting to the new Broad Core Update can overwhelm most businesses. In such a situation, seeking advice from expert Search Engine Optimization and digital marketing agencies like Markethix will be helpful for you. 

In this blog, we will delve into the world of Google core updates, discussing how to rebound after a March 2023 Broad Google Update and achieve the best search engine ranking.

Google Core Updates, What Are They?

Google Core updates are referred to as significant and large-scale improvements to Google’s search ranking algorithm. The updates impacted a large number of indexed web pages to provide a more accurate and smoother user experience. Some of the most significant Google core updates include:

• Penguin
• Panda
• Rankbrain
• Possum
• Pigeon
• Mobilegeddon
• Medic
• Hummingbird
• Freshness
• Fred
• BERT

The broad core updates have much more impact on the search results and are typically announced a few days before or on the day of the rollout. March 2023 Broad Core Update is the first broad core update of the year, which is going to impact search results significantly.

March 2023 Broad Core Update, Which Businesses Were Affected The Most?

March 2023 Update is the first Broad Core Update of the year; it took 13 days and seven hours to roll out. The update solely focuses on giving preference to web pages that offer greater value, in contrast to those websites currently ranking on Google.

This update is going to target every type of content available on search engines, regardless of region and language. This means every online business platform got affected by the update. This time instead of prioritizing penalties, high-quality content that provides value and a wonderful user experience is rewarded or promoted by updates. The broad core update mostly works on feature snippets, Google Discover, and more.

In contrast to the September 2022 Core Update, which only hit about 5, the March Core Update generated more fluctuation, peaking at 8, according to Semrush.

Following the March 2023 core update, the most notable changes in volatility were observed in the following industries: arts and entertainment, retail, internet & telecommunications, and business & industrial.

In addition, out of the top 10 results now ranking on the search engine results page (SERP), 8.7% were previously rated beyond position 20 before the March update.

Volatility in the arts and entertainment sector increased by 7.7% (from 6.4%). Shopping and retail increased from 5.6% to 7.1%, internet and telecom from 5.4% to 6.5%, and business and industry from 5% to 6%.

( Data source:searchengineland)

Does The March Core Update Affect Your Website Ranking?

March 2023 Broad Core Algorithm Update impacted several businesses recently. If you want to check whether Google March Core Algorithm Update hurts or benefits your website ranking, there are two ways to find that.

Check your ranking first

 A sudden rise or drop in results for specific keywords and subjects may be a sign that a Google broad core upgrade has affected your website’s performance. Keep an eye on your rankings over a few days. Examine the keyword ranks for informational, navigational, and transactional searches. By doing this, you may identify the content categories and landing pages that require optimization.

Analyse website traffic

Apart from page ranking, you should also assess both site-wide traffic and individual page traffic. Examine key performance indicators like click-through rate and bounce rate. You can modify your SEO strategy once you’ve ruled out the possibility that your site was affected by a significant core search algorithm upgrade.

Keep cool and concentrate on the causes and solutions if you observe a drop in your website’s traffic and rankings. Data can assist you in identifying trends in impressions, enabling you to take the necessary actions to get the greatest search engine ranking. You can save a lot of time and effort by concentrating on certain issue areas.

How Can You Optimize Your Site for The March 2023 Google Core Algorithm Update?

Perform a Website or Content Audit

Wherever you notice any significant drops in your site’s metrics, you must perform a website or content audit. This way, you can identify which types of searches are being affected the most by March 2023 Broad Core Update. You can also do competitor research to see where your contents need improvements. Take the time to study what kinds of content your audience is looking for and what your competitors are doing effectively. It helps you to develop a more successful content strategy that caters to the needs of your target audience.

Update your Existing Content

The one and only aim of Google updates is to provide audiences with more valuable information. So focus on producing quality content that offers genuine value to your readers if you want to make sure your material satisfies the rigorous standards. You can also update your existing content to make them more insightful, valuable, and updated. Google provides tools to assist content producers in producing high-quality material, including a set of self-assessment questions you can use to analyze your work.

Perform a Technical SEO Audit

Optimizing your technical SEO is crucial since Google takes into account both the technical and ranking factors of your site. You should perform a technical SEO audit to find out issues preventing search engines from properly crawling your site, including broken links, duplicate content, missing meta tags, etc. Try to fix all technical errors as soon as possible and make your site mobile-friendly, faster to load, and more organized to optimize it under new algorithm updates.

Final Words

Google’s March 2023 Broad Core Update significantly impacted the search results regardless of region and language. You must perform deep analysis to find out whether your site got affected. You can follow the suggested methods to optimize your site against the update. If you are still struggling to fix your website visibility and traffic, come to Markethix, one of the leading SEO service providers always ready to help you.