Google’s March 2025 Core Update Has Finished Rolling Out: What We’ve Seen So Far

The rollout of Google’s March 2025 Core Update officially completed on 27th March. As the first core update of the year, this one brought significant changes across multiple sectors including retail, government and content-based websites.

Now that things have settled, we’re beginning to see the clearer patterns emerge. If your search rankings have shifted this month, you’re not alone. The question now is: what should you do next?

Rollout Complete: What Changed?

The update ran from 13th to 27th March and was aimed at improving how Google ranks helpful, people-first content. As always, Google hasn’t disclosed exact algorithm changes, but external data platforms like SISTRIX and others have captured key trends.

This update has caused notable movement across industries, with early signs pointing to a recalibration of how Google treats forums, templated pages and AI-generated content. At the same time, clearer and more authoritative sites are seeing gains.

While UK-specific statistics haven’t been published yet, industry commentary suggests this update may not have been as widespread as March 2024’s, but still significant for those impacted.

What We’ve Seen Across Client Accounts

Among our own clients, early volatility has now mostly levelled out. Where visibility dropped, we’ve seen a pattern of:

• Thin service pages underperforming
• Old blog content losing relevance
• Pages without clear structure or depth falling behind

On the other hand, sites with focused service content, properly structured metadata and high-performing blog articles have held their positions or seen modest improvements. It’s further confirmation that search performance is increasingly tied to how well your content actually serves the user.

AI Overviews on the Rise: A Shift in Search Real Estate

As the March 2025 Core Update rollout concluded, another trend has come into sharper focus, the dramatic rise of AI Overviews (AIOs) in UK search results. According to SISTRIX, AIOs now appear for over 18% of all tracked keywords in the UK, up from just 4% in recent months. In contrast, Featured Snippets have halved in frequency, suggesting a quiet shift in how Google presents information.

This shift isn’t just cosmetic. It changes what users see first, what they interact with and where they click. For businesses that previously held Featured Snippet positions, this may have meant a drop in visibility, even if rankings remained stable.

Informational sites and content-heavy pages are feeling the impact most, especially in sectors like health, retail and reviews. For example:

• Healthline.com AIO visibility jumped from 23.1% to 37.8%
• Reddit.com increased from 5.8% to 15.9%
• Tesco.com more than doubled, from 1.8% to 4.1%

Despite their growing presence, AI Overviews are not yet tracked in Google Search Console, making it difficult to attribute changes in traffic or visibility directly to them. This lack of transparency is a growing concern for SEO professionals trying to measure real impact.

While the Core Update recalibrated how content is ranked, this parallel trend highlights a deeper evolution in Google’s search results, one that’s reshaping the visibility landscape in subtle but important ways.

What to Do Now

If your site took a hit, don’t make rushed changes. The update has only just finished and volatility can continue for a few more weeks.

That said, this is the perfect time to do a strategic review:

• Check Search Console for traffic shifts since 13th March
• Review affected pages: are they clear, useful and well-structured?
• Run an SEO audit to catch technical and content issues
• Update underperforming content: make it deeper, sharper and more relevant

Don’t delete content unless it truly adds no value. Rewriting and improving pages is nearly always the better move.

Looking Ahead

This update continues Google’s push toward rewarding original, people-first content. There are no shortcuts, no tricks and no guaranteed winners. The brands that succeed will be those who invest in clarity, structure and purpose, whether they’re B2B tech providers, healthcare organisations or public sector bodies.

Need to Take Stock?

If your rankings have changed and you’re unsure why, now is the time to get a clear picture.

Our team can help you:

• Run a full SEO audit
• Assess your content quality
• Prioritise fixes that will actually make a difference

Book a review with our team and get clarity on your next step.