Google’s March 2023 Core Algorithm Update

As anyone who deals with digital marketing knows, Google’s ranking factors define the rules for engagement when it comes to SEO. In the past, Google core updates have upturned the digital landscape, exiling sites that had built shaky foundations with black hat SEO tactics. 

These Google algorithm updates have made it harder and harder to succeed with anything that isn’t quality content, meaning a better user experience for searchers and better rewards for sites that contribute meaningful information and well-written content.  

While most sites probably have the basics of SEO best practices down, Google’s core updates released several times a year can still impact their rankings, causing their sites to rise or fall against new or reassessed competitors. 

Fine-tuning is the name of the game as Google further optimises its algorithm 

The core update in 2023 gives marketers a glimpse into the future of Google. The tech giant is forever looking to improve its offering to users, refining its search results and the overall user experience to cater to consumers who expect a more sophisticated and nuanced results page with integrated elements and featured highlights. 

Google’s core updates will continue to affect search rankings, demanding businesses to refine their own content in order to keep up with the quality the search engine now expects for its users. If you want to rank highly for the right keyword and stay there for the long term, it’s essential to adapt your strategies in line with these new ranking factors.   

What we know about this Google core update

For much of Google’s history, its algorithm updates were to accurately understand information in the way human beings do. Whereas content was once geared towards making sure Google’s indexation technology would correctly assess the content and relevance of pages, sophisticated algorithm updates now focus on technical optimisation and more naturally written, high quality content. 

In short, valuable content that’s structured in a way to maximise a good user experience is becoming more and more important for attaining higher ranks on the search results pages. In fact, even ‘written’ content is now a somewhat outdated term, as video and audio sources can also be indexed by Google’s crawlers. 

What does this mean for SEO? 

SEO experts and webmasters will need to continuously monitor their site’s performance and be ready to take agile action if they notice a drop in traffic or rankings as 2023’s Google updates roll out. 

Likely, Google’s core update for the year will prioritise pages that provide more value over those currently ranking well on the search engine. The update could see a significant reshuffling of SERP rankings and a need for companies to rethink their SEO strategy to respond to new ranking factors. 

As the update takes hold and we see its full impact on the digital landscape, we’ll keep you updated on the impacts of core update 2023 and how savvy marketers should respond to the changes.  

If you need help improving your SEO and content strategy, contact our team at Online Marketing Gurus today!