Google's March 2024 Core Update Continues with Intense SEO Volatility

The Google March 2024 core update is a significant update to Google's search algorithm that was still rolling out as of the time the text was written, 51 days after it began. Core updates are designed to improve the overall quality of search results by making broad changes to the algorithm, which can significantly affect search rankings for websites.

The heated SEO chatter is due to the ongoing volatility in search rankings as a result of the Google March 2024 core update. Many sites are experiencing movement in their search rankings, with some seeing declines, especially those affected by the September 2024 helpful content update. The SEO community is actively discussing these changes on forums and social media, as they try to understand the impact and adjust their strategies accordingly.

According to the SEO community's discussions, the effects of the Google March 2024 core update include:

• Some sites seeing more movement in search rankings, not always positive.
• Sites hit by the September 2024 helpful content update not seeing recoveries, with many showing further declines.
• Varied impacts on sites affected by other updates, with some reporting huge drops in traffic and rankings, while others see a slow decline in top positions or an increase in lower position rankings.
• Reports of significant traffic drops, especially in the USA, and disappearance of web pages from Google search results.

The Google tracking tools such as SimilarWeb, Semrush, Advanced Web Rankings, Mozcast, SERPmetrics, Accuranker, Mangools, Wincher, SERPstat, Algoroo, and Cognitive SEO, are showing calming volatility over the past few days. However, the SEO chatter indicates that many in the SEO community are not experiencing this calm and are still seeing significant volatility and impact on their sites.