Google has announced the rollout of its first—and certainly not last—algorithm update. The core update rollout is expected to take about two weeks. While significant changes in website visibility may occur during this time, Google recommends avoiding drastic adjustments.
On 13 March 2025 at 5:23 pm., Google announced the release of this year’s first Core Update.
Google treated us to the usual standard quote, which doesn’t really say much:
This is a regular update designed to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites. We also continue our work to surface more content from creators through a series of improvements throughout this year. Some have already happened; additional ones will come later.
According to the announcement, the rollout of the update may take up to two weeks, and Google will notify users with a separate statement once it’s completed.
Google’s official communication regarding algorithm updates is usually sparse. In the Google Search Center, we can read:
In general, most sites don’t need to worry about core updates and may not even realize one has happened. […]
Core updates are designed to ensure that overall, we’re delivering on our mission to present helpful and reliable results for searchers. These changes are broad in nature, and don’t target specific sites or individual web pages. As content on the web changes, we assess and update our systems to keep pace, as a whole.
One way to think about a core update is to imagine that a friend asked you for your top food recommendations. While you do have a list of your 20 favorite restaurants, things have changed since you initially wrote it in 2019. Some new restaurants that didn’t exist before are now candidates for your list. You might reassess some restaurants and realize they move to a higher spot on the list, given how many consistently positive experiences you had there, or to account for your friend’s preference for dog-friendly restaurants. The list will change, and restaurants that move down aren’t necessarily “bad”; there are just other restaurants that make your top 20.
Google Algorithm Update 2025 – What Does It Mean?
Core updates occur several times a year, often causing significant changes in website visibility. Interestingly, based on the past few years, core updates seem to follow a seasonal pattern. The March core update has become something of an unofficial SEO tradition, starting back in 2023. It’s also evident that in recent years, there have been more algorithm updates—or at least, Google has been announcing them more frequently.
In 2024, there were 4 core updates: in March, August, November, and December. Additionally, there were three spam updates.
In 2023, we also had 4 core updates: in March, August, October, and November. On top of that, there were five other types of algorithm updates, including content helpfulness, product, and review updates.
In 2022, there were only 2 core updates: in May and September. However, a product review update was rolled out in March, along with six other types of updates.
In 2021, Google introduced 3 core updates: in June, July, and November, along with seven other types of updates.
In 2020, there were just 2 core updates: one in May and another in December.”
Of course, this only refers to algorithm updates officially confirmed by Google. Information about them is published on the following page: status.search.google.com.
The increasing frequency of algorithm updates can be summed up with a meme:
Analyzing the seasonality of algorithm updates, we can expect another one around the end of summer and one or two more in the fourth quarter of the year. Additionally, in the meantime, Google may roll out other types of updates, such as spam, product, content helpfulness, or reviews.
What to Do If Your Website Loses Visibility After an Algorithm Update?
It’s fairly common for a website that loses visibility after a core update to regain it only with the next update—often regardless of any optimization efforts made in the meantime. Google itself advises against implementing ‘quick fixes’ and states that even after making improvements to a site, it may take some time for Google’s systems to respond—sometimes even several months.
If you want to check whether a core update has affected your website, take a look at the dashboard I’ve created for this purpose:
And if you need help restoring your website’s visibility or want advice on how to make it more resilient to such fluctuations, feel free to reach out to us!
R&D specialist in SEO and web analytics. He feels most comfortable in the area of technical SEO, and his main task is to ensure that websites are optimized for search engines and achieve high rankings in search results.
R&D specialist in SEO and web analytics. He feels most comfortable in the area of technical SEO, and his main task is to ensure that websites are optimized for search engines and achieve high rankings in search results.
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