Google’s March 2025 Update

Today I had several newsletters drop into my inboxes. All of them about the Google March 2025 Update. Here are the general highlights from them. All of them with the same conclusions.




What some are experiencing:
AI-generated, low-value content? Devalued.
Spammy backlinks with no authority? Ignored.
Sites with thin authority? Plummeting.

Any SEO needs to have three things at the very least (but should go deeper, much deeper):
Professional Content Writers
Professional Technical SEO
Professionally Sourced Natural Backlinks

PER GOOGLE AI:
Google's March 2025 core update, which ran from March 13 to March 27, was a "regular update designed to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites," according to Google Search Central.

Here's a sampling of their detailed breakdown:

Purpose:
The update aimed to improve the relevance and quality of search results by refining Google's core ranking system.
Google's Advice:
Google emphasized the importance of focusing on creating high-quality, user-centric content rather than trying to address specific ranking fluctuations after an update.

I have seen this same pattern, as have all of us, for years now. Google keeps squeezing the crap out of cheap, combative, black hat SEO techniques of course, but they also are being very heavy handed over the past year, and going forward, against those that are convinced they don't need professional looking sites, professionally written and frequently updated content, and natural and valuable linking.

They are continually and extremely focused on quality, quality, and more quality in all aspects of anything and everything online within their scope.

All of us need to remember, this is their business! They built it, they promote it, they are the biggest and most successful. If you are going to swim in your neighbors pool, you must obey their pool rules or get booted. "No glass in the pool area!"

Google is very "appearance" aware. They know from experience that when you and I click a link from their platform the results reflect on them as well as the site owners. You could have the finest cheap tricks in the world for ranking, but if the destination from that click results in a poor experience, Google gets blamed! So, just like you and I, if we go to restaurant that is ranked high on Yelp and have a horrible experience, Yelp knows it reflects on them.

The volume of SEO emails I get daily is enough to "choke a horse". 80%, or more, coming from India. I have no hatred or disgust for India, but they do produce some of the worst SEO freelancers and companies on the planet and always pushing their cheap price as no reflection on their quality. My nutritionist and my neurologist are both from India, I love them, they are excellent DR.'s. That country just has this "low brow" element in the marketing world.

If you are incorporating SEO, or about om start, make sure the destination focus is exceptional high quality. Otherwise, you may as well fish for a lunker using an old tire as bait!

Is that example the exception or the rule?

It's about typical, maybe a slightly higher return than average. We typically hover around that return. Just five years ago it was a much higher return, but now our niches are starting to get the attention of some affiliate heavy hitters that have previously stayed out of our niche, which has driven the ad costs up for the same returns. Some of them are starting to come in with $50k to $100k daily budgets. Really obnoxious money. Thankfully, for most of them, the affiliate program managers are really strict about marketers with "sketchy" backgrounds from altogether unrelated fields. Most in our niche won't build relationships with any affiliates that have any hint of a black hat background. That said, a few heavy hitters with big pockets are finding their way in to compete with me and the others like me. It may be the beginning of the end for us "upper middle class marketers" (steady mid six figure earners). It's comparable to the "big box" stores, in a way, when they come in and a number of the local businesses suffer.

Last week I was contacted by the Etihad Aviation Group, we met Tuesday for a discussion about our partnering them. Then, they spilled the beans. They were looking long term to copy, to replicate, the affiliate by creating a completely AI driven affiliate marketing department. They believe that by copying my companies efforts, and that of others like me and my team, then programming their AI model's neural network with the collected data that they will eliminate the need to pay affiliates. Actually planning to replace the affiliate with an AI affiliate that's completely in-house. I learned later that seven of my nearest competitors were contact by them as well with pretty much the same offer. They're based in Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates.

I have been blessed with a good position in relationships with some of the more prominent private charters and destination affiliate programs, but this is the first time I had one ask me to help them replace me. This may be a sign of things to come.

In March 2025, Google rolled out a series of significant updates across its various services and platforms, bringing about changes that impacted users, developers, and businesses alike. These updates spanned from search algorithms to AI advancements, device features, and more.

1. Search Algorithm Core Update​

1.1 Update Announcement and Timeline​

Google announced the March 2025 Core Update via its Google Search Central accounts on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn on March 13th. This marked the first official update to Google's ranking algorithms in 2025. The update process finished rolling out on March 27th. As per Google's statement on LinkedIn, "Today we released the March 2025 core update to Google Search. 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." This statement not only signaled the launch of the core update but also hinted at Google's ongoing efforts to support content creators.

1.2 Impact on Search Results​

Tools that track changes to Google's search results, such as Similarweb’s SERP SEI Someter and Semrush’s Sensor, showed that it was challenging to distinguish the volatility caused by the March 13th update from the ongoing volatility in early March. Google also confirmed that the volatility prior to March 13th was not linked to the core update. Although the impact of the March 2025 Core Update did not seem to be widespread, website owners who noticed a drop in traffic and ranking from March 13th were advised to refer to resources on recovering from a Google update. Danny Sullivan from Google also confirmed during a Google Search Central event in New York that Google had made other changes earlier in the year, which might explain the pre - update volatility.

2. AI Advancements​

2.1 Expansion of AI Overviews and Introduction of AI Mode​

AI overviews, one of Google's popular search features used by over a billion people, were expanded to 9 new European countries and 4 new languages. In the United States, Google launched Gemini 2.0 for AI overviews. This was aimed at handling more complex questions, especially in areas like coding, advanced math, and multimodal queries, providing faster and higher - quality responses. Additionally, Google introduced the new AI mode experiment in Google Search. This feature helped people get AI - powered responses and enabled them to dig deeper with follow - up questions and links to helpful web content.

2.2 Release of Gemini 2.5 Pro​

On March 21st, Google DeepMind officially released Gemini 2.5 Pro, touted as Google's "most intelligent AI model" so far. This model brought revolutionary breakthroughs in reasoning ability, context understanding, and multi - modal processing. It adopted a new "thinking - built - in" architecture, integrating the thinking process directly into the core system rather than as an added - on feature. With a 97.3% improvement in image recognition accuracy, it supported more detailed visual analysis. For example, it could generate comprehensive fitness plans that included diet, exercise, and rest arrangements, and accurately solve complex math problems while proposing innovative solutions.

3. Pixel Device Updates​

3.1 Feature Drop and App Updates​

Alongside Android 15 QPR 2, Google announced the March 2025 Pixel Feature Drop. This included a range of first - party app updates, as well as new camera and connectivity features. The Pixel 6 and above models rolled out the ability to have live conversations about images, files, and YouTube videos. The Pixel 9 received a "connected camera" feature that allowed connection with a GoPro Hero 10 Black and newer or Pixel 6 for live - streaming from different angles. A floating vertical pill interface let users select paired cameras and add new devices, with support for popular social apps like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. The connection was made via Bluetooth and Wi - Fi.
The Pixel Fold series now supported dual - screen mode in video mode, allowing those being recorded to see the recording on the external display. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold's dual - screen mode also added the "add me" feature for easier alignment.

3.2 Security and System Optimization​

Google pushed out the 2025 March security update for Pixel devices still under support. This update closely followed the "March Pixel Drop" new features and optimized system stability, application performance, audio, camera, display, and more. It fixed multiple system issues, such as application stability and performance problems when using WebView, abnormal audio issues when adjusting call volume via Bluetooth headphones, and improved camera stability under specific conditions. The update also enhanced network connection stability and addressed user interface issues like mismatched launcher preview color themes and wallpaper, as well as transparent main - screen icons. Users could either wait for the over - the - air (OTA) update or manually download the factory image or OTA file to install the update.

4. Google Workspace Updates​

4.1 New Features and Language Expansions​

Google Workspace also saw several updates in March 2025. "Help Me Create" in Google Docs became available in seven additional languages, and "Help Me Write" in Gmail was extended to three more languages. The Gemini app introduced audio overviews, and the Google Slides sidebar now included design elements, making presentation building easier. Google Slides also introduced proportional scaling for objects to maintain visual clarity. Gemini in the Drive PDF viewer was made available in over 20 additional languages, and new "nudges" were added to help users quickly get started with Gemini in Google Drive. Google Classroom mobile app could now be used in additional languages, and the ability to run Google Drive on ARM - compatible Windows PCs became generally available.

5. Android - Related Updates​

5.1 Google System Updates​

The monthly "Google System Release Notes" detailed the new features in Play Services, Play Store, and Play System Update across various Android - based devices, including phones, tablets, Wear OS, Google/Android TV, Auto, and PC. In Google Play Services v25.12 (2025 - 03 - 31), for example, users saw an updated UI when notified of new features on their phones. The Play Store v45.6 (2025 - 03 - 31) allowed users to find personalized app content based on installed apps and required a slide instead of a tap on the buy button to prevent accidental purchases. Android WebView v135 (2025 - 03 - 26) brought improvements to security and privacy and bug - fix updates.

5.2 Google Play Policy Updates​

Google Play enhanced widget discovery, providing developers with an opportunity to overcome discoverability challenges and engage users more effectively. There were also several policy - related updates. The deadline to comply with the child safety standards policy for social and dating apps had arrived, and they were required to follow specific standards and self - certify compliance on Play Console before publishing. The deadline to comply with the photo and video permissions policy was also announced, with apps that required these permissions able to request an extension and submit a declaration form in Play Console by May 28, 2025. The updated medical functionalities policy was set to go into effect on May 28, 2025, with an expanded scope to include medical guidance and disclaimer requirements for health and medical apps.