March 2018 Core Update
Broad core algorithm update, confirmed by Google, with no specific target. It re-values pages that had been underrated until then.
Key points
- A broad core algorithm update, confirmed by Google, with no specific target or topic.
- Stated goal: to re-value pages that had been undervalued rather than penalize specific pages.
- No technical fix repairs a decline: the answer is the quality of the underlying content.
- Rolled out over several days, with felt volatility across many sectors.
Analysis
This March 2018 core update marks a step in Google's communication, which begins to publicly confirm its major updates and to repeat a consistent message: there is nothing to fix, you must produce better content. The re-rankings do not target infractions but a global reassessment of relevance and quality with respect to search intent.
For an affected site, the challenge is to understand that the decline reflects a relative comparison: other pages were judged more useful. The analysis must therefore focus on the depth, comprehensiveness and reliability of the content, and not on isolated technical adjustments.
What to do
- Compare positions before and after March 12, 2018 to isolate the URLs and queries genuinely affected.
- Audit declining pages on depth, comprehensiveness and fit with intent, then strengthen the underlying content.
- Document expertise and sources to anchor credibility, a signal reused by engines and AI answers.
Global re-evaluation of relevance and quality. No one-off "fix": the answer is substantive content.