Why Is the March Google Algorithm Update Different? What Marketers Must Know

Keyword search is a major traffic driver for B2B and life science companies. That’s why Google’s March 2024 Core Update holds potentially significant implications for their search engine rankings.

According to Google, “The March 2024 core update is a more complex update than our usual core updates, involving changes to multiple core systems. It also marks an evolution in how we identify the helpfulness of content.”

The March update primarily targets low-quality content and spammy SEO techniques to provide users with genuinely helpful results that align with search intent. It focuses on filtering out poor-quality, inaccurate, or unoriginal content, especially pages that are generated by AI or those with poor Experience-Expertise-Authoritativeness-Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) scores. The goal is to reduce low-quality and unoriginal content in search results by 40%.

Google’s efforts to promote higher-quality content is causing a shakeup in the rankings. Brands that enjoyed unassailable top spots have lost positions, while new, more relevant content have climbed up the search engine results pages.

TW’s Take

We continue to emphasize the key to good SEO is great content. While keyword analysis and optimization will always be helpful, content quality will be the main driver of higher search page rankings. Avoid using generative AI tools to directly produce text. While AI solutions such as ChatGTP will be helpful in researching and outlining content, they should only be used to complement human expertise and perspective. Ultimately, the Google algorithm change will be good news for B2B and life science companies incorporating domain expertise as the focus of their content strategies. Genuine, trustworthy content can further differentiate your business from others who employ spammy AI and black-hat SEO tactics.

Sources:
DigiMarCon Blog, March 27, 2023
Top Rank Marketing Blog, March 2024
Search Engine Journal, March 5, 2024