Google Core Update of March 2025: What if your SEO was based on signals that Google no longer values?

The main March 2025 update didn't just shake up the rankings.

It reinforced a message that Google has been repeating for two years already: “We want content rooted in reality, not just on the web.”

And for SEO professionals — especially content creators and link building specialists — it's not just an invitation to adjust tactics. It is an opportunity to Rethinking what we're really building.

As the owner of a SEO agency, I am sharing here my analysis of future developments in our industry, based on the signals observed during the recent major Google updates — in particular that of March 2025, which seems to confirm a fundamental trend.

What's changing — and what we're starting to understand

First of all, let's distinguish between changes observed by professionals Of what Google has officially confirmed.

Google claims to have reduces the visibility of low-quality content by 40%, and improved its systems to highlight useful and reliable content.

But on the ground, SEOs are noticing more nuanced things.

1. Link Building: Reinforcement of Relevance and Editorial Integrity

Observed Change:
Links from high-DR but low-relevance sources (e.g., paid guest posts, generalist blogs) may have lost value. Contextually relevant, editorially integrated links seem to be holding better.

Continuity or Disruption:
Reinforcement — this aligns with a long-term pattern going back to Penguin, but may be enforced more effectively post-update.

Hypothesized Triggers:

• Increased abuse of scaled link marketplaces. Google may have detected an uptick in link buying at scale through platforms promising DR 80 links for $150 — especially in niches like iGaming, crypto, SaaS.
• AI-generated guest post factories. Some networks were reportedly mass-producing AI-written articles and syndicating them across dozens of sites — perhaps diluting trust signals.
• Affiliate inflation. The rise of niche “review” blogs creating hundreds of backlinks via product roundups may have triggered internal efforts to recalibrate value passing.

Hypothesis: Google may have updated its systems to better distinguish real endorsement from algorithmic noise, especially as scaled link-building tactics become easier to execute with AI.

2. Content Strategy: Experience as a Differentiator

Observed Change:
Content that demonstrates lived experience — personal anecdotes, field testing, in-situ photos — may now perform better than purely informational or AI-generated pieces.

Continuity or Disruption:
Reinforcement, but with signs of more precise enforcement. This continues the Helpful Content trajectory, but may represent a step-change in execution.

Hypothesized Triggers:

• Flood of AI-written “surface content.” The public release of better generative tools (e.g., Claude 2, Gemini 1.5, GPT-4 Turbo) has massively increased low-effort content. Google may be reacting to the sheer volume.
• Declining user trust. Users may be clicking results, scanning them, and bouncing — signaling dissatisfaction. Google could be responding by weighting “proof of real-world experience” more heavily.
• SERP homogeneity. With AI scraping the top 10 to create new versions of the same content, Google could be struggling with its results feeling repetitive — leading to algorithmic prioritization of differentiated insight.

Hypothesis: Google may be attempting to resist a collapse of content diversity by rewarding experience — a signal that can’t be easily faked at scale.

3. UGC and Forum Volatility: Possible Realignment

Observed Change:
Some user-generated content platforms gained visibility (e.g., Reddit), while smaller forums reportedly lost rankings or became more volatile in performance.

Continuity or Disruption:
Partial disruption, depending on the platform. Reddit’s visibility surge has been underway since late 2023, but the update may have accelerated or recalibrated these gains.

Hypothesized Triggers:

• Integration of Reddit and Quora in Search Generative Experience (SGE). Google may be elevating platforms that integrate well into conversational SERPs.
• Perceived trust in collective knowledge. With AI answers often feeling generic, Google may be testing a re-weighting toward peer insight and diverse perspectives.
• Spam pollution in smaller forums. Many niche forums are poorly moderated, making them vulnerable to AI spam and link abuse — possibly triggering ranking penalties or suppression.

Hypothesis: Google may be selectively rewarding platforms where user intent is met through discussion, while suppressing others where spam and thin content dominate.

4. Recovery of Previously Hit Sites: System Realignment or Correction

Observed Change:
Some sites previously hit by 2023’s Helpful Content Update (HCU) are reportedly recovering, even without significant changes to their sites.

Continuity or Disruption:
Realignment. This doesn’t reverse prior trends, but suggests Google may be fine-tuning previous systems or correcting overreaches.

Hypothesized Triggers:

• False positives from past updates. Google may have recognized that some sites producing original, but modest content were incorrectly flagged as low-value.
• Recalibration of “helpfulness” signals. The original HCU may have weighted technical signals (e.g. word count, layout, or bounce rate) too heavily.
• Pressure from the SEO community. Public feedback on past updates — including sharp criticism — may have influenced Google to rethink or soften enforcement patterns.

Hypothesis: Google may be smoothing out edge cases where legitimate publishers were penalized unfairly — aiming to reduce collateral damage while still cracking down on low-effort content.

5. AI Content & Detection: Escalation in Enforcement

Observed Change:
AI-generated content that isn’t edited, enriched, or experience-backed appears to be struggling — especially in YMYL niches or commercial SERPs.

Continuity or Disruption:
Subtle disruption. Google has never officially penalized AI content per se, but the March 2025 update may reflect more aggressive filtering based on content quality patterns that often correlate with low-effort AI usage.

Hypothesized Triggers:

• Explosion in AI content farms. Some niche site builders reportedly scaled to 1000+ pages per site using ChatGPT or similar tools — possibly flooding the index with lookalike content.
• Manual review feedback. If Google’s raters consistently flagged AI-heavy pages as low quality, those inputs could have informed algorithmic tuning.
• User behavior signals. High bounce rates or pogo-sticking may have tipped off Google that these pages weren’t meeting user expectations — even if they were technically optimized.

Hypothesis: Google may now have more nuanced ways to detect content that looks “OK” but lacks substance — with AI content often fitting that mold if not heavily refined.

SEO Implication : What This Update May Be Signaling

For Link Building

The update, combined with Google’s anti-spam measures, appears to have shifted value away from links that are detached from context. While Domain Rating and authority metrics still factor into decisions, the SEO community has observed that topical alignment and perceived trustworthiness may now matter more than ever.

This could suggest that links from real, contextually aligned websites — even if not high in DR — may be passing more value than before.

What’s Being Reported

• Several SEOs have noted declines in rankings for sites with unnatural-looking backlink profiles, particularly those relying on paid placements or link exchanges across irrelevant industries.
• Some link builders are observing that links from niche blogs, regional publications, and organizational websites seem to retain stronger impact — possibly due to their clearer editorial intent and audience trust.
• There’s speculation that link velocity and diversity alone are no longer sufficient if the links don’t align with the site’s core expertise.

What This Could Mean for Your Practice

• Relevance may now outweigh raw metrics. A DR 35 trade journal in the HVAC industry might offer more durable value to a renovation company than a DR 75 general news blog with no thematic overlap.
• Editorial signals may be increasingly scrutinized. Guest posts on sites that publish dozens of external articles per week could risk being ignored — or worse, flagged as low-trust.
• Relationship-based outreach may matter more than ever. It’s harder to fake authenticity, and harder to game a system that’s possibly favoring relationship-driven links from trusted sources.

How to Adapt

• Focus on building links that feel natural, deserved, and embedded in real content ecosystems — niche publications, supplier pages, conference sites, expert roundups.
• Pitch assets that demonstrate real value — not just infographics, but first-hand reports, research, or even high-quality client stories.
• Audit link portfolios and flag patterns that could appear manipulative: sitewide footers, exact-match anchor spam, irrelevant niche placements.

For Content Strategy

The March 2025 update seems to reinforce Google’s ongoing shift toward content that reflects real-life experience and usefulness, as stated in their own communication. But as always, the exact mechanisms remain opaque — we only see their effects indirectly.

Based on what’s being shared in the SEO community, content perceived as thin, purely derivative, or lacking original insight may be at higher risk of devaluation.

What’s Being Observed

• Pages that offer "nothing new" — such as templated blog posts summarizing already-ranking content — are being reported as dropping in visibility.
• Some SEOs are reporting that content with clear evidence of personal experience (e.g., real photos, anecdotes, trial-and-error) is holding or gaining ground.
• AI-generated content appears to be under more scrutiny, especially when it lacks editing, depth, or supporting signals of trust (like author bios or citations).

What This Might Suggest

• Experience is emerging as a more critical layer of content quality. Not just expertise — but who lived this, who wrote this, and can we tell?
• SERP mimicry — writing content by scraping the top 10 and rewording — may be a fading tactic.
• Updates like this may not be targeting specific formats, but rather the lack of perspective within them.

How to Adapt

• Build content around lived insight: case studies, failures, customer feedback, behind-the-scenes processes. If the content can’t be traced to a real perspective, it might need to be rethought.
• Use rich media and interaction to show real effort — annotated visuals, personal photos, data visualizations, or embedded commentary.
• Revisit older content and ask: is this saying anything that hasn’t already been said — or is it just saying it differently?

Where Link Building & Content Strategy Overlap : What May Be Emerging as a Shared Truth

1. Google’s Enhanced Ability to Detect Authenticity

Google may be getting better at detecting whether a website reflects a real business or real people. In other words, the search giant is refining its algorithms to distinguish genuine, human-run enterprises from those that rely on shortcuts and superficial signals. This evolution means that it isn’t enough to simply have a company name or a generic “About Us” page. Instead, Google now evaluates deeper signals such as customer reviews, verified contact information, and even the real-life interactions a business has with its audience. As a result, businesses that invest in showing their true identity and operational transparency are more likely to be recognized as authentic.

2. Beyond Schema and Bios: The Importance of Cohesion

While adding schema markup or detailed author bios can certainly help signal credibility, these elements are just a small part of a much larger picture.

The real power lies in the cohesion across your website. This means that your content, the backlinks you earn, your authorship, and your external reputation should all align to tell one consistent story. When every piece of your digital presence reinforces the same core values and expertise, it creates an environment of trust.

Google’s increasingly sophisticated algorithms are now better at recognizing when these elements work together seamlessly—and when they do, it significantly boosts your site’s credibility.

3. Building Reputation, Not Just Rankings

The goal of modern SEO isn’t just to achieve high rankings—it’s about building a reputation that lasts.

Gone are the days when manipulating technical signals alone could guarantee success. Today, every backlink earned, every article published, and every mention on social media contributes to your overall reputation. When users and search engines see that you consistently offer valuable, well-researched content and earn links from reputable sources, your site is rewarded not only with better rankings but also with long-term trust.

Essentially, the efforts you put into cultivating a genuine reputation will pay dividends far beyond a temporary boost in search positions.

4. The Synergy of Quality Content and High-Quality Backlinks

A backlink from a respected publication, a blog post with genuine insight, and a cluster of content that demonstrates deep expertise all reinforce one another. Each of these elements serves as a signal of quality in its own right, but when they work together, they create a powerful synergy.

A high-quality backlink boosts your authority; insightful content builds trust and engagement; and an interconnected cluster of in-depth articles shows that you have a robust understanding of your subject matter. This mutual reinforcement is increasingly what Google looks for, as it demonstrates not just isolated efforts but a comprehensive and authentic approach to delivering value.

5. Volume Is No Longer a Substitute for Value

In the past, some websites relied on producing a high volume of content as a way to outnumber their competitors—a strategy sometimes referred to as “noise.”

However, Google’s algorithms have evolved, and now the focus is squarely on quality over quantity. Noise—excessive content that lacks meaningful insights—can no longer serve as a moat to protect your rankings. Instead, websites that flood their pages with low-value material risk diluting their brand’s message and confusing search engines.

The current landscape rewards those who prioritize depth, originality, and user engagement over sheer volume.

6. The Pitfalls of Overproduction Without Quality and Coherence

Producing 30 articles a month and building 50 links per campaign might have worked in the past, but that level of scale can now work against you if quality and coherence are missing.

When a website focuses solely on quantity, it often results in content that is repetitive or generic, and backlinks that seem forced rather than earned. This lack of cohesion can ultimately undermine your overall reputation, causing Google to favor sites that demonstrate a clear, unified strategy.

To succeed today, every piece of content should contribute meaningfully to a larger narrative, reinforcing the trustworthiness and expertise of your brand rather than merely aiming to game the system.

Final Thought

• Nothing in this update has been fully confirmed beyond Google's public statements — but if we read between the lines, it seems Google is not just targeting manipulation, it’s recalibrating around meaningful digital presence.
• If you’re trying to scale SEO in 2025, the goal isn’t more — it’s more meaningful. The link builder and the content strategist aren't working in parallel lanes anymore — they're building trust from different angles.

‍