We asked for your help in analyzing the March 12 core update, and with over 500 responses, we found the results to be quite inconclusive. There were no significant patterns indicating that this update was related to a particular tactic, type of website, or another clear trend.
In essence, Google’s general advice regarding core updates seems to align with the data from our survey—there is no specific fix for core updates, and the best approach is to continually improve your website overall.
The Data: We garnered over 500 responses, with the survey being shared on this site and my personal blog. This introduces a certain level of bias, as we primarily asked SEOs to submit their data. Furthermore, we emailed over 300 previous survey participants from the Medic update survey to contribute, adding even more potential bias and skewing the data.
Not All Recovered: Interestingly, among those affected by the March 12 update, about 56% indicated they saw recoveries from previous core updates, while 44% did not experience any recovery.
But More Saw Lower Rankings: When asked if they were negatively or positively impacted, a majority reported a negative impact from the March 12th core update. About 58% experienced a negative impact, 33% saw a positive impact, and 9% noted no change.
What Fixes Worked?: We also inquired about the changes made to achieve recoveries or improvements. The responses varied widely; some did nothing and just waited it out, while others made technical SEO changes, edited links, improved user experience, added better quality content, and more. The tactics that SEOs believed made a difference were diverse:
This diversity in responses indicates that core updates do not target a specific issue or tactic but address a broad range of quality issues.
The Categories of Sites: A surprising aspect was the types of sites affected. Since we asked participants from the Medic update survey to take this one, we expected more responses from health and medical sites. However, there was a 10 percentage point drop in health-related sites reporting issues compared to the previous survey, indicating that this update was broader and affected various sectors. Here is the breakdown of categories impacted:
Other Analysis: There have been various analyses of this Google update from data providers like Sistrix, Search Metrics, and RankRanger. Professionals such as Marie Haynes and Glenn Gabe have also provided insights. Additionally, Google addressed some FAQs regarding this update.
What You Should Do Now: If you were impacted, it’s important to take a comprehensive and unbiased look at your website. Seek feedback from others to identify areas of improvement. The necessary changes might include technical SEO adjustments, better quality content, site restructuring, enhanced user experience, or link analysis. Consider getting an SEO or usability audit from a professional firm to find ways to enhance your site.
