SEOs are already speculating about which update did what to which sites (the March 2024 Core Update or the March 2024 Spam Update) and which sites should or should not.
This is a bit dangerous.
Meanwhile, Google is asking SEOs to be patient and let this happen. Google is not pulling your strings. There is a lot of volatility and a lot of downside right now.
While what I’m about to share is purely anecdotal, I’ve been diving deep into these updates for some time now.
This is what I’m seeing. Hopefully it helps give some context to the March 2024 Core Update while we wait for it to be finished.
Core Update March 2024
Google said that the March 2024 update will be extended and that there will be “more fluctuations in ranking than with a regular core update”.
The first major spike in rating volatility was picked up on March 9. Since then, there have been two additional peaks so far, on March 15 and 19.
However, this does not mean that with each “sub-spike” comes a “new set” of ranking moves. It is not only very common, but basically the rule that secondary spikes within a core update will present a broad set of reversals to the range changes initiated at the head of the update.
How many times have you seen a site “win” at the start of the update only to get run over towards the end?
With the March 2024 core update, you’ll likely see multiple sets of investments as the update is longer and more complex than usual.
An absolute ton of rank changes
No, not all of the ranking volatility we’re seeing with the March 2024 core update is a reversal. Places go up and places go. Some of these rank trajectories will eventually reverse and some of them will be maintained.
In the above, the most recent “sub-point” of volatility did not reverse anything, it accentuated the initial ranking loss of the URL.
Caveats aside, there has been a remarkable amount of reversals with secondary spikes in fluctuations seen on March 15th and 19th.
Here’s a case of Allstate losing rank for the keyword free car insurance. When I saw the initial ranking success the domain had on March 9th for the keyword, it was obviously amazing.
Lo and behold, there was a bounce on March 19th followed by a loss on March 20th only to see another bounce on March 21st.
Here’s mousesavers.com showing a spike before the update (in parentheses, it’s very common to see sites that show sudden ranking changes before an update and then reversals afterwards):
You can clearly see that the early volatility spike in the March 2024 core update reverses the pre-update surge. However, just a few days later the downward trend reversed.
You can see the same pattern playing out at the domain level in this case:
Also, this site has one of the worst UX I’ve seen in a long time. It’s nostalgic in a sick way.
At the same time, it seems to offer a wealth of information. One could speculate (a lot) that investments are a battle between UX and content (or maybe they’re just investments without much deeper meaning at this point).
In the case of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s rankings for the keywords oral cancer risk factors, the reversals knocked the site completely out of the top 20 for two days:
After seeing a reversal on March 18th, the site fell out of the top 20 on March 19th and then again on March 21st.
For the record, not all reversals are full rank restorations. In the case of this dentistry site, the ranking losses seen at the start were reversed on March 19, but the site is only halfway up the SERP relative to its previous rank.
At the domain level, the reversal on March 19 brought it back a bit closer to the previous performance:
The same arrangement for an investment that results in a loss of classification.
As in the case below, just because the reversion shows a loss doesn’t mean that the rank loss will bring the URL back to the top spot…yet (or not, who knows at this point!).
I could go on and on about these cases forever, but then my kids would have an absent father and no update is more important than your kids (SEO life lesson right there).
Some strange volatility
Apart from the more traditional investments, I have seen some totally strange behavior. It’s totally pervasive, but it’s certainly a more common pattern than in previous core updates (at least that’s what I’ve seen).
Check this one out:
You might be wondering, “What the hell am I looking at?”
You’re looking at Google replacing basically the entire set of results from at least position 20 or higher.
A connecting line means a continuation of the range above the 20 position overnight.
I only count four such lines in the image above (although I’ve never been very good at counting).
In fact, you see that this pattern will apply for three days. In other words, Google rearranged almost the entire SERP not once, not twice, but three times. Many of the URL rankings from March 18 disappeared on the 19th and some reappeared on the 20th.
I’ve seen this before. However, I’ve generally seen this in cases where the SERP is filled with YouTube URLs and Google shuffles them day after day after day. This is not such a case.
Nor is it a one-time thing. I’ve seen this pattern a few times before.
Here’s another similar (albeit slightly less severe) example:
This is not over, take it easy
What is my point with all this?
This is a long and volatile update.
As I said earlier, Google is not pulling your strings by telling you to keep calm and be patient.
I’m guessing you’ll be looking at some of the sites and pages I’ve shown here to see many more investments by the time this is all said and done.
The same with your or your client’s sites. It’s too early to try to nail this thing down and have an understanding of where you stand.
So even though I’m not old enough to really remember, this catchy slogan still applies as the March 2024 core update continues to roll out: “Run for safety, get – there’s the belt, always hold on.”
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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