GoogleCore UpdateConfirmedHigh impact

March 2023 core update

First core update of 2023, rolled out over two weeks with wide volatility across content categories.

What changed

Google ran the March 2023 core update from 15 to 28 March. It was widely reported as one of the more forceful core updates of the period, with major swings in health, ecommerce and publisher categories. Google's guidance was its standard core update advice and it published no new documentation alongside the release.

Timing

Rollout began 15 March 2023. Google declared it complete on 28 March 2023, 13 days later. Rankings typically remain unstable for the whole rollout window, so measurements taken inside it are not a reliable read on the outcome.

What it affected