Article · Growth Strategy
Understanding Google’s March Update
This is a historical perspective on the March 2024 update.
This is a historical perspective on the March 2024 update. It should not be treated as a guide to the latest search changes.
Why the topic matters now
A page needs a reason to exist beyond targeting a phrase. Does it answer the question, contribute relevant expertise and help the reader decide what to do? Repeated copy under different titles is a poor starting point.
Label this as a March 2024 perspective.
Investigate before rewriting everything
Check when performance changed, which pages were affected and whether technical or tracking changes occurred at the same time. A traffic decline alone does not prove that a particular update caused it.
Compare the dates and pages behind the decline.
Put the idea to work
Label this as a March 2024 perspective. Compare the dates and pages behind the decline. Review site and measurement changes before drawing a conclusion.
Technical changes can occur at the same time as a search update.
Why this matters
Give the work a useful business purpose.
A historical update article should be read in its original context.
What to understand
Three ideas worth keeping.
The purpose
Keep the historical context clear.
The useful check
Review affected pages and dates.
The next step
Check technical changes too.
Aeolus view
Keep the useful question in view.
A historical update article should be read in its original context.
A change in traffic needs investigation at page and query level.
Technical changes can occur at the same time as a search update.
Label this as a March 2024 perspective.
Review site and measurement changes before drawing a conclusion.
Next step
Work out what deserves attention first.
Tell us what you want to improve. We will discuss the useful next step.