March 27, 2026
Today, Google announced the rollout of the March 2026 core update, just two days after the completion of the March 2026 spam update.
This is a standard broad core update targeting all types of content across the globe, and is designed to ‘better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites’.
As always, that’s the extent of the details Google has provided about this update, but based on previous rollouts, we can at least expect to see high volatility in the SERPs.
This update wasn’t a total surprise, either. Volatility has already been high for weeks, as documented by Barry Schwartz on X:
And the recent spam update led some observers, including SEO and AI search consultant Glenn Gabe, to believe that a core update would drop soon:
Reactions to the update were, as they always are, less than positive.
Stuart responded to Google Search Central’s announcement on X:
Kingsley Ibietela Felix also commented:
This is the first core update of the year and the third Google algorithm update, following the February 2026 Discover core update and the March 2026 spam update.
Google releases core updates periodically, to ‘make significant changes to [our] search algorithms and systems’.
Here’s a timeline of core updates over the last few years:
As we have no specific details regarding this update, all you can do for now is focus on creating helpful content and following E.E.A.T guidelines to the best of your ability.
You may notice rankings fluctuate over the next few weeks, but there’s no need to panic if that’s the case. Volatility is often high during and post core update. Give it some time after the rollout before diving into your analytics.
If you are worried about how this update may affect your site, get in touch with us today.
