If your traffic has moved recently, you’re not imagining it. Over the last few weeks, Google has rolled out major updates, AI tools have changed how people search, and the old “rules” of SEO are starting to crack. We will look at what’s happening right now and what it means for your site.
Google’s March 2026 core update has landed
Google began rolling out its first major update of the year at the end of March 2026, and it’s already reshuffling results. Rankings are moving, traffic is shifting, and the winners and losers look different across industries.
What makes this update feel different is the timing: it followed closely after a spam-focused update. In practice, that sequence often looks like Google first removing or demoting low-quality or manipulative pages, and then re-ranking what remains based on overall quality and usefulness.
- Cleaned out low quality or manipulative content
- Then re-ranked everything based on quality
If your rankings dropped, it doesn’t automatically mean you’ve been “penalised”. More often, it’s a re-evaluation: Google is comparing your page to what else is available and deciding whether your content is genuinely better, clearer, and more helpful for the query.
SEO is no longer just about content
The latest updates reinforce a shift that’s been building for years: it’s not enough to publish “good” content if the overall experience is poor. Google is increasingly weighing signals that indicate whether a page is easy to use and genuinely satisfies the searcher.
In practical terms, that includes:
- User experience
- Page speed
- Mobile performance
- How useful your content feels
You can no longer get away with “just good enough”. Sites that load slowly, feel clunky on mobile, or fail to fully answer the question are increasingly slipping, even when the topic coverage looks fine on the surface.
AI is changing search faster than Google updates
The biggest shift isn’t a single algorithm update—it’s behaviour. More people are using AI tools (including ChatGPT and similar platforms) to get direct answers instead of scrolling through traditional search results. When the interface gives one strong answer, fewer users click through ten blue links.
For websites, that often results in:
- Fewer clicks to websites
- More competition for visibility
- More importance on being “mentioned” rather than just ranked
As a result, some companies are already trying to influence how these AI systems surface sources and recommendations—effectively a new layer of optimisation alongside classic SEO.
People are now trying to optimise for AI
It sounds strange, but it’s happening: businesses are creating content designed not only for Google, but also for AI tools that summarise the web and generate answers. The goal is to increase the chance their brand, products, or perspectives are included when an AI responds to a question.
- Being cited on sites like Reddit and YouTube matters more
- Brand mentions are becoming as important as backlinks
The practical takeaway is that visibility is expanding beyond rankings. AI systems frequently draw from communities, video platforms, reviews, and comparisons, making discussions in these places a meaningful signal.
This is a new layer of SEO, and it’s only just getting started.
Google traffic is becoming less predictable
Even if you rank well, you may see fewer clicks than you would have a year or two ago. Google is answering more queries directly in the results, and AI tools are doing the same—so the “space” available for organic clicks is shrinking for many informational searches.
This doesn’t mean SEO is dead. It means the job is changing: you still need strong pages that rank, but you also need to earn attention in environments where answers are summarised and clicks are optional.
What is working right now in SEO
If you want to stay ahead, focus less on tricks and more on fundamentals that compound: real expertise, genuinely helpful pages, and a site experience that makes it easy for people (and systems) to trust what you publish.
1) Real experience wins
Content that demonstrates first-hand knowledge is performing better than rewritten “fluff”. Use real examples, show your process, include original insights, and answer the query in a way that a reader can immediately apply.
2) Depth beats volume
Publishing more pages is no longer the shortcut it once was. One strong, comprehensive page that fully covers the topic—and is kept up to date—will often outperform ten thin articles that repeat the same points.
3) Brand mentions matter more than ever
You need your brand talked about beyond your website—on forums, social platforms, and video channels—because both people and AI systems pick up these signals when forming recommendations. Think of it as building demand and credibility in parallel with earning links.
4) Technical SEO still matters
Performance and reliability still underpin everything. Slow sites, weak mobile experiences, and broken pages rarely “cause” a ranking drop on their own, but they reduce user satisfaction and make it harder for your best content to compete.
The takeaway
SEO isn’t disappearing, but it is evolving faster than most teams can keep up with. Right now, three forces are shaping visibility and traffic, and you need to respond to all of them—not just one.
- Google updates
- AI search tools
- User behaviour changes
If you ignore any one of these, you’ll fall behind—even if you’re doing well in the other two.
What you should do next
Keep it simple and focus on actions that improve quality and resilience. Start with what you can control on your site, then expand into brand building where audiences (and AI systems) discover you.
- Audit your content
- Improve what already exists
- Focus on real value
- Build your brand outside your website
Do that and you won’t just survive these changes—you’ll be positioned to benefit from them as the landscape continues to shift.
Final Considerations
The old SEO playbook is fading. The new one is simple: be useful, be real, and build visibility beyond Google. If you do that consistently, you’ll be ahead of most sites—no matter which way the algorithms move next.
