Google’s algorithm isn’t static. Like a river constantly flowing and shifting, its changes impact everything built around its banks: traffic, rankings, leads—and for small businesses, these shifts can mean real money. One update, one adjustment in what signals matter most, and suddenly that local bakery or home services business finds its organic traffic halved, or doubled.
In March 2024, Google launched what it called the “March 2024 Core Update.” It’s one of the more notable updates in recent years—intense, long-lasting, and, for many, unexpected. But beyond the SEO forums and analytics charts, the question I want to explore is simple: What does this mean for real small businesses? How did this update actually affect the websites I build, consult on, or manage for my clients, and what can we learn to optimize accordingly?
A core algorithm update, as Google defines it, refers to broad improvements to its search ranking systems. It’s not a penalty. It’s a reshuffling; Google reweights the importance of signals. In the March 2024 update, that reshuffling was significant, with a focus evidently placed on reducing low-quality content, fighting spam, and prioritizing helpfulness—not just keyword matching.
Google’s announcement noted multiple overlapping improvements: refinements in systems that assess “content helpfulness,” cracks down on spammy practices, and adjustments to the way AI-generated content is surfaced. They also teased better context understanding—a nudge toward applying more sophisticated language processing.
But on the ground, it didn’t just ding the content mills. Plenty of small local businesses—a wedding photographer in Nashville, a plumber in Sarasota, a yoga studio in Portland—saw dramatic traffic drops. Or spikes. Or weird regional fluctuations.
In my conversations with clients, I started seeing a theme emerge: The businesses with clear messaging, real user value, and a strong local footprint did better. The ones leaning too hard on templated blog spam, aggressive keyword clustering, or neglected meta descriptions were slipping.
Small businesses live and die by local discovery. A tree-care company doesn’t need to rank nationally—they need to rank for “tree removal Franklin TN.” And when an update like this rolls out, proximity and authority signals start shifting in weight.
TreeCo, a five-man team based in Franklin, had a simple Squarespace site. They weren’t pushing loads of content, but they had clear service pages, authentic testimonials, and frequent Google Reviews. Their inquiries jumped by 40% in April 2024.
Why? I dug into their backlink profile, their content, and on-page signals. It wasn’t anything fancy. But their About Us page told their story well. They answered key questions (like “Do you haul away the wood?”) clearly. Their site loaded quickly on mobile. The update rewarded their honesty. It’s almost like Google said, “Be real and we’ll back you.”
In contrast, a wedding photographer client in Nashville saw organic leads tank by 60% overnight. Their content strategy? Dozens of automatically generated blog posts optimized for “best wedding shots in Tennessee” and similar keywords. But the content was generic. Stock photos. No client stories. No personality. The update interpreted it as low-value, repetitive content.
When we revamped their blog to tell personal client stories, showcase real galleries with alt-text, and removed outdated keyword fluff, some rankings returned—slowly. But the lesson was loud: Depth over breadth wins post-update.
One of the clearer signals from Google in this update is their tolerance threshold for low-quality or thin content. The “helpful content system,” which evaluates whether content is created primarily to help users and not to game rankings, seems like it got a serious upgrade.
According to Google’s own update log, large portions of algorithm refinements targeted low-quality or made-for-search content. Their systems are now better at identifying pages written “solely for search engines.”
That matters because businesses producing generic, keyword-sprinkled articles just to hit a monthly quota are losing visibility. Google’s job is to serve the best content, not just the most optimized. The March 2024 update appears to enforce that ethos more rigorously than ever before.
Remember, Google isn’t hunting you down. But it’s clearing clutter to surface things people actually want.
The March 2024 update also took a firmer hand with AI-generated content. This won’t shock anyone who’s been watching the explosion of bland, ChatGPT-spun articles across the net. Google made it clear: automation isn’t inherently bad, but unreviewed, unoriginal AI content is now more likely to be ignored or suppressed.
For small business owners copying and pasting AI descriptions into their service pages without editing—your site probably felt this hit.
I recently audited a local insurance agency’s website built with WordPress. Their blog, branded as “Tips Corner,” was 100% AI-generated. Lines like “In today’s digital landscape, insurance clients demand transparency at all times, 24/7.” No references. No insight unique to the agency. No voice. That pattern repeated across 30 articles.
After pruning back to six core posts, rewriting them with personal stories and real client examples, their average time-on-page jumped 3x. Organic impressions increased 18% over five weeks.
Think of AI like prefab cabinetry. Useful for shape, not for charm. You still need a finish carpenter (you) to add trim and fit it to the space
Local search—Google Maps, "near me" queries, and regional visibility—experienced some tremors. Several local service companies I work with, particularly those relying solely on Google Business Profile (GBP) and directory traffic, saw volatility.
Local businesses with:
...saw modest ranking gains. In one case, a client ranking third for “roofing Brentwood TN” moved to first after earning 18 new reviews in a month and embedding a team video onto their homepage.
I witnessed lead drops for sites relying on outdated, identical clone pages like “HVAC Service Nashville,” “HVAC Service Brentwood,” “HVAC Service Franklin” with nothing but the city name changed. The algorithm seems to now recognize this duplication tactic more effectively and treats them as low-effort local spam.
If your business has multiple service areas, you have to make each page stand on its own. Avoid filling space. Add customer testimonials from that region, team photos specific to that locale, or comment on that market’s specific needs (e.g., “Older homes in Belle Meade may have ductwork issues not found in newer subdivisions”).
This isn’t new, but it’s worth repeating: the algorithm doesn’t just read your content. It reads your infrastructure. And updates like this often surface a painful truth for small business owners: that slow, bloated, poorly structured websites are holding them back.
One of my clients, a private medical clinic using Wix, had decent copy and reviews but a heavily animated hero section, six embedded fonts, and 11 unused JavaScript libraries. Their Core Web Vitals were a mess. Following the March update, their bounce rate skyrocketed and they dropped off page one.
After simplifying the layout, reducing font weights, eliminating animations on mobile, and moving their location pages to static rendering with Webflow, their visibility recovered within two weeks.
If there's one perspective I wish small business owners adopted after this update, it’s this: Think of your website like your storefront. Would you trust a plumbing company with a flickering sign, peeling paint, and no one at the reception desk? Probably not. Google sees your flaws more clearly than many users do.
The safest way to adapt to any core update is to not fear them. Build resilience through better practices:
This isn’t about playing perfect SEO. It’s about showing up online the way you show up in your business—clear, helpful, and human.
The March 2024 Core Update reminded us that small business success in SEO can’t rest on autopilot. Yes, Google is updating constantly. But those updates reflect a deeper truth: They’re getting better at judging what’s real.
Small businesses that focus on being helpful before clever, personal before optimized, and technically sound before flashy, are rewarded. Not always immediately. But more consistently over time.
Your site isn’t just a digital flyer. It's a conversation. Make it easy to navigate. Use plain language. Tell your story. Show how you solve problems. Respect your visitor's time.
We aren’t just dealing with search engines. We’re dealing with the people who use them. Think clearly. Build responsibly. And remember: the web may shift, but the fundamentals of trust, clarity, and helpfulness remain constant.
Copyright © Zach Sean Web Design
