There’s a moment in nearly every local SEO conversation I have with a business owner where they pause and ask, “Wait, what just happened to my rankings?” Sometimes, they’re almost whispering, like saying it softer will make the dip go away. That tells me they’ve noticed the impact of something they don’t quite see coming—the latest Google algorithm update. If you’re a small business relying on your online presence to keep foot traffic steady and the phone ringing, these changes can feel like unexpected storms rearranging your storefront overnight.
The March 2024 Core Update was one of those storms. It didn’t just tweak a few knobs. It felt more like a deep software patch, targeting quality, relevance, and what Google now calls “experience-based authority.” As someone who works side by side with small business owners—either behind the scenes optimizing content or sitting in their offices sketching out their next lead-gen strategy—I saw the effects firsthand. And yeah, it was big.
This post walks through how that algorithm shifted the ground for small business SEO and, more importantly, what to do about it. I’ll break down everything from why your 5-year-old service page tanked, to ways brick-and-mortar owners are recovering with hyperlocal content and website revamps. You’ll find real examples, quiet wins that most people overlook, and some ideas that might just make you love your site again (or at least understand what it needs).
Core algorithm updates are part of how Google improves search results. But that doesn’t make them feel less personal when your traffic drops 40% overnight. The March 2024 update was particularly focused on cracking down on low-quality, AI-generated, or thin content, and rewarding businesses that demonstrate real-world experience, authority, and trustworthiness—what’s now coined as E-E-A-T.
This hit small businesses hard—especially those with generic service pages or single-paragraph blogs created more for keyword density than for real customers.
One of the less talked-about but heavily impactful shifts was how Google started measuring “first-hand experience” within content. Pages that shared actual expertise from real professionals or first-hand data (think customer case studies, original photography, or process breakdowns) started ranking higher than pages parroting top-10 lists from 2019.
It didn’t matter if you were an HVAC repair business in Nashville or a wedding photographer in Santa Barbara—the same rules applied. If your website content didn’t show real insight, it fell behind.
Algorithm updates make headlines in the SEO world, but it’s the real-world stories that show how dramatic these impacts can be.
I worked with a Nashville-area roofer who had a site built on Squarespace in 2017, with service pages for shingles, inspections, and emergency repairs. At one point, they dominated in Franklin and Cool Springs. But in April 2024, organic traffic dropped by nearly 60% across all service-related search terms.
The culprit? Each service page was a vague 300-word block with no photos, little detail, and zero internal linking. They actually used the word “trusted” 6 times on one page—but didn’t back it up with a single example. We rebuilt those pages to include mini case studies (“Leak repair for Westhaven home within 48 hours”), photos of the team on-site, and quotes from customers.
By June 2024, their visibility had recovered by 40%, because we transitioned them from brochureware to content with a pulse.
A Brentwood-based spa saw their blog section nearly wiped out of Google’s index. Why? They hired a content team that churned out listicles like “Top 10 Benefits of Massages” with zero local angle or originality.
Those pieces were built almost exclusively to hit keywords like “relaxation massage Tennessee” but offered no unique value. After pruning old content and replacing it with stories about individual treatments, therapist-led introductions, and local self-care resources, their blog started climbing again.
This update wasn’t just about quality—it was about the quality that comes from people doing the work. For designers, mechanics, stylists, and consultants, one of the best changes in 2024 was that Google got better at recognizing authenticity.
Think about it this way: if you’re reading a recipe blog, who would you trust more—a food writer hired by a content farm or a baker showing step-by-step images from their kitchen? That’s how Google now treats your business site too. Expertise isn’t just about credentials. It’s about storytelling.
If you run a dance studio, tell people how you prepare anxious kids for their first recital. If you offer deck installations, take a photo of the teardown. All of this counts as proof of experience—and Google sees it.
Another big theme of the 2024 update: site architecture. Sites that were easy to navigate, had clear topic clusters, and didn’t bury information five clicks deep performed better. It wasn’t just about what was written—it was how it was connected.
Many small businesses still rely on five basic pages: Home, About, Services, Gallery, Contact. On their own, those are fine. But without subpages answering niche customer questions or supporting content, they can leave Google guessing.
I worked with a small law firm in Murfreesboro that saw an uptick in traffic after launching a legal FAQ section, internal guides on dispute resolution steps, and location-specific service breakdowns. Suddenly they weren’t just offering “Civil Mediation”... they were explaining it in Tennessee, for homeowners, with navigation breadcrumbs between every page.
Here's a quick analogy: building an SEO-friendly site is like designing a neighborhood. You can’t just have a single house on a hill (one landing page) and expect to rank. You need streets, driveways, and footpaths—interlinked content with shared themes. That’s how Google understands you have authority in a space.
If you offer dog grooming in Franklin, you might have:
Each piece strengthens the overall image of expertise in that niche and location.
Not every business saw a downturn. Some actually performed better post-update—mostly those who had already invested in content with a point of view, solid technical SEO, and a strong local presence.
One key difference was the specificity in targeting. “Massage therapy for athletes in Franklin” did better than “Massage Therapy Near Me” if the page illustrated exactly how athletic massage helped recovery. Businesses that layered service-specific + audience-specific + local area content did best.
Despite whispers over the last year that Google Business Profile (formerly GMB) was losing steam, profiles with updated posts, services listed, and review responses thrived. Many businesses who got hit on their website ranking still had solid visibility on the map pack because they’d kept that profile active and engaging.
When the broader web ranking becomes volatile, your local footprint becomes your safety net.
Since we work with Webflow, WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace, I noticed some interesting differences in how easily clients rebounded depending on their CMS.
Clients on Webflow recovered faster post-update when we used CMS Collections for structured service pages, SEO title tags, and clean navigation. The platform’s flexibility allowed us to semi-automate FAQ sections or service comparison tables—both of which increased dwell time and reduced bounce rates.
Many Squarespace business sites suffered because of limited blog formatting and difficulty linking between content types. Once we supplemented their blog with richer landing pages using summary blocks and removed duplicate content, rankings started climbing again.
WordPress users had the most variance—some suffered under bloated themes, while others with lean, SEO-optimized templates thrived. Wix sites need clean schema and manual link structures to stand out, but when used well (especially with their blog editor and locator integration), they can hold their own.
Diagnosing your issues starts with looking at your analytics—specifically which pages lost traffic, bounce rates, and changes to time-on-page. Then zoom out. Is your content actually helping someone, or is it rehashing what 20 other sites say?
You don’t need to nuke your site and start fresh. You need to tell your story better. And for many small businesses, it begins with knowing that your process is worth documenting, your photos are worth sharing, and your voice—yes, your actual tone—might be your biggest SEO asset.
If the March 2024 update felt like a slap in the face, you’re not alone. But it was also something more optimistic under the surface—a nudge toward authenticity. Sites that perform now don’t just say “we do this.” They show it. They teach it. They explain it in a way only someone hands-on in the work could.
Here in Franklin and across the clients I serve, I’ve seen firsthand how small shifts can bring a site back to life. It might be swapping “trusted contractor” copy for real home remodeling photo diaries, or replacing vague SEO blog fodder with commentary on industry changes. Whatever your niche, you don’t just want better SEO. You want content that clarifies your business for your audience—and, by extension, for Google.
Because at its heart, SEO now rewards what people trust: humanity, experience, and relevance. That’s good news. You already have everything you need—you’re just not putting it all on the page yet.
Copyright © Zach Sean Web Design
