20 Mar
2024
Changes to Google’s Algorithm in March 2024
The major impact on hundreds of thousands of websites
Google’s March 2024 core algorithm update has, quite literally, caused hundreds of thousands of websites to disappear from search results so far. The purpose of the update was to “penalize” low-quality automated content, such as AI-generated text, while prioritizing high-quality, human-created content.
What happened during the algorithm update?
Websites with a higher percentage of low-quality, meaningless, or non-authentic content—especially text generated by AI systems—received the harshest penalties. In the most severe cases, entire websites were completely removed from Google’s search results. Deindexed websites face significant consequences, including the loss of organic search traffic and advertising revenue.
The update aligns with a study by Originality.ai, which identified a high prevalence of AI-generated content among the affected websites.
The impact of Google’s March 2024 core update, which specifically targets low-quality and spam content, is becoming increasingly visible as the days pass.
Recent analyses reveal that more than 800 websites were fully removed from Google’s search results within the very first moments of the rollout.
Widespread Deindexing
Ian Nuttall, a prominent figure in the SEO community, has been tracking the indexing status of 49,345 websites following the release of the March 2024 Core Update, along with the related manual actions against AI-generated spam.
Nuttall’s findings shed light on the sweeping impact of Google’s latest initiative.
Out of the 49,345 websites monitored, 837 websites were completely removed from Google’s search index.
This represents approximately 1.7% of the websites in Nuttall’s database. The deindexed sites span multiple categories and ad networks, highlighting the broad scope of Google’s enforcement actions.
However, it is still too early to determine whether these websites will remain deindexed, as several have already reappeared in Google’s search results.
Significant Traffic and Revenue Losses
The consequences of deindexing are severe for the affected websites.
According to Nuttall’s analysis, the 837 deindexed websites accounted for more than 20.7 million monthly organic search visits before the manual action was applied. The sudden loss of traffic is devastating for the affected websites.
Furthermore, the removal of these websites from Google is estimated to result in a monthly loss of $446,552 in display advertising revenue across the affected sites.
Targeting AI-Generated Spam
The findings from Nuttall’s analysis align with a recent study conducted by Originality.ai, which investigated the prevalence of AI-generated content among deindexed websites.
The study found that 100% of the affected websites showed signs of AI-generated content, with 50% having 90–100% of their published posts created by AI.
These findings suggest that Google’s March 2024 Core Update is effectively targeting websites that rely heavily on AI-generated content to manipulate search rankings.
The manual actions taken against these websites demonstrate Google’s commitment to combating the rise of AI-driven spam and low-quality content.
Reshaping the Search Landscape
As the March 2024 Core Update continues to roll out, its impact on the search landscape is becoming increasingly evident.
The widespread deindexing of websites involved in manipulative practices—particularly those relying on AI-generated content—marks a significant shift in Google’s approach to maintaining the quality of search results.
The full impact of the March 2024 Core Update will become even more apparent as the rollout continues over the coming weeks.