Was There A Local Search Impact With The Google March 2023 Broad Core Update

Did the Google March 2023 Broad Core Update impact local search rankings? That is the question many local SEOs are asking in the Local Search Forum.

As a reminder, Google has told us that core updates can impact local search, at least sometimes. Then Danny Sullivan of Google said, “core updates can involve image results or any type of content because they involve our core ranking systems that themselves involve all types of content. That’s why our page about them mentions “content” so often.”

The Google March core update ran from March 15th at 10:30 am ET and finished on March 28th at 10:30 am ET.

Joy Hawkins posted in the Local Search Forum and wrote, “I’m still digging into this but from what I can see thus far, most of the major changes happened in the local packs right at the end. The update ran from March 15 to 28, 2023. Here is an example for a personal injury lawyer (comparing March 13 to April 3)”

JS Girard added, “What I’m saying is that your examples are not that different from cases I’ve been seeing all the way back in July last year, and which I posted about in November. Mine just had more profiles sharing a category and address. I’m not saying the address filter has not changed at all during the core update. I’m saying if it did, this further softening continues a trend that goes back almost a year.”

So there may have been some local search fluctuations during this March core update, according to the local SEO community. I’d check out the thread if you noticed any ranking changes in local.

Forum discussion at Local Search Forum.