Every March - May taking a bad hit

[wwsosop]

Every March - May time I take a pretty nasty hit on SEO from google algorithm on my main money site. This is the 3rd year in a row now and it is almost like my website is on some March - April s@@# list then it magically reranks. I have other websites saving me but wondering anyone know for this upcoming March update or unconfirmed is google not caring about backlinks any more and is it all topical authority, site age or something else.

It never fails to rerank well but I really hate this time of the year, can call March the yearly apocalypse

Adding: It is very noticeable as well in March the algorithm strays away from branding to very keyword stuffed sites that just repeat the same thing over an over with no real context

 

[TheReviewer]

do you do any changes before this period?

 

[xcreator22]

Seasonal fluctuations during the March to May period often coincide with Google's historically massive Core Updates, which can lead to temporary ranking instability while the algorithm recalibrates your niche's competitive landscape. The fact that your site magically reranks after the dust settles suggests that your foundational SEO is strong, but you may be getting caught in the initial broad-stroke re-evaluation of authority signals. In 2026, Google has shifted focus toward Information Gain and User Intent Satisfaction, often favoring keyword-dense sites initially before the more sophisticated helpful content filters kick back in to reward established brands. To mitigate these hits, you should focus on tightening your internal linking structure to reinforce your topical authority and ensuring your E-E-A-T signals are undeniable so the algorithm identifies you as a permanent authority rather than a seasonal trend.

 

[wwsosop]

do you do any changes before this period?

Yes I recently did some updates back in January but when I did, it ranked well. It is something flips hard in March.

 

[wwsosop]

Seasonal fluctuations during the March to May period often coincide with Google's historically massive Core Updates, which can lead to temporary ranking instability while the algorithm recalibrates your niche's competitive landscape. The fact that your site magically reranks after the dust settles suggests that your foundational SEO is strong, but you may be getting caught in the initial broad-stroke re-evaluation of authority signals. In 2026, Google has shifted focus toward Information Gain and User Intent Satisfaction, often favoring keyword-dense sites initially before the more sophisticated helpful content filters kick back in to reward established brands. To mitigate these hits, you should focus on tightening your internal linking structure to reinforce your topical authority and ensuring your E-E-A-T signals are undeniable so the algorithm identifies you as a permanent authority rather than a seasonal trend.

It is only a 5 page site intentionally that gets to the point but has the right stuff to rank when this is not happening. The backlinks are good, it is something topical or EEAT for sure.

This strengthens my belief further into spamming as many website(s) and pages as possible outside of the core or money site.

 

[Incognito]

This strengthens my belief further into spamming as many website(s) and pages as possible outside of the core or money site.

What do you mean by this?

 

[wwsosop]

What do you mean by this?

If google is going to screw you over for properly doing **SEO, fresh backlinks, fresh contents an the right topical category** and re rank pages that competitors have not touched in years, ad fresh back links or keyword stuffed. I will just keep a legit website an spam the S#@* out stuff as well. Yes google owes me nothing but this is bs. I reaks of a March Core update that will get mentioned on Monday.

All of my s##* content on s@$3 sites with few links, no bran ding and just keyword stuffed is out performing " the right way" money site. As I said earlier it is a March to May problem relate to their core updates. I have gone back and started update my worse sites since that is what is wanted.

 

[Starblazer]

Google still ranks high authority sites and punishes low authority or new sites regardless of content quality. They are probably trying to kill your site with every core update and consistently failing. You need to take preventive measures before they succeed.

 

[Incognito]

If google is going to screw you over for properly doing **SEO, fresh backlinks, fresh contents an the right topical category** and re rank pages that competitors have not touched in years, ad fresh back links or keyword stuffed. I will just keep a legit website an spam the S#@* out stuff as well. Yes google owes me nothing but this is bs. I reaks of a March Core update that will get mentioned on Monday.

All of my s##* content on s@$3 sites with few links, no bran ding and just keyword stuffed is out performing " the right way" money site. As I said earlier it is a March to May problem relate to their core updates. I have gone back and started update my worse sites since that is what is wanted.

I agree with everything you say, only pushback I have is if you want churn and burn, more power to you, you know what you're getting yourself into. I try to keep my stuff long term after churning and burning for so long.

 

[Muhammad Azeem79]

Due to Seasonality search demand for some keywords naturally drops during that period. Or if you build many links early in the year, Google may re-evaluate them later.

 

[Rufai]

Seems like seasonality to me.