Search Engine Recap - March (2025)

As the first month of spring rolls in, March brought a flurry of updates in the search space - from a fresh Google core update and new structured data guidelines, to AI Overviews expanding into nine more European countries. Here is an overview.

New Core Update from Google

Google’s March 2025 Core Update rolled out between March 13 and 27, aiming to improve relevance and content quality across search results, especially for sites aligned with E-E-A-T guidelines.

As expected, the update led to significant fluctuations in rankings. Google reiterated that a drop in rankings doesn’t necessarily indicate problems with a site, but rather reflects broader improvements to search.

Businesses should focus on producing high-quality, user-focused content and review how their site performed post-update to identify opportunities for optimization.

Consumer Attitudes Toward Online Reviews Are Changing

A new BrightLocal study reveals that consumers are becoming less focused on perfect 5-star ratings and recency in online reviews.

While star ratings still matter, many now see them as “vanity metrics” rather than reliable indicators of quality.

Only 31% of consumers trust online local reviews as much as personal recommendations, highlighting a growing preference for word-of-mouth.

The key takeaway? Reviews matter, but brands should look beyond scores on Trustpilot and focus on the broader customer experience.

New QR Feature in Google Business Profiles

Google has launched a QR code feature in Google Business Profiles, allowing businesses to generate scannable links that direct users straight to their review pages.

Accessible via the Business Profile dashboard on desktop, the feature makes it easier to collect customer feedback via email, WhatsApp, or Facebook - a simple yet effective tool to boost online reputation.

AI Overviews Roll Out to Nine New European Countries

Google has expanded AI Overviews into nine additional European markets, including Germany, Italy, and Spain, along with support for four new languages.

These AI-powered summaries aim to improve the search experience for complex queries and offer new opportunities for content creators and businesses to increase engagement. The rollout also brings AI Overviews one step closer to Scandinavia.

Updated Robots Meta Tag Documentation

Google has updated its robots meta tag documentation, giving site owners greater control over how content is displayed in features like AI Overviews and AI Mode.

The nosnippet directive now applies across all search result formats, including Google Images, Discover, and AI-based results. Additionally, max-snippet lets you control how much text can be shown in these AI formats.

These updates give websites more flexibility in a rapidly evolving AI-driven search landscape.

AI Overviews Appear in 42.5% of Search Results

According to Advanced Web Ranking, AI Overviews now appear in 42.5% of search results, up nearly 9% since last quarter.

However, click-through rates (CTR) have dropped by around 7% for queries starting with “what,” “when,” “where,” and “how.” This suggests AI Overviews are drawing user attention away from traditional organic listings.

If AI Overviews are relevant to your industry, it’s time to adjust your SEO strategy accordingly.

Robots.txt Documentation Gets an Upgrade

Google has updated its robots.txt documentation, providing new guidance for both basic and advanced usage.

• This includes how to:

• Block specific pages like shopping carts

• Limit access to certain bots

• Handle URL parameters to avoid infinite loops

This update is part of Google’s push to help site owners better manage crawl behavior and optimize site performance.

New Return Policy Requirements for E-Commerce Structured Data

Google has updated its structured data guidelines for e-commerce, now requiring the returnPolicyCountry field within the MerchantReturnPolicy schema.

This field clarifies which country a return policy applies to - for example, "returnPolicyCountry": "CH" for Switzerland.

1. "hasMerchantReturnPolicy": {

2. "@type": "MerchantReturnPolicy",

3. "applicableCountry": "CH",

4. "returnPolicyCountry": "CH",

5. "returnPolicyCategory": "https://schema.org/MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow",

6. "merchantReturnDays": 60,

7. "returnMethod": "https://schema.org/ReturnByMail",

8. "returnFees": "https://schema.org/FreeReturn"

9. }

This update boosts transparency and helps users understand regional return conditions, aligning with international e-commerce expectations.

EU Accuses Google of Breaking Digital Markets Act

The European Commission has officially accused Google of violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by favoring its own services like Google Shopping and Flights, and limiting third-party app visibility outside Google Play.

If found guilty, Google could face fines of up to 10% of global revenue. While Google argues that changes could negatively affect user experience, the EU views this as a step toward fairer competition.

AI Crawler Activity Is Increasing Server Costs

AI bots from platforms like OpenAI and Anthropic are using more bandwidth, leading to higher server costs and skewed analytics for many sites.

To mitigate this, Google recommends:

• Updating robots.txt (even if some bots ignore it)

• Using Google-Extended to control content usage

• Implementing Cloudflare’s AI Labyrinth to misdirect unauthorized bots

These steps can help balance visibility and protection in an increasingly AI-indexed web.

Highlights from Search Central Live – New York

At Search Central Live in New York, Google emphasized that AI Overviews are a supplement, not a replacement, for traditional search.

They reaffirmed that fundamentals like good content and user-first SEO still apply, and that Google pushes thousands of updates each year - so staying up-to-date is essential.

They also reminded attendees that 15% of daily queries are brand new, meaning SEOs should focus more on topics than exact-match keywords.

Understanding Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines, focusing on clarity and user experience, and embracing AI-related developments will be key moving forward.

Takeaways and Recommendations

Google’s latest March core update reinforces its long-term focus on high-quality content and user experience. Those following E-E-A-T principles saw the strongest results.

March also brought multiple documentation updates, from robots.txt to structured data - further proof that staying aligned with Google’s guidelines is critical to maintaining visibility.

We also saw AI Overviews expand into more markets, and the data is clear: these results are becoming more dominant. If you're aiming to appear in AI Overviews, modern SEO practices are a must.

Finally, Search Central Live offered some sharp reminders: SEO fundamentals still matter, but speed, adaptability, and understanding AI’s impact are more important than ever.

Need help navigating these updates or aligning your strategy with Google’s direction? Get in touch with Bonzer. As a specialized SEO agency, we help ambitious businesses - across markets and industries - reach the top of search results.

Looking to get started? Request a free SEO audit to kick things off.