The Google Core Update 2025 Smacked Some Sites—Here’s How to Keep Yours Safe
Google just hit the reset button again, and some folks are feeling it.
Traffic? Down. Rankings? Toast.
And most small business owners are left staring at their website like, “Was it something I said?”
What This Post Covers
If you’re a chiropractor, dance studio owner, or yoga instructor, chances are you don’t spend your mornings sipping coffee while analyzing Google algorithm updates.
But here’s the deal: the March 2025 Core Update wasn’t just some technical housekeeping. It was a crackdown.
Google came for weak content, shady backlinks, and outdated pages—and it’s not sending warning letters first. This post breaks down what actually changed, what it means for local service businesses like yours, and what to fix right now to avoid the SEO slap.
What Changed (And Why You Should Care)
Google’s 2025 update focused on one thing: cutting the fluff.
Here’s what they targeted:
Low-quality or AI spammed content. If it reads like it was written by a robot in a rush? It’s gone.
Janky backlink profiles. If your SEO guy promised “100 backlinks in 24 hours,” congrats—you probably just got flagged.
Slow or outdated websites. If your site looks like it time-traveled from 2011 and takes forever to load on a phone, you're on Google's naughty list.
"Unhelpful content" filter is now part of the core algorithm. Which means content without real value doesn’t just rank lower—it might not rank at all.
How This Impacts Chiropractors, Dance Studios, and Yoga Instructors
Let’s be real: most local service websites are built, launched, and forgotten. The blog’s stale, the homepage still says “Welcome to our website,” and the only thing new is the dust on your contact form.
This update puts you at risk if:
You haven’t touched your website content in 6+ months
You’ve got cookie-cutter service pages that say the same thing, just with a different city name
You use AI or outsource blog writing without checking for quality
Your site takes forever to load on mobile (hint: test it here)
What You Should Actually Do (No Tech Jargon)
Here’s your plain-English action plan:
✅ Refresh Your Top Pages
Start with your homepage, top 2–3 service pages, and best blog posts. Update them with clearer language, better formatting, and something real—like client results, FAQs, or updated offerings.
✅ Add Real-World Credibility
Google wants “Experience” in your content. Add:
Testimonials or client quotes
Practitioner bios with credentials
Photos or videos from your actual studio/office
Clear author names and roles on blog posts
✅ Clean Up Junky Content
If your blog has 25 short, meaningless posts like “5 Tips for Healthy Living”... kill ‘em or rewrite them with real advice, stories, or step-by-step help.
✅ Speed + Mobile Test
Use Google’s free tools to test your site’s mobile-friendliness and speed. If it's slow or hard to use on a phone, fix it. Or pay someone to. It matters more than you think.
PageSpeed Insights
Mobile-Friendly Test
✅ Check Your Links
Use a tool like Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, or SEMrush to see who’s linking to you. If it’s a weird Russian directory site? That’s not helping. Disavow trashy backlinks or ask your SEO to do it for you.
What NOT to Do (Seriously, Don’t)
Don’t go order “500 backlinks” or “AI blog posts” on Fiverr. It’ll hurt more than help.
Don’t ignore the problem and hope it goes away. This update isn’t a cold—it won’t pass.
Don’t keep outdated pages just because they’ve been there “forever.” If it doesn’t help your visitors, Google won’t keep ranking it.
Quick Recap
You don’t need to become an SEO wizard, but you do need to show Google that your website is actually useful to real humans. If it’s slow, outdated, or full of fluff, it’s time to clean house.
Google’s not out to get you. It’s just tired of the BS.
Need a hand?
Not sure if your site got hit? Or just want someone to give it a quick sanity check? Drop your URL in the comments or shoot it my way—I’ll take a peek and tell you straight. No tech talk, no scare tactics.
Let’s keep your traffic where it belongs: growing.
