Amsive Analysis: March Core Update Pushes Aggregators Down, Brand Sites Up in Visibility
Review your site’s visibility changes post‑March core update and adjust content strategy to favor authoritative, first‑party content over aggregator listings.
Audit your domain’s visibility changes since the March core update and prioritize creating authoritative, first‑party content to regain lost visibility.
Summary
Amsive’s analysis of over 2,000 domains using SISTRIX Visibility Index data shows that aggregators and user‑generated content platforms lost visibility after Google’s March core update, while first‑party brand sites, government domains, and content originators gained. The study compared visibility on March 27 (rollout start) to April 8 (completion), revealing a pattern of favoring “the company that owns the thing” over platforms that merely host content.
YouTube experienced the largest single‑domain decline, losing 567 visibility points—30 % larger than Wikipedia’s 435‑point drop during the December update. Other platforms such as Reddit, Instagram, and X also saw declines of 64, 48, and 46 points respectively. In travel, OTAs and aggregators like TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Expedia fell 45, 33, and 33 points, while hotel chains such as Hilton, Hotels.com, and Trivago gained 4, 3.6, and 3.2 points. In jobs, employer career pages and government sites rose, with BLS.gov gaining 5.4 points, USAJobs.gov up 16 %, Disney Careers up 59 %, and CVS Health Careers up 45 %, while job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter fell 18 and 13 points. Health sites showed a split, with GoodRx up 55 % (9.5 points) and NIH.gov up 9.3, but Cleveland Clinic dropped 12, WebMD up 9, and Mayo Clinic up 6.
Key changes
- Aggregators and UGC platforms lost visibility after March core update; brand sites gained
- YouTube lost 567 visibility points, the largest single‑domain decline
- Reddit lost 64, Instagram 48, X 46 points
- Travel aggregators like TripAdvisor, Yelp, Expedia fell 45, 33, 33 points; hotel chains gained 4, 3.6, 3.2 points
- Job boards Indeed and ZipRecruiter fell 18 and 13 points; employer pages and government sites rose (USAJobs +16 %, Disney Careers +59 %, CVS Health +45 %)
- Health sites split: GoodRx +55 % (9.5 points), NIH.gov +9.3, Cleveland Clinic -12, WebMD +9, Mayo Clinic +6