March 2023: Google’s core update lands as OpenAI releases GPT-4
Covers March 2023. Part of our search timeline: a month-by-month look at the changes that shaped SEO, AI search, paid ads and social media, written in November 2026 for local businesses with the benefit of hindsight.
Quick answer: March 2023 saw Google push out a broad core update while OpenAI introduced GPT-4, a far more capable AI model. Side by side, they showed the two forces reshaping search: Google still rewarding helpful content, and AI tools getting much better at answering questions themselves.
This entry is part of our timeline of the search and social changes that have shaped how local businesses win work online, written with hindsight.
What happened in March 2023?
The March 2023 core update took around two weeks to roll out. On 14 March OpenAI announced GPT-4, which reasoned better and could cope with longer, more complicated tasks.
Why it mattered for local businesses
UK firms saw rankings move because of the update, and at the same time noticed customers and rivals using much more capable AI tools. A builder might find a homeowner arriving with questions already researched in a chatbot. The message was to build real authority that search engines and AI models would both recognise.
What to do about it now
- Look again at pages that slipped after core updates and check their depth, accuracy and expertise.
- Ask current AI tools common questions about your trade and note where they get things wrong.
- Publish content built on your own experience, which AI tools cannot easily copy.
Frequently asked questions
Did GPT-4 change SEO directly?
Not directly. It did make AI assistants much more useful, which raised the value of being mentioned and cited in their answers.
How should I respond to a core update?
Let the rollout finish, then compare your pages with the ones that went up, and improve quality where it falls short.
Sources and further reading
Want help with this? Recovering from and preparing for core updates is part of our local SEO service. Get in touch.
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