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What is in the New Google Medic Update?

In early August, the SEO world was shaken when Google released its latest broad core algorithm update.  Aptly nicknamed “Medic”, it affected a disproportionate number of healthcare and wellness sites. Google frequently tweaks the variables of their algorithms to improve user experience, but releasing a broad core algorithm update (BCAU) means they are altering the search algorithm itself. This is the very core of how a search is conducted and determines the weight given to different criteria. While small tweaks can mean big changes in rankings, a BCAU could result in huge swings in your rankings. Read on to learn our thoughts on what occurred, why, and how to combat the changes…

The times they are a-changin’ and Google is tackling hot topics with its Medic update. They are addressing both the increase in speech and mobile search as well as placing a focus on the trustworthiness of a site.

Do you use the same phrases to search with Alexa as you do when typing into Google on a laptop? Probably not. Google understands this and is trying to improve the user experience and relevance of searches done with speech and mobile search.

We have recently been bombarded with stories of fake websites and news. Google, like Facebook, is trying to combat spammy and fake sites with this recent update. They are giving more authority to sites that show Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — also known as EAT.

While we are still not 100% clear on all of the repercussions of the Medic update, we do know its intent is to reward sites they feel show EAT, as well as provide better results that reflect the intent of the user’s search.

Improve Rankings After the Medic Update

You have probably heard us say, “Content is not king, but you can’t be king without content.” After this update, we are adding the word “excellent” to that sentence. Providing EXCELLENT quality content, focused on your expertise, helps present you as a specialist. When Google crawls your site it will pick up on the EAT of your content.

The days of “more is better” are gone and the days of “more better” are here. With the Medic update, it becomes paramount to have focused and up to date content.   The good news is that many of these changes will result in a better quality website as well as improved SEO and rankings for your site with time. Below are a few ideas to help your site weather the storm of the Google Medic update:

  • Stay on theme – keep focused on what you do well and get rid of the rest. Make sure you work with a professional web team to define versus simply making cuts, but most websites have many pages of rarely-seen, low EAT content to reduce or eliminate.
  • Focus on facts to help bolster your expertise.
  • Have your web team clean up the back end of the website.  They should delete old and dead links as well as low-traffic pages you may not even know exist.
  • Link your website to social media, review sites, industry society pages etc. to build your site’s trustworthiness.
  • Update your content often with new information added frequently.
  • Utilize the “about us” section to showcase your expertise by highlighting awards, education, and industry society memberships.
  • Target phrases that would be used during speech or mobile search. For example, instead of writing “Apartments for rent” consider, “Finding an affordable luxury apartment in downtown Atlanta”.

Every Google update will result in winners and losers. The key is being nimble enough with a strong online strategy to react to these changes. For a checkup on how your site is ranking after the Google Medic update, reach out to SEOversite at guardian@seoversite.com or give us a call at 305-455-0720.

 

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