Google Medic Update

Around August 1, 2018, Google rolled out what it has been calling one of its many core algorithm updates. Initially title the “Medic” update, many SEOs and industry professionals were noting that many healthcare and health-related websites were the most affected by the update. However, looking at some of the indicators and trends, it looks as if this was an entire search change and has affected companies across a multitude of different industries.

First, just to stick with the theme of many other Google updates that have had names (i.e. Panda, Hummingbird, Penguin, Pigeon), I feel like this should really just be called the “Serpent” or “Snake” or “something similar to the medical field and the logo associated with that industry” update. Why we just decided to be boring and uncreative (I suppose SEOs are often both of those things…) feels lazy. Come on everyone, we’re better than that.

Second, this has very clearly affected more than just the healthcare and health-related industries. We have seen rankings fluctuating across all industries. According to the Google team, there is nothing in particular to “fix” for this core update, but it is just an overarching quality update to give credit where credit is due to websites that have been doing the right things. Does that mean there’s nothing you can do to either get some of those rankings back or to make an even large positive trend?

Of course not! With the continued focus from Google and the other search engines to deliver their users the right content in the right place at the right time, the quality of your content and marketing efforts online are more important than ever. Gone are the days of producing content in bulk. You need to ensure that your content marketing efforts revolve around being unique, giving your users what they want, answering questions that your users didn’t even know they had, and just generally putting your best foot forward. If you don’t feel good about what you’re putting out there, why would anyone else?

If you’ve noticed that you’ve lost some spots in the SERPs or seen a slow down in your organic visits, check to see if you’ve been affected by this latest update. Don’t sit still and hope for the best; get to work! If you’re lost and just don’t know where to start, contact the team at Revenue Path Group and we can help come up with a custom strategy to keep your company moving forward!