On August 1, 2018, Google rolled out what is now known as the “Medic Update.” This large, global update further tweaked Google’s algorithms in its constant endeavor to meet user needs within the first SERP. Despite its size, however, this update only had far-reaching impacts on sites within a certain category known as a YMYL website. With the most recent roll-out of Google’s EAT algorithm, however, businesses in these industries must tweak their content to ensure they are getting the most out of their search engine optimization tactics.
According to Google, a YMYL website is a website that has the potential to impact Your Money or Your Life. A YMYL website deals with a number of areas of focus that could have an effect on your health or financial well-being. Currently, Google lists the following key YMYL website types:
By now, you’ve likely guessed that the website SERP rankings most affected by the Medic Update were health, wellness, nutrition, and other medical information sites. Generally speaking, many of these health and medicine niche sites experienced negative SERP rankings shifts. In addition, larger or national brands saw rankings drop in favor of sites nearer the user’s location.
Why? The reason can be defined by yet another Google acronym – EAT. Otherwise known as expertise, authority, and trust, EAT is the set of standards by which Google’s human rating program – which employs over 10,000 people around the globe – ranks your website. With the Medic Update, Google raters began paying close attention to pages that should display particularly high EAT over their information and services because they have the potential to impact finances, health, and human life.
If you have a YMYL or niche page still experiencing long-term effects of the Medic Update, there are a few actionable steps you can take to address your rankings losses:
To establish expertise in your niche, you’ll need to ensure users can instantly deduce who you are, what your purpose is, and your subject matter knowledge. Make sure you:
Once you’re established as an expert, you’ll need to show you also have authoritative influence on the content, products, or services you provide. To do this, you should:
Even if you’re an expert and an authority, you still need to inspire trust from Google raters as well as your users. To reflect your trustworthiness, endeavor to:
Need more insight on how your YMYL or medical website can survive the Medic Update? Or, are you ready to put your E-A-T to the test?
Let’s get to work. Call (419) 540.4437 or email toledoseoforgrowth@gmail.com to get started today.