Since Aug 1, 2018, Google has released a ton of upgrades which have in turn made search results less than predictable. It is widely known as the"Medic Update" since it largely affected the health/medical industry. However, the upgrades have impacted a wide variety of markets including e-commerce, clothing trends websites, local, affiliate, and much more. Google claims the original update was not targeted specifically at Medical websites, but rather was a widespread core update.
The experts have concluded that the Medic Update targeted what Google refers to as "Experience, Authority, & Trust" (or E-A-T) within their Google Rater Guidelines, which can be dependent on a number of things.
If your website was a victim of the Medic Update, the bad news is that most the information to fix this up until this point has been somewhat vague and without any proof that it will work.
So in this blog article, we are going to take a look at the most recent data and break down everything you will need to do based on what is out there.
Timeline Details
8/1/18 - Medic Core Update
8/18 - Additional fixes to Medic Update (source - https://courses.mariehaynes.com/search-news-you-can-use/episode-46-light-version/?wlfrom=%2Fsearch-news-you-can-use%2Fepisode-46%2F)
9/11 - Local Update (source - https://www.localsearchforum.com/threads/algorithm-update-sept-8-to-11.53158/#post-147643
9/19 - More Medic Updates (source - https://courses.mariehaynes.com/search-news-you-can-use/episode-51-light-version/?wlfrom=%2Fsearch-news-you-can-use%2Fepisode-51%2F
9/24 - Broad Core Updates (source - https://twitter.com/searchliaison/status/1050447186440347648
9/27 - Update (source - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-birthday-algorithm-update-26453.html>
October - updates (source - https://www.sistrix.com/blog/links-and-the-medic-update/
10/15 - Update (source - https://courses.mariehaynes.com/search-news-you-can-use/episode-54-light-version/?wlfrom=%2Fsearch-news-you-can-use%2Fepisode-54%2F
10/16 - Update (source - https://www.webpronews.com/google-search-algorithm-update-on-october-16th-looks-like-a-big-one/
10/31 - Update - (source - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-halloween-search-algorithm-update-continues-26642.html
We have seen ongoing adjustments and fixes to these updates.
Things You Can Do If You Were Impacted
Although it can be hard to find the cause of an issue, we are starting to see websites recovering. Over the past 5 years since Google has come out with updates, the market gets worried about performance after each one.
But once everyone understands the new rules, the industry comes back. Let’s take a look at some ways to combat the effects of this update.
Develop New Content
First, Google has changed the"search intent" for many searches. Google is attempting to provide information about search questions, rather than just opportunities to purchase products right away. If you searched for a supplement earlier, Google might have shown product pages to purchase the supplement. After the upgrade, Google is beginning to display information sites prior to showing a product purchase site.
Of course if you want to appear at the top of a Google Search, you can always pay for it, using Pay Per Click. But if you want to get there organically, you need to create quality, relevant content.
This is why it is so important to spend time working on your content, writing blog posts and articles that describe what your business provides or sells. If you’re short on time, DTi can help, with our Blogging Service.
Disavow Unnatural Links
Some experts have found a connection between links and the medic updates. They indicate that disavowing low quality links can improve performance.
