Has Your Site Been Hit By The Recent Google ‘Medic’ Update?

As basically anyone vaguely familiar with the world of online search knows, Google periodically releases updates to its algorithm that make a big difference to how well different sites rank in its search results. The chief aim for the search giant, of course, is to ensure the best-quality content always ranks top; however, such updates can have a tumultuous effect on individual sites.

What, then, would PENNInk Productions’ Seo Marketing Experts advise you to do if you suspect your own site is among those to have been adversely impacted by Google’s recent ‘Medic’ update?

Wait – what’s ‘Medic’?

This is the term widely given to an update to the Google search algorithm that was released last year, and which largely affected ‘Your Money Your Life’ (YMYL) sites.

YMYL sites are sites that can greatly influence a visitor’s health and wellbeing, whether in relation to physical, emotional, mental or financial matters. As you can probably imagine, then, it’s especially important that these sites are sharing true and trustworthy information that doesn’t run the risk of damaging a user’s health or wellbeing.

That’s why Google has sought to separate the good YMYL sites from the bad, by scrutinising what is known as each site’s ‘E-A-T’: its Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trust.

Our SEO Marketing Agency therefore decided to focus on each of these ‘prongs’ of the E-A-T system in turn, to propose ways in which to make your own site solidly ‘Medic’-proof.

Expertise

Google only wants to give high rankings to YMYL sites created by individuals or groups possessing a high level of expertise. Thankfully, this doesn’t mean you must have every medical degree on the planet under your belt, but there does need to be some other evidence that you know what you’re talking about.

Does the information you’re sharing on your site, for example, match well to long-established scientific or medical consensus? Is your site’s content backed by other scientists or medical professionals, and do you have plenty of positive online reviews for any products or services that you sell?

Authoritativeness

Your site’s authority is very much intertwined with its expertise – in short, Google needs to be convinced that your site’s creators and authors have genuine credibility in their field.

There are various ways of helping to bolster your site’s authority, including ensuring there is no shortage of reputable external sources linking to your site, providing bios for all of your site’s contributing authors, and getting your site’s authors published on other authoritative sites.

Trust

Alongside the above elements, Google’s crawlers will look for signs of your site’s all-round trustworthiness. For instance, is it immediately clear that your site’s main purpose is to make your visitors’ lives easier through the provision of the most relevant products, services and/or information?

What about your page titles – are they descriptive and helpful, or misleading compared to what you are actually offering the customer?

In summary, overcoming any ‘hit’ that your site may have experienced as a consequence of the ‘Medic’ update really comes down to boosting its E-A-T – and that means ensuring your site is genuinely helpful and relevant to the people it is meant to serve.

Remember that our SEO marketing experts here at PENNInk Productions are always available if you’re unsure of where to go next with your online optimisation efforts. With comprehensive Bronze, Silver and Gold search plans on offer, our team can go to great lengths to assist your company in accomplishing its goals in 2019.