Google is always updating their algorithms, however, not all updates are equal in terms of either scope or impact.

In the fall of 2018, a number of websites were impacted – many of them negatively – by an update that experience has shown is different from Google updates of prior years.

As this was a “core” change in their algorithms, Google wouldn’t reveal how their ranking factors were changed, leaving many SEO experts frustrated about how they could improve their rankings.

Thankfully, a Search Engine Round Table survey of 300 website owners gives us a glimpse into what likely happened…and led to the nickname that Google’s Fall 2018 update has earned.

This update, dubbed the “Medic” update because of its massive impact on websites in the medical and health niche, was the result of a core change in how Google ranks websites.

Source: Search Engine Roundtable

The intent, according to Google, was to change how their crawlers looked at content in order to better determine sites that are reputable and make “users feel comfortable about using it.”

Of course, when Google was asked how website owners could improve their rankings the unsurprising response was to…

“remain focused on building great content. Over time, it may be that your content may rise relative to other pages.”

Needless to say, this has left many content creators and website owners frustrated…

As the “medic” update was different from Google updates of prior years, it’s important to take a look at what exactly may be going on here to see what businesses need to focus on moving forward.

As a result of independent research among many professionals in the SEO community, the following observations have been made to suggest the changes in ranking factors that Google is now using to determine page rank.:

Links weren’t the target

While there is not a consensus on this, many SEO experts believe that the “Medic” update was targeting quality content rather than links.

So what, then, was the target?

Relevancy.

Google is using niche relevancy as a big ranking factor, so it’s important to pay attention to this trend.

If your site is getting links from generalized domains rather than authoritative and highly relevant you’ll likely see little, if any, increase in your ranking.

That’s not to say that smaller sites don’t help with ranking.

If it’s a small website, but is focused in a niche, it can definitely pass on value to your site.

As Google’s algorithm continues to develop the ability to determine what sites are authoritative in any particular topic the more we’re going to see topical authority highlighted in future Google updates.

Importance of targeted keywords

For local businesses, some websites saw an increase in their ranking for their physical location as well as nearby areas. (e.g. Austin AND Georgetown)

Whereas others saw their ranking drop in the large metro areas, yet improve for the location where their business is physically located.

What this means then, is that keywords are still a very important ranking signal for Google, especially when it comes to local search.

Changes to both local and organic results

Depending on your industry you may have seen changes to your ranking for either organic or local searches…or both.

What we’re seeing is that a gap seems to be widening between sites that organically rank and those that rank in local search. This seems to indicate that organic increases don’t automatically lead to huge increases in local rankings…or vice versa.

Video carousels

It appears that local search terms are returning more video carousels than before the update. This represents a huge potential for smaller businesses to push their rankings higher in the SERPS by delivering great video content.

The “medic” update was heavily weighted towards YMYL sites

As health and medical websites were significantly impacted by the “medic” update, it seems that Google was targeting websites that the search giant defines as “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL).

Specifically, this means any kind of website with information and resources that can significantly impact someone’s life. (e.g. financial, medical, health, etc.)

Schema, knowledge graphs and voice

To help Google deliver highly accurate results in the SERPS – with the long term goal of users never needing to click away from the results page – things like feature snippets and knowledge graphs will become a bigger part of Google’s ranking signals.

Consider your content and microdata if you want to optimize for feature snippets.:

Content:

• Your H2s
• Format (bullet points, numbers, etc.)
• Knowledge Graph

Microdata:

• Make it easier for Google to create a Feature snippet by putting any content (e.g. lists) into a schema/microdata installed table or with a plugin
• Use phrases such as “best” or “top rated” with your niche keywords

According to Google, “72 percent of people who own a voice-activated speaker say that their devices are often used as part of their daily routine.”

This is why voice search and mobile search are such a key part of Google’s business strategy.

Since this trend is likely to continue it’s important for content creators to optimize for voice searches, which are different than keyword focused queries.

Voice searches should be conversational, and by their very nature tend to be much longer than text searches.

As people tend to use voice search when looking for something locally, the search phrases should be locally focused to help users find what they need.

Use these tips to help optimize your site for voice searches:

• Think of the phrases that your target audience would use to find what you offer in your neighborhood. (e.g. “Where can I find the closest restaurant that serves Tex-Mex?”)
• Use phrases like “near me” in your title tags, anchor text, meta description and internal links
• Include the names of landmarks that are near your business location

Is your industry affected?

When Google rolls out updates it’s not always easy to determine if a change in your company’s ranking was impacted because so many variables can impact where your website ranks in the SERPS.

And while Google maintains that there’s nothing to “fix” if your site was impacted by the “medic” update, it’s still important to understand what’s happened so that you can address any issues moving forward.

Here’s how to get started.:

Analyze the drop in traffic

Did your traffic levels drop off sharply, or has it been a slow and steady decline?

Is the traffic starting to recover or is it still significantly lower than before? If so, chances are your website traffic decline wasn’t a result of the update.

How does your website get traffic?

Your website can get traffic through five main sources:

• Direct – people type in your website URL or click on a bookmark they’ve created
• Organic – visitors who find your site through the search engines
• Paid – visitors who arrived at your site via a banner ad or Google AdWord advertisement
• Referral – traffic from other websites that have linked to your site
• Social – traffic acquired through social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.

If most of your traffic comes through organic search and this is where you’re seeing the drop in traffic, it’s possible that your site is being impacted by Google’s update.

You should be notified by Google via your Google Webmasters Tools account if a drop in Organic traffic was a result of a penalty.

Otherwise, a big drop in direct traffic could simply be a reflection of a change in your industry, such as a competitor’s new, widely publicized launch.

New Users vs Returning Users

Knowing who your users are is just as important as knowing how it is they found you.

For example, if you’ve observed that there are fewer new users it could be that either you’ve been penalized by Google or your site isn’t appearing in Google because the search terms have changed.

If you’re seeing more of a drop among returning users it could have something to do with your website’s structure. Is it easy to navigate? Does it load quickly? Look for any “404 Not Found” errors throughout your website which will quickly turn visitors away.

Look for trends over time

Go back as far as 6 months…or even a year…to see if there are any patterns in the traffic activity.

For example, if you run an education site, it would be unsurprising to see a normal reduction in traffic levels during the summer, when most kids are out of school.

The point is to look for trends to help you figure out why your website is ranking lower in the SERPS.

Recovery process

If your industry was affected by the “medic” update, here’s an outline to start a process that could help you recover from the hit your site took.:

• Identify pages on your site where you can improve the trust factor (e.g. anywhere you’re asking for personal info)
• Link to more authoritative websites
• Double down on creating content that is high quality and that showcases your expertise
• To build trust with visitors, make sure your contact information is clearly and prominently displayed from the main navigation menu, as well as your “about us” page.
• Provide a number of different ways for prospective customers to reach you and link to your process for handling problems to signal to your visitors that you’re a trustworthy organization.
• Highlight any third-party reviews, certifications from organizations in your industry and the history of your company.

Content

Finally, remember that authoritative content builds trust…you cannot shortchange it.

Look through your website for any duplicate content that is targeting the same keywords and merge it into a single, comprehensive page.

Don’t forget to provide links to research, data, and statistics to up the trust factor even more. Also, note that while inbound links are a factor in improving your ranking in the SERPS, outbound links are also an important optimization tool.

If your website was among the tens of thousands of websites affected, the team at Digital Assets Factory, an SEO agency in Austin, can help.

Using in-depth analysis, targeted, strategic SEO and integrated digital marketing services, we help our clients dominate their markets and rank higher in the SERPS.