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Google's 'Medic' update: Why are health sites so significantly affected?
In the digital age, access to information has become increasingly dependent on search engines, of which Google is undoubtedly the dominant force. However, as the Internet environment changes, Google's search algorithms are constantly evolving to ensure that users receive the most accurate and useful information. In 2018, Google launched a major algorithm update called “Medic”, a change that had a profound impact on health-related websites.
The "Medic" update was implemented to improve the quality of health and medical information, especially those websites that have a profound impact on users' lives.
The goal of this update is to expand regulation of Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) pages. These pages often involve major personal decisions such as medical, financial, and legal. As a result, Google has raised its standards for the quality of content on such pages, especially in terms of the accuracy of the information and the trustworthiness of the source. According to this update, many health and medical related websites were demoted for providing low-quality content or wrong information.
This update made website owners realize that they need to improve the quality of their content, which is not only about writing smoothly, but more importantly about providing accurate and reliable information.
After the "Medic" update, many previously well-ranked health sites found themselves dropping down in search results, which had a significant impact on their traffic and revenue. With all websites competing for Google rankings, especially those offering health-related content face a huge challenge after the update.
The impact of the update on the industry
The "Medic" update specifically targets sites that don't meet Google's quality standards. This is a big warning for the affected websites, especially to review and improve their website content. After the update, many websites began to realize that the professionalism and reliability of content have become extremely critical.
Industry experts believe that providing professional medical information can not only help users make better health decisions, but also improve the website's position in search results.
Especially when it comes to delivering health information, if the website lacks professional writing and the content is not professionally certified, it will not only affect the website's ranking, but may also pose a potential risk to the user's health. Therefore, website owners should consider collaborating with medical professionals to ensure the accuracy and scientific validity of the content they provide.
Google’s quality metrics and updated results for “Medic”
Google's quality metrics go beyond the authenticity of the content and also involve the overall user experience of the site. According to the update, factors such as a website’s design, how quickly it loads and whether it is mobile-friendly will affect its ranking. This means that having a good user experience is crucial to the success of your website.
In fact, the "medical" category of information has been under constant attention from Google algorithms, because inaccurate information not only harms the interests of users, but may also directly affect their health.
Through this update, many medical and health websites began to pay attention to professionalism and continuously update and improve the quality of their content. Many existing websites choose to update their pages, introduce medical experts to write content, and add citations from authoritative medical institutions to enhance the authority of their websites.
Future Outlook: Will health websites undergo further adjustments?
Faced with Google's ever-changing search algorithms, health websites need to consider more comprehensive content planning. Not only should the accuracy and reliability of the content be ensured, but also the user-friendly design should be adopted to enhance the user's screen reading experience. This will not only attract more users, but also give you a higher ranking in search results.
The industry is still discussing: Will the "Medic" update trigger a revolution in content quality? With the improvement of health information and the increase in transparency, will users be more able to trust online medical content? ”
Both corporate and personal websites will face challenges in this process, but over time, those websites that can ultimately provide high-quality, reliable and user-friendly content will win the favor of the market. This is not only an algorithm update, but also an unstoppable requirement for quality improvement of the entire health information website. How will all this develop? It is worthy of our continued attention and reflection.
