All you need to know about Google’s latest core algorithm update

Google released a major ranking algorithm update on the 1st of August. Which websites were affected by the update? What can you do if your rankings dropped? Do you have to change something on your pages? This article has the answers.

Google core algorithm update August 2018

When did Google roll out the update?

Google announced the update on August, 1st:

This was a global core algorithm update. On August, 8th, Google’s Danny Sullivan confirmed that the algorithm update finished rolling out:

The SEO industry has given this update the nickname ‘Medic Update’ (the below for the reasons).

Which websites were hit by the update?

It seems that this update mainly focused on YMYL (your money/your life) websites. However, websites from other industries were also hit.

Google defines YMYL pages as pages that can have an impact on your financial or physical well-being, for example:

  • Pages that solicit personal information, such as personal identification numbers, bank account numbers, drivers license numbers, etc., which could be used for identity theft.
  • Pages used for monetary transactions, on which users might give their credit account or bank account information; for example, any page that allows you to buy something.
  • Pages that offer medical or health information that could impact your physical well-being.
  • Pages offering advice on major life decisions, such as pages on parenting, purchasing a home, a vehicle and so on.
  • Pages offering advice on major life issues that could impact your future happiness and finances, such as pages giving legal or financial advice.

As websites from the medical sector experienced the biggest ranking changes, the ranking algorithm update was named the ‘Medic Update’.

What can you do if your website has been hit by the update?

If your website rankings have dropped, then your website has not been penalized. Google’s algorithm just found that other websites have more expertise, authority and trust (EAT) than your website.

There is no single fix that will solve the problem. There are several things that you can do to show Google that your website should get higher rankings:

1. Remove all technical errors from your web pages

This should be your first step. Pages with technical errors cannot rank as well as error-free pages. It’s usually a sign of low quality if a page has too many errors. The website audit tool in SEOprofiler can help you to remove technical errors.

2. Improve the design of your website

Your website must look good. It’s difficult to get high EAT ratings (expertise, authority and trust), if a website looks ugly.

3. Improve the content of your web pages

Your website must have good content that is relevant to the query of the searcher. Without good content, you won’t get high rankings. The Top 10 Optimizer in SEOprofiler can help you to improve the content of your web pages.

4. Improve the links that point to your web pages

Web pages with high authority get many links from other websites. The Link Profiler and the other link tools in SEOprofiler can help you to improve the links that point to your web pages.

Improve your web pages step-by-step

Google’s core algorithm update had the biggest impact on health and finance sites. If your website has been affected, keep working on all elements that can improve your website. Small changes can have a big impact on your rankings. SEOprofiler offers the tools that you need to improve your pages:

Try SEOprofiler now

Tom Cassy

Tom Cassy is the CEO of SEOprofiler. He blogs about search engine optimization and website marketing topics at “http://blog.seoprofiler.com”.