Medic Update
The Medic Update is the nickname for a broad core update Google released on 1 August 2018. It was called “Medic” because many of the sites with big ranking swings were in health, medical and wellness niches, although sites in finance, law and other areas were affected too.
What the Medic Update was
Google confirmed the change as a broad core update, meaning a general adjustment to how its systems assess content rather than a targeted filter for one type of site. Google did not call it the Medic Update. The name came from the SEO community after early analysis showed a large share of affected sites gave health or lifestyle advice.
Because the impact was so concentrated, the update became one of the most discussed Google algorithm updates of its time, and it shaped how SEOs think about trust and expertise today.
Why health sites were hit
Health, money and safety topics fall into what Google’s guidelines call YMYL (Your Money or Your Life): subjects where poor information could harm someone. Google holds these pages to a higher standard.
A few weeks before the update, Google had revised its Search Quality Rater Guidelines, giving more weight to the reputation of the site and of the content creator. When Google was asked how to respond to core updates around that time, it pointed people towards those guidelines. Many SEOs concluded that sites lacking clear expertise, authority and trust (then called E-A-T, now E-E-A-T) were the ones that fell.
That link is a widely held interpretation rather than something Google spelled out as a rule. Quality raters do not change rankings directly; their ratings help Google evaluate whether its systems are working.
What Google said about recovery
Google’s message after the update was that there was “no fix” for pages that dropped. It said that nothing was necessarily wrong with those pages, and that other content was now simply being judged more relevant or useful. Its advice was to keep building great content and wait for future core updates to reassess the site.
Lessons site owners took from it
- Show who writes and reviews content, with real credentials where the topic demands them.
- Back up medical and financial claims with reputable sources.
- Remove or improve outdated, thin or exaggerated advice.
- Make it easy to see who runs the site, how to reach them and how the business makes money.
- Build a reputation that exists outside your own website, such as press coverage and reviews.
Common myths
- “It only affected medical sites.” Health sites were the most visible, but many sectors moved.
- “Adding an author bio fixes it.” Bylines help readers judge trust, but they are not a switch that restores rankings.
- “E-A-T is a score.” Google has said E-E-A-T is not a single ranking factor; it is a concept its systems try to reflect through many signals.
For clinics and health businesses, see my work as a healthcare SEO consultant.
Key Takeaways
- The Medic Update was a broad core update released on 1 August 2018.
- Its nickname came from the SEO community, not from Google.
- Health and other YMYL sites saw some of the largest swings.
- Many SEOs linked it to E-A-T, now known as E-E-A-T.
- Google said there was no specific fix beyond improving content quality.
Related Terms
Not sure how your own site measures up? Request a free SEO review, or keep learning in the SEO Encyclopedia.