How to Adjust Your Healthcare SEO Strategy After Google's August 2024 Core Update
The healthcare industry has witnessed rapid digital transformation, with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) playing a critical role in attracting patients and clients. However, the ever-changing nature of Google’s algorithms means that healthcare websites must continuously adjust to remain visible and relevant in search results. The latest update to consider is Google's August 2024 Core Update, a significant shift that many in the SEO community are still analyzing.
If your healthcare website has seen ranking fluctuations or changes in organic traffic, it’s essential to understand the nature of this update and adjust your healthcare SEO strategy accordingly.
What is a Google Core Update?
A Google Core Update is a major adjustment to Google's search algorithms that impacts how the search engine ranks websites. These updates are different from the routine updates Google implements regularly. Core updates are broad and significant, affecting multiple industries and altering the way content is evaluated. The main goal of a core update is to improve the quality of search results by elevating high-quality, relevant content while demoting content that does not meet Google's standards.
Google's August 2024 Core Update, which started on August 15 and completed on September 3, has caused considerable shifts in rankings and search results. According to John Mueller, Google's Search Advocate, this update "continues our work to improve the quality of our search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less content that feels like it was made just to perform well on Search."
Google’s update is especially aimed at creating more opportunities for small and independent publishers with original, high-quality content. The company considers feedback from the SEO community and integrates it into these updates. For healthcare providers and marketers, this core update holds several implications that require a strategic adjustment.
Key Highlights of the August 2024 Update
1. Search Console Recommendations
One of the biggest developments in the August 2024 update is the introduction of a new feature within Google Search Console called “Search Console Recommendations.” This function provides website owners with tailored suggestions to improve their site's visibility based on Google’s indexing, crawling, and search performance data. For healthcare websites, this is a crucial tool to guide SEO improvements, helping to identify issues such as site structure or page optimization needs.
The recommendations are updated regularly, and although not all websites have access to them right away, this feature will gradually roll out to all Search Console users over the coming months.
2. Refined Content Evaluation
The update places a stronger emphasis on content depth, originality, and relevancy. Websites with comprehensive, well-researched content that directly addresses user queries will benefit from this update, while websites with thin, duplicate, or low-value content may see a drop in rankings. Healthcare websites should take this as a sign to invest in high-quality, in-depth articles and resources that meet the specific needs of patients and potential clients.
3. Enhanced Focus on User Experience (UX)
User experience remains a core focus of Google’s ranking algorithm. Elements like mobile-friendliness, page load speed, and navigational ease have even more weight post-update. Google’s Core Web Vitals—metrics such as Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), and First Input Delay (FID)—continue to influence rankings significantly.
Healthcare websites need to focus on creating a seamless, fast, and mobile-optimized user experience. A healthcare site that loads slowly or has poor navigation can frustrate users, leading to higher bounce rates and lower engagement.
4. Crawling and Indexing Improvements
The August 2024 update has introduced more efficient crawling and indexing technologies, particularly benefiting websites that frequently update content or handle large data volumes. Ensuring that your technical SEO is sound—by optimizing sitemaps, structuring your site logically, and keeping robots.txt files clean—will help Google bots crawl and index your healthcare website more effectively.
5. Impact on Healthcare and YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) Sectors
Healthcare is classified as a YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) sector, meaning it deals with sensitive information that directly affects the health, safety, and financial security of users. Google's algorithms scrutinize content in these sectors more closely, prioritizing trustworthy, authoritative, and accurate information.
Healthcare websites, in particular, must ensure that they comply with E-E-A-T principles—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google wants to rank healthcare providers and professionals who offer valuable, accurate medical advice that users can trust.
How to Optimize Your Healthcare SEO Strategy After the August 2024 Update
1. Offer Valuable, Relevant Content
The most important step for healthcare websites is to offer valuable content that addresses users' needs. Focus on creating well-researched, in-depth articles and resources that cover medical conditions, treatments, patient experiences, and healthcare services. Ensure your content aligns with Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines to build trust and authority in your field and manage your online reputation.
2. Present a Coherent Brand Entity
Ensure your healthcare website presents a clear, consistent brand entity. This means having a consistent brand voice and personality across your digital platforms, including social media. Whether you are sharing patient stories, discussing treatments, or providing healthcare tips, the tone and approach should be consistent.
A recognizable brand helps build trust with users and establishes authority in your niche in all forms of content marketing approaches, including video marketing.
3. Monitor Performance
Regularly monitor your website’s performance using Google Search Console and other analytics tools. Look for changes in traffic, rankings, and click-through rates (CTR). A dip in performance could indicate that your website isn’t aligned with Google’s latest update.
4. Audit and Enhance Existing Content
Review your content marketing strategy and ensure it meets Google’s new standards. This involves updating outdated information, consolidating duplicate content, and refining pages that don’t add much value to users. Use the new Search Console Recommendations feature to guide these changes.
Mirra’s Healthcare Growth Marketing solution is designed to help health plans enhance their content strategy in line with Google’s latest standards. Our solution supports updating outdated information, consolidating duplicate content, and refining underperforming pages, ensuring that your digital presence provides real value to users. Leveraging tools like Google Search Console recommendations, Mirra optimizes content to increase visibility, improve SEO, and engage your audience more effectively.
5. Optimize Technical SEO
Technical SEO plays a bigger role in your site’s performance after this update. Ensure your healthcare site is fast, mobile-friendly, and properly structured for Google’s bots to crawl efficiently. Fix broken links, optimize page speed, and ensure clean site architecture to improve indexing.
6. Focus on User Experience
User experience is crucial for keeping visitors on your site. Ensure your healthcare website is easy to navigate, loads quickly, and provides a seamless experience on both desktop and mobile. A positive user experience not only improves rankings but also enhances patient engagement and satisfaction.
7. Stay Updated
The August 2024 Core Update is part of an ongoing evolution in Google’s algorithms. Stay informed about future updates by following industry news, participating in SEO communities, and keeping up with Google's official announcements.
The Bottom Line
Google’s August 2024 Core Update has made significant changes in how healthcare websites should approach SEO. By focusing on content quality, technical optimization, and user experience, healthcare providers can adapt to these changes and improve their online visibility. Staying proactive in monitoring performance and staying updated with Google’s algorithms will keep your healthcare website competitive in a constantly evolving digital landscape.
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