Google Rolled Out a Broad Core Algorithm Update on August 1, 2018

Google tweaks its algorithm every day, and it stopped announcing most of those changes long ago. But it has just confirmed a much larger one: a broad core algorithm update released on August 1, 2018. What’s the fallout? Let’s take a look.

The news broke in a tweet from Google SearchLiaison on Wednesday, August 1, 2018. Google played it down, describing it as “a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year,” and, as usual, offered few details. That makes it hard to predict the impact, positive or negative. With a few days of hindsight, here’s a first assessment.

Google’s August 2018 Update: What We Know

First, the update isn’t fully rolled out yet. Danny Sullivan, the journalist who founded Search Engine Land and Search Engine Watch and now works at Google, says it will take a few more days before the full effects are visible.

“Say by middle of next week, should be fully rolled out.”

Danny Sullivan, on Twitter, August 3, 2018

Even so, some major ranking swings are already visible. Sites about nutrition, and health in general, seem to have been hit especially hard, some positively, others negatively. That’s why the SEO community has started calling it the “Medic” update.

Both organic results (the classic blue links) and local results (the listings shown with the Google Maps pack) appear to have been affected.

It’s hard to say more for now, but the coming days should tell us more.

Source: Marie Haynes Consulting (mariehaynes.com)

Where Things Stand in 2026

Google never used the “Medic” name, but the August 2018 update is still remembered as a turning point for health, finance, and other “Your Money or Your Life” sites. In December 2022, Google expanded the E-A-T concept in its search quality rater guidelines to E-E-A-T, adding “Experience.” Google now confirms its broad core updates on the Google Search Status Dashboard; our article Google core updates explained covers how they work. Less than two months after the Medic update, Google released another change, covered in our post on the Google birthday update.

Think Your Site Was Affected by This Update?

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