In August 2018, Google officially announced the release of a Broad Core Algorithm Update, a major update to its core algorithm.

This update changed both the weight of certain factors used by the search engine to evaluate expertise, trust, and authority of websites, and how well a site actually satisfies the search intent of a query.

The update affected all SERPs, with a particular focus on the medical and wellness sectors, hence the nickname Medical Update.

According to the document shared by Google on July 20, 2018, related to the Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines, emphasis is placed on the relevance of information that is Authoritative, Trustworthy, and Competent, which naturally impacts the medical sector first.

In practice, the indexing potential of content depends on the authority of the author. The more this authority is supported by endorsements and connections from other authoritative third parties (preferably on the same topics), the higher the value of the content. Activities such as source citations, bibliographies, and references from authoritative third parties increase the perceived value of the content.