Google, the search engine giant, updates its algorithms every now and then, making it harder to figure out what exactly it wants. Last August 1, Google rolled out the “Medic Update.” How does this affect SEO?

It changes everything. After the many animal-related algorithm updates of Google, this is a major one. The update intends to improve how Google matches relevant results to search queries. But that’s the main purpose of its previous algorithm updates, like Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird.

Every year, Google rolls out hundreds of algorithm updates. Sometimes, the search engine makes more than one change per day. So how should you respond to these updates?

Google’s Broad Core Algorithm Update

The broad core algorithm update is a big deal becausethe main search algorithm itself has been tweaked.To avoid the confusion, here are the key takeaways from Google’s latest broad core algorithm update:

• The “global” update by Google affects every niche and every type of site.There’s a slight change on the importance, order, weights, or values of ranking factors and signals.
• The broad core algorithm changes the SEO scenario. These are factors that make ranking in SERPs more complicated than before. The question now is how to win the SEO game and rank the highest.
• It’s time to tackle the main ingredients of great content because that’s what this is all about. Focusing on Google’s Medic Update, the key is to use the E-A-T approach — expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

These qualities are closely related to one another. Let’s focus on expertise first.

Expertise: How will you sound like an expert?

Being an expert means demonstrating a high level of skill or knowledge on a particular subject. You have to convince a reader that you know what you’re talking about. Great content written by an expert comes off as something written by a person who has all the facts pertaining to that subject.

Now, let’s break down the factors that make up expertise.

• Accreditations — Google looks for evidence that provesyour knowledge about the subject you are writing about. Brandish your certifications and experiences in such a way that readers — and Google — will find your claims appealing.
• Brevity ­— Keep it short and simple as much as possible. Every sentence has to make sense, regardless of the length. Remember, it’s about quality, not quantity.
• Precision — Be specific at all times. Readers prefer content that is free from ambiguous phrases. For example: instead of using “many,” citing references to “2,305” sounds more credible.

Bear in mind that these three factors contribute to you sounding like an expert to Google. So to write great content, provide accreditations and always be brief and precise.

Authoritativeness: How will you build your authority?

Authority is having a certain degree of ability that lets you talk about a certain topic. Great content is one that can influence. Content that speaks from a level of command can sway readers and Google. Here are the ingredients that build authority.

• Authorship — Slowly develop authority by using personal brands. For instance, author profiles can boost your content’s authority. You can start by guest posting on other sites.
• Value — Readers look for content that appeals to their needs and wants. Your topics have to be specific and relevant to your target market. Create content that resonates with your audience and avoid fluff topics.
• Uniqueness — Google values content that appeal to the reader. And what appeals to readers? One of a kind content. Always write something new about a particular subject. Being timely and relevant always go together.
• Writing quality — Use your sentences wisely. Brevity refers to the conciseness of content. Writing quality means using the correct style, the right word choices, the proper flow of writing, the coherent logic of ideas, and the readability of your language use.

Use these factors to convince Google that you’re authoritative and you’re on your way to gaining the algorithm’s trust. This brings us to the last but not the least quality of a great content: trustworthiness.

Trustworthiness: How can you make readers trust you?

It may sound dramatic, but Google has trust issues now. That’s why it penalizes websites who stray off the right path, such as those who use black-hat strategies. Develop trustworthiness by making logical and believable content; there’s no shortcut.

Here’s you can earn Google’s trust.

• External backlink — Prioritize link building because it’s crucial to make your way into Google’s algorithm. More websites that links to you strengthens your stand as a trustworthy source.
• Internal inbound links — It pays to use external sources of authority in your content. Doing tells readers and Google that your content is well-researched. Plus, these links back your facts and claims.
• Consistency — Keep the frequency and value of your content in check. Always post timely and valuable content to your readers. Google identifies trustworthy contributors as those who maintain their content provision in quantity and quality.

The trustworthiness of your content highly depends on these factors. Use them to your advantage. Outsmarting Google shouldn’t be your goal; it should be providing your audience with the so-called quality content that Google prefers.

A gentle reminder to win Google’s algorithm: focus on the consumer. Hard selling won’t work; doing so may give Google grounds to penalize you.

Google makes algorithm updates frequently. There’s no other way around it; that’s just how Google works. Keep tabs on whatever updates Google rolls out and you’re on the right track to providing quality content.