Google Florida 2 Update: Medic Reversal?
Anyone reading this been in SEO since the early 2000’s? If so, don’t let the name of this update fool you. It has nothing to do with the update from back in 2003. They are nothing alike. Google is totally different than it was then. The only thing these two updates have in common is that they were both close to Pubcon in Florida, which is where each has gotten their name.
Started on March 12th, 2019 - ?
The Google Florida 2 update started on March 12th and could very well still be going, though it looks like yesterday was the day is hit it’s peak. Google and Danny Sullivan confirmed this update as well. They said it was a core algorithm update...a broad one. It changed the way Google works to rank websites. It can effect any website and any industry. It's not targeting one niche or another. It's not one you can fix by making some slight changes on your website. It's not a penalty against you. It's just a change. And it's one of the biggest Google has done in a few years.
Reversal for Two of My Clients (Yay!)
Because a lot of people, including myself, are seeing this as a reversal of the Medic Update from August of 2018, which hurt the rankings of 1000's of websites (think myprotein.com or draxe.com), including two I was managing (both in the health-nutrition arena, which is why they were really hurt). There was a lot of speculation that the Medic Update went too far and was harming websites that didn't deserve it. I mean, I don't think my sites did! But now 7 months later, I checked my results this morning and I was up 90% for one of my websites and 70% for the other. Not totally back to pre-Medic levels, but pretty damn close! Now I still have to review a lot of other clients I have to see the effects they had from the Florida 2 update, but my two most concerning clients, they are on their way back, is absolutely awesome.
Now if You Were Affected…
So if you were hurt by the Florida 2 update, what can you do? Honestly...nothing. This is probably not what you wanted to hear. Again, this is not a penalty against your website. This is just a change in the way things work. What you can do is make sure you are abiding by Google's Guidelines and your site is fully optimized. Are you working on increasing quality links to your website? That can always help. Is your site quick and mobile friendly? Does your site show E.A.T (expertise, authority and trust?). These are just some of the things look for when reviewing your site.
Next Steps
There are still fluctuations going on. More news will be coming out throughout the weekend. Don’t do anything drastic if your site has dropped positioning in Google. Let everything settle down, and then see what you might be doing wrong…or not doing as well as you should. Work on improving your site and then when the next big core update comes along, it could help.
My expertise is in Shopify and Magento websites, but I also have many clients on Wordpress, Squarespace and other custom CMS. If you are noticing any issues with your positioning, let me help.