Search Engines Are Smarter Than Ever. Is Your Content Ready?

It’s no secret: search engines have evolved.

Brands that rely on a scattershot, keyword-first approach are feeling the consequences. Today, search engines don’t just look for keywords—they evaluate experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) across your entire site. Google openly prioritizes content that demonstrates these qualities, and shortcuts no longer cut it.

A Look Back: The 2018 Google Medic Update

In August 2018, Google rolled out a broad core algorithm update, dubbed the “Medic Update, ”that reinforced its focus on surfacing authoritative and trustworthy pages. While the update hit health and medical sites hardest, the principles it introduced continue to shape SEO today. Sites lacking demonstrable expertise saw traffic drops ranging from 20% to 70%, a stark reminder that Google rewards substance over fluff.

This wasn’t a one-off shift. Google continues to refine its algorithms to assess content contextually—looking beyond individual pages to evaluate your site as a whole. Low-value, thin, or spammy content is increasingly at risk, making E-A-T more important than ever.

Earning Search Authority in 2025

Building authority with Google isn’t about quick wins. It’s a long-term commitment to creating content that readers and search engines alike trust.

Take an ecommerce brand selling dog water bottles. To gain search authority, the site must go beyond product pages. It should answer every question about dog hydration, bottle types, materials, and care tips. Only after establishing this topic authority should it branch into broader, more competitive topics like dog breeds or training.

This is the essence of the topic cluster strategy: organizing content into pillars and supporting pages that signal expertise and context to search engines. We’ve seen this strategy drive massive results. For example, one client’s blog grew from 500 monthly organic visits to nearly 200,000 in just a few years, all by strategically clustering content around their product and related topics.

Future-Proof Your Content Strategy

Whether you’re launching a new website or optimizing an existing one, E-A-T should guide your approach.

For New Websites:

• Focus narrowly at first: Create deep, authoritative content on a specific topic to demonstrate expertise.
• Provide context: Answer related questions, explore subtopics, and ensure content is comprehensive.
• Be patient: Trust takes time. Metrics like time on page, click-through rate, and engagement signal credibility to search engines.

For Established Websites:

• Define your core topics: Clarify what you want your site to be known for.
• Build pillar pages: Fully cover each core topic with comprehensive, high-quality content.
• Add supporting pages: Address subtopics and longer-tail queries to reinforce authority.
• Optimize linking structure: Ensure all supporting content links back to the relevant pillar page.
• Keep content fresh: Google rewards sites that update and improve existing content regularly.

Remember: successful SEO goes beyond words. Competitive analysis, keyword research, structured content, page speed, engagement metrics, and proper HTML tagging all contribute to building authority.

Rethink, Refocus, and Reap the Rewards

The era of “write anything and hope it ranks” is over. SEO success in 2025 requires intentional strategy, organized content, and consistent updates. Focus on a handful of high-impact topics, build authority, and never let your content stagnate.

At Human, we help brands approach content strategically, earning trust with both search engines and audiences—a proven path to long-term growth.

Need help building a content strategy that earns authority and drives traffic? We can make it happen.