Think about the last time you chose a doctor, a lawyer, or an insurer. You most likely didn’t start directly on their website.
You read what other people have said, and Google does the same.
Future clients? Also look at your reviews.
Google has confirmed six ranking updates in 2026 so far: 2 core updates and 4 spam updates. If you run a health, finance, or legal business, these updates hold a lot of weight.
What YMYL Means and Why It Applies to You
YMYL stands for “Your Money or Your Life.”
Google uses it for topics that could “significantly impact the health, financial stability, or safety of people, or the welfare or well-being of society.”
That covers medical practices, addiction treatment, mental health care, insurance, financial services, and law firms. Google holds these topics to a “higher bar”. It says its systems “give even more weight to content that aligns with strong E-E-A-T” on them. E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust.
Of the four quality signals, Google says trust is the most important.
Google also says E-E-A-T “isn’t a specific ranking factor.” It’s a way to describe the combination of signals Google’s systems use to find reliable content. And what other people say about you is big in the mix.
Google has referenced this kind of questioning:
“If someone researched the site producing the content, would they come away with an impression that it is well-trusted or widely-recognized as an authority on its topic?”
Algorithm Updates Are on a “Spectrum”
Many owners hear “algorithm update” and brace themselves. Core updates can reshuffle results, causing some sites to rise, others to fall, and others to stay relatively unchanged.
Yet, the March 2026 core update was significant. Google’s dashboard shows it ran from March 27 for just over 12 days, and a May core update followed on May 21. SE Ranking data showed nearly 80% of top three results changed, up from 66.8% after the December 2025 update. About 24.1% of top 10 pages fell out of the top 100.
Health results were reshuffled in both directions.
Amsive tracked 2,076 domains that moved the most using the SISTRIX visibility index:
🔼 GoodRx gained 54.5%
🔼 Cancer.org gained 34.3%
🔽 KidsHealth lost 19.4%
(Note that this measures visibility in search, not traffic.)
Analysts also saw clinical, research-driven, and specialist sources gain, while broader consumer health sites slipped. An update can help or harm your business, depending on how well you showcase your expertise and build trust.
Reviews Are a Trust Signal
Start with what people do before they contact you:
In health care, a December 2024 survey of 1,008 U.S. adults by rater8 found that 84% check online reviews before choosing a new provider. About 40% had canceled an appointment or changed a care plan because of negative reviews alone.
In law, Scorpion’s 2025 report surveyed 3,000 U.S. consumers. Nearly 60% put online reviews ahead of traditional recommendations, and over half refuse to consider a firm rated below four stars.
In insurance, a Trustpilot survey of 500 U.S. consumers in October 2023 found 57.3% check reviews on more than one site before choosing an insurer.
Across local businesses, BrightLocal’s 2026 survey of 1,002 U.S. adults found 97% read reviews. And 77% say negative reviews make them less likely to choose a business. About 47% won’t use a business with fewer than 20 reviews. And 31% now want at least 4.5 stars, up from 17% a year earlier
People check you out before they call!
Your Google Business Profile Is Your Front Door
Your Google Business Profile, or GBP, is the free listing that appears when someone searches your name or “near me.” For many people, it’s the first thing they see. It can often crop up before your website in the map pack.
Google ranks local results by relevance, distance, and prominence. It also says “more reviews and positive ratings can help your business’s local ranking.”
Make sure the digital front door to your business is welcoming.
Consistent Reputation Management
Online reputation management, or ORM, means earning reviews, responding to them, and keeping your listings accurate. The operative word is consistent.
New reviews should be a big focus for you. BrightLocal found 74% of consumers look for reviews written in the last three months, and 44% want them from the last month. One burst of reviews a year won’t do it.
Consistently responding to reviews is also important. In the rater8 survey, 45% of patients said they value providers who respond. And 41% said they trust a provider more when they see responses.
7 Things YMYL Business Owners Can Do Now
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile.
- Fill in your category, services, hours, phone number, photos, and a clear description. Keep the name, address, and phone number consistent on your website and in every directory listing.
- Ask for reviews on a steady rhythm. Build it into your process, such as a follow-up email after a visit or a closed case. Ask everyone, not only the happy ones.
- Reply to every review. Pick a time frame, like two business days. Use a template your counsel has approved, and add a personal touch.
- Never reward reviews and do not fake them. (It breaks Google and federal rules. It also risks any trust built.)
- Add names, credentials, photos, and review dates for the clinicians, attorneys, and advisors who write or approve your content.
- Avoid copy-and-paste pages, thin location pages, and unedited AI drafts. Make each page unique to your business.
Need a Second Set of Eyes?
At Poirier Agency, we work with treatment centers, medical practices, and insurance firms, and we know how high the bar is when someone’s health or money is on the line.
If you’d like a review of your Business Profile, your reviews, and your website, our local SEO team is happy to take a look.
You can also learn more about our SEO services or reach us anytime.
Sources
- Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines: https://guidelines.raterhub.com/searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf
- Google Search Central, “Creating Helpful, Reliable, People-First Content”: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content
- Google Search Central, “Core Updates”: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/core-updates
- Google Search Status Dashboard: https://status.search.google.com/products/rGHU1u87FJnkP6W2GwMi/history
- Search Engine Land, “March 2026 Google Core Update More Volatile Than December”: https://searchengineland.com/march-2026-google-core-update-what-changed-474397
- Amsive, “Google March 2026 Core Update: Winners, Losers and Analysis”: https://www.amsive.com/insights/seo/google-march-2026-core-update-winners-losers-analysis/
- Search Engine Roundtable, “Google September 2026 Spam Update Has Big Weekend Impact”: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-september-2026-spam-update-weekend-impact-42174.html
- rater8, “How Patients Choose Their Doctors: 2025 Report”: https://rater8.com/how-patients-choose-their-doctors-2025-report/
- Scorpion, “New Report Finds 74% of Legal Clients Research Firms After a Referral”: https://www.scorpion.co/about-us/scorpion-news/scorpion-news/2025/new-report-finds-74-of-legal-clients-research-fi
- Trustpilot, “How U.S. Consumers Evaluate and Purchase Personal Insurance”: https://au.business.trustpilot.com/blog/build-trusted-brand/consumer-insights-how-us-consumers-evaluate-and-purchase-personal-insurance
- BrightLocal, “Local Consumer Review Survey 2026”: https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
- Google Business Profile Help, local ranking: https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091
- Google Business Profile Help, complete and verify your profile: https://support.google.com/business/answer/10515606
- Whitespark, “2026 Local Search Ranking Factors”: https://whitespark.ca/local-search-ranking-factors/
- WARC, “Brands Get Better Ratings by Replying to Reviews”: https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/brands-get-better-ratings-by-replying-to-reviews/40051
- Google Maps User Contributed Content Policy: https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114
- Federal Trade Commission, final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/08/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-rule-banning-fake-reviews-testimonials
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights settlement over online review responses: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/06/05/hhs-office-civil-rights-reaches-agreement-health-care-provider-new-jersey-disclosed-phi-response-negative-online-reviews.html
