Michael Epps Utley 
Marketing wellness products requires some care to avoid being shut out of Google search results. Over the years, Google has rolled out updates to make it harder to promote product categories that have been sold in the past using spurious claims. Some consumer protection seems reasonable given that being “presented” or “featured” in search engines would naturally make some people think an advertiser or website is authoritative.
But where is the line? How does Google know who is authentically offering solutions for better health? Google’s answer to this question has been to publish their parameters for inclusion in search results, and… their requirements are pretty reasonable on this front. Here’s how to walk the line to being engaging and enticing in your marketing without being shut out of the search engine ecosystem.
Understanding Google’s Advertising & Content Guidelines
Check out Google’s “Advertising and Content Guidelines” as you work to promote your health-focused brand. When it comes to health-related claims, Google has strict rules — only content that is scientifically backed is allowed, while exaggerated or unverified promises will lead to SEO exclusion and ad disapproval. This is especially true for medical content, which falls under Google’s YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) category – meaning it can significantly impact a person’s health, safety, or financial stability.
That’s why Google puts a strong emphasis on E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. To meet these standards, content must be created by qualified professionals, cite credible sources, and offer genuine value to the audience. Following these principles not only protects your brand but also builds long-term trust with your audience.
Best Practices for Google-Compliant Marketing
Here’s a checklist you can use to plan each piece of content you publish.
1. Avoid Exaggerated Health Claims
If you want to promote the health benefits of a product in Google, you are going to want to avoid hyperbolic statements. Frame your content in terms of experiences shared by users and real information on “how” something works.
2. Back Up Wellness Claims
If you want to state the benefits of a product, service, program, or treatment, you need to always follow those claims with credible sources. And if something won’t work for everyone, say so. Google can review a page of content and determine its veracity based on the sources used, citations, and whether those sources are credible. A link to a .edu study on a new drug, for example, offers validation to a search engine, because that credible source is likely also cited elsewhere.
3. Be Transparent About Results
You can market a wellness product with testimonials and before-and-after images. But you don’t have to make claims that are not founded. Most supplements, treatments, and devices have some variability in their application. So, they don’t all work the same for everyone. Consumers know this, so guarantees of universal benefits don’t feel right. Google knows this too, and can sniff out such claims. It’s best to validate your offers with credible, authentic experiences by your customers, not unrealistic or universal claims.
4. Support Your Claims With Educational Content
A great little “hack” is to follow up on the offers with detailed information that will help your customers get the full benefits of your wellness solutions. If, for example, you offer a product that promotes bone density for people of all ages, you can offer content on the application and effectiveness of your product when used by a particular group, like seniors. This deeper approach to content gets beyond the pitch and gives your offers depth that a search index or ad quality score can detect. Read more on Content Marketing from GoEpps.
5. Use Best Practices in Website and Landing Page Design
Use well-structured page layouts and code architecture. If you are using a platform like Shopify, you will have much of this in place right out of the box. We recommend taking a mainstream approach to page layouts so people see what they are used to: logo, nav, account functions, search, hero area, introductory content, forms and website functions, and a footer all have a natural order that works. Don’t work against how people use web pages. Google favors pages and websites that users like and engage with when they visit. Pages that users bounce from quickly suffer in search results.
6. For Websites, Consider Usability and Findability of Your Content and Offers
Google offers a page speed test tool (you can Google it) to help you see your website the way they see it. Use the page speed test tool to find out how long it takes a user to see the first screen of content when loading your website. Pro tip: page speed is one of the biggest things that matters in being discovered in search engines. Use Core Web Vitals data from the Google page speed test page to drive your website higher in rankings.
Schema is a type of coding (“structured data”) of your content to serve it up to search engine indexes. By tagging your offers and other types of content, you can offer Google a clear path to getting what they want — content to show in search results. Using schema is a good way to get onto the search results pages in more than one place — organic listings, yes, but you can also get placement on the results page itself for products, events, and your business details using this approach.
7. Skip the Gimmicks
Finally, skip the gimmicks. You don’t need to use weird link-buying tactics, hidden text on pages, or written copy that sounds like you put a dictionary in a blender. Focus on answering people’s questions in a clear and helpful way. Advance your audience’s understanding of your offers to help their wellness. If you take this high road, it will go better for you with the search engines and with your core audience. And, as always, if you need help, give us a call.
