To train its algorithms, Google uses human help, of course, and instructs its evaluators to check selected websites against a number of criteria. I have only extracted the most important ones for myself, which is also the golden basis for all websites. However, this is often neglected by website owners.
The information below refers to the Google Guidelines ( PDF 7.4 MB ), i.e. the guidelines for evaluators, and is basically a short summary that I will expand on from time to time.
The guidelines focus on understanding the purpose of a website and distinguishing between Main Content (MC), Supplementary Content (SC) and Advertisements/Monetization (Ads). Main content is essential to achieve the purpose of the site, while supplementary content can enhance or detract from the overall experience. Ads are necessary for many sites to cover costs, but do not in themselves affect the quality rating.
The guidelines stress the importance of accuracy and effort in creating content. Low quality MC is characterised by filler content, lack of originality and the use of easily accessible information without much effort. Effort, originality, talent and skill are crucial aspects of content evaluation, with different expectations depending on the type of site and its purpose. YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) sites require high quality content due to the potential impact on health, safety or financial stability.
Reputation information and trustworthiness are also key factors in assessing site quality. While user reviews can provide insight, reviews from biased sources, such as the product manufacturer or paid influencers, are less trustworthy. When assessing trust, factors beyond experience, expertise and authority (E-A-T) should be considered, such as customer service information or peer-reviewed publications.
The guidelines also address the importance of differentiating between types of content, such as low-risk entertainment content versus harmful misinformation. Content that is subjective, controversial or inconsequential should not be considered harmful unless it poses a risk to individuals or specific groups. Sites that seek to persuade with biased or controversial content should be assessed on the basis of accuracy, expert consensus and potential harm.
Each conclusion is also linked to specific pages in the guide.
Google uses a framework called E-A-T to assess the trustworthiness of a website. Among these factors, trust is considered the most important. Google evaluates trust based on the accuracy, honesty, safety, and reliability of the page’s content. This assessment can be influenced by various factors, such as what the website or content creators say about themselves, independent reviews, references, news articles, and visible content on the page like reviews and comments. Additionally, experience, expertise, and authoritativeness also play a crucial role in determining trustworthiness. Experience is about the content creator’s knowledge, Expertise is about their skill, and Authoritativeness is about whether they are a reliable source. All these elements contribute to Google’s assessment of a website’s trustworthiness.
p.27 p.26 p.20
What should you look out for when creating content?
When creating content, it’s important to consider the following factors to ensure high-quality content:
- Accuracy: Ensure that the content is factually accurate. For YMYL topics, it should be accurate and consistent with well-established expert consensus.
- Reputation: For YMYL topics, having a very positive reputation is crucial for achieving the highest ratings. It is important to research the reputation of a topic before creating content about it. This is especially true for topics that could impact health, financial stability, safety, or societal welfare.
- The content creator should have relevant first-hand or life experience. Personal experience adds credibility, especially for product reviews or advice. Experts in the field are often the most reliable sources of information.
Consider if the content creator or the website is known as a reliable source for the topic.
Very high-quality content requires effort, originality, talent, or skill. This is important for different types of content to meet the appropriate standards (Page 69).
By paying attention to these factors, content creators can develop high-quality, trustworthy content.
p.13 p.21 p.69 p.26
What are common mistakes that break Google’s rules?
Google’s guidelines say that you shouldn’t try to trick people into thinking your content is better than it really is. This can make it harder for people to create good content.
- Publishing false or misleading information that could cause harm, such as inaccurate information that can be refuted by facts, or unsubstantiated claims not based on facts or evidence.
- Creating deceptive or untrustworthy webpages, like those designed to manipulate people into taking actions that benefit the website or organisation while causing harm to others or groups.
- Creating spammy webpages, defined as pages with no main content or gibberish content.
- Promoting harmful, unsubstantiated theories or claims that could erode confidence in public institutions.
Some errors are not against Google’s guidelines. These include non-YMYL content created for entertainment without hard claims of factual accuracy, reviews expressing personal preferences, or insignificant errors about a trivial topic. However, these errors may still be against Google’s guidelines if they contain harmful misleading information.
Examples of this type of information
- False claims or lies: This is information that is deliberately untrue and may be used to promote an agenda or mislead readers.
- Distorted presentation of facts: Sometimes facts are presented in a way that suggests a false or misleading conclusion. This can be done by selectively reporting information or omitting relevant details.
- Unverified rumours or speculation: Some websites spread rumours or speculation without verifying them or assessing their credibility. This information can easily be misleading and lead to incorrect conclusions.
- Manipulated images or videos: Images and videos can be manipulated to create a false impression of events or people. This can lead readers to make false assumptions or draw incorrect conclusions.
- Satire or fiction presented as fact: Some websites publish satirical or fictional content that is presented as fact. If readers do not recognise this content as such, it may be misunderstood or taken at face value.
p. 38 p. 31 p. 34
What does Google check in e-commerce sites?
Google looks at several key factors when evaluating ecommerce sites for quality and relevance. These factors include
- High levels of E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Ecommerce sites must demonstrate expertise in their products, authoritativeness in their industry, and trustworthiness in their transactions and customer service. This is essential for achieving a high quality rating (page 64).
- Reputation of the site and the content author: Google evaluates the reputation of the site and the content author to understand how others view the site and who is behind it. Trustworthiness is an important aspect of this evaluation (page 20).
- Quality content: E-commerce sites should prioritise the creation of quality content that is useful to visitors. Sites that focus solely on benefiting the site owner or use deceptive techniques to boost search rankings are discouraged. Google encourages original, helpful and skilful content that enhances the user experience (page 38).
- User experience: The presence or absence of ads alone is not a direct consideration in Google’s evaluation. However, the way in which ads and supplemental content (SC) contribute to the overall user experience on the site is important (page 20).
In summary, Google is looking for ecommerce sites that prioritise expertise, authority, trustworthiness, quality content and a positive user experience. Focusing on these aspects can help ecommerce sites rank well in search results and build credibility with users.
What does Google check for B2B sites?
When evaluating B2B (business-to-business) sites, Google looks for different types of sites, including corporate sites. B2B sites are considered under the category of business sites. Google aims to provide useful results for all types of sites, including B2B sites, by considering factors such as content quality, relevance to the user’s query, trustworthiness and expertise.
For B2B sites, Google may prioritise authoritative pages that provide valuable information related to business services, products or solutions. In addition, Google looks for sites that provide a positive user experience, as evidenced by high quality content, originality and helpfulness to visitors. B2B sites that meet these criteria are more likely to rank higher in Google search results. (page 140),
What role do backlinks play compared to the other factors?
Backlinks are not explicitly mentioned in the context of the Page Quality Rating. However, backlinks can play a significant role in determining the quality and credibility of a website.
In general SEO practices, backlinks are important because they act as signals of credibility and authority to search engines. If reputable websites link to your site, this can have a positive effect on your site’s ranking in search results. Therefore, in the context of Page Quality Rating, backlinks could be considered under the reputation of the website and content creator.
Given the importance of reputation in assessing trustworthiness, backlinks from authoritative sources could contribute positively to a page’s overall rating. Although not explicitly stated in the context provided, backlinks may be part of the assessment of a site’s trustworthiness and authority.
p.20 p.38 p.26
What elements are essential on the home page?
Important information that needs to be available on a website includes details of who is responsible for the website and its content, contact details for customer service or enquiries, and policies on payment, exchanges and returns, especially for websites that handle money, such as shops, banks or credit card companies. This information is critical to building trust and giving users a way to get help or ask questions if they need it (page 18). For sites that require a high level of trust, it is also important to have information about the content creator and responsible party to prevent malicious activity such as scams or fake information (page 35).