The Impact of YMYL on Websites
The term YMYL, which stands for “Your Money or Your Life”, is a fundamental concept in search engine optimization (SEO) and Google’s quality guidelines.
YMYL pages are those that can have a significant impact on a user’s safety, health, well-being, or financial stability. Because of their importance and potential repercussions on people’s lives, these pages require a much higher level of authority and trust than others.
What Defines a YMYL Page?
Google analyzes and classifies certain types of content as YMYL due to the risks associated with inaccurate or misleading information, which could have a negative impact.
Health
Includes any page that provides medical advice, diagnoses, or treatments, such as those related to diseases, medications, or surgery. Incorrect information on these pages can endanger users’ health.
Personal Finance
Covers topics related to investments, financial planning, taxes, loans, savings, and any other money-related areas. Incorrect advice can lead to serious financial losses.
Safety and Well-being
Pages that include topics on personal safety, such as fraud prevention, handling personal data, or physical security.
News and Events
Information on social or political topics that could affect public well-being, either through direct impact or misinterpretation of facts.
What Came First: YMYL or E-E-A-T?
And the answer is…
The concept of YMYL was introduced before E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness).
Initially, Google focused on identifying and regulating content that had a critical impact on users’ lives. Over time, the need for a more precise evaluation of these pages’ quality led to the development of the E-E-A-T framework.
YMYL as the Initial Priority
From the start, Google recognized that certain types of content required higher verification and authority standards due to the associated risks.
The Evolution
To address these needs, Google developed the E-E-A-T framework, which, in addition to assessing the reliability and authority of a source, also evaluates the author’s direct experience in the subject matter.
In summary, marked the beginning of a stricter approach to protecting users from harmful content, while E-E-A-T expanded on this effort, providing tools to assess content quality more thoroughly.
The Importance in Google’s Algorithms
Google has been particularly careful with websites that fall into the YMYL category, as low-quality or inaccurate information can have severe consequences for users. Notably, Google’s Core Updates focus on penalizing low-quality content in YMYL pages.
How Does Affect SEO?
If you have a YMYL page, you must ensure it meets specific standards. Here are some key points to improve your YMYL pages’ SEO performance:
- Content Authority Review: If you provide medical or financial advice, the content should be written by experts in the field, such as doctors, nutritionists, or certified financial advisors.
- Author Credibility: Users should easily verify the author’s credentials and expertise.
- High-Quality Sources: Ensure that the sources supporting your claims are reputable and reliable, such as scientific studies, government reports, or authoritative websites.
- Frequent Content Updates: In fields like health and finance, data changes constantly, so keeping your content up to date is crucial.
- User Interaction: Encourage clear communication with users by answering their questions and providing easy access to additional information.
YMYL pages are crucial for both users and search engines like Google. Maintaining a strong online reputation is essential to ensuring your page succeeds in today’s highly competitive digital landscape.
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