A Content Writer’s Guide to Google YMYL
“Stand and deliver! Your money or your life.” Although Google’s initialism, YMYL, stands for Your Money or Your Life, you’ll be relieved to know that it doesn’t deliver a threat. In this post, we take a closer look at what Google’s YMYL is, why YMYL pages are important, and how you, as a writer, can optimize this content niche to achieve better search results on Google.
What Is YMYL?
YMYL is a term coined by Google in their guidelines for search quality raters. It refers to online content that could significantly impact a person’s financial stability, health, safety, or the welfare or well-being of society.
Google uses quality raters (humans, not machines) to improve the quality of its search results. To do this, they follow the company’s E-E-A-T guidelines, evaluating content based on expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. YMYL content needs to demonstrate the highest levels of those qualities.
Examples of YMYL Content
How will you know if you’re writing YMYL content? Let’s have a look at how different types of content may include YMYL topics.
Information
A post about how to apply for student financial support or evacuation routes for a tsunami will have a clear impact on a person’s financial stability or safety.
A weather forecast might also fall under this heading – there have been examples of inaccurate forecasting having harmful effects. But an article about who won what at the Oscars is unlikely to do so.
Advice
An article about how to spot the signs of a stroke will have a significant effect on a person’s health.
While it’s easy to see that inaccurate advice about when to seek emergency treatment could cause serious harm, an article such as this one from The New York Times could also be considered YMYL, as it could have an impact on a person’s health.
Not all advice, however poor, is likely to cause harm if followed. Imperfect advice on grammar, punctuation, and spelling – however much we like to stress the importance of those subjects – is unlikely to lead to a harmful result.
Opinion
You only have to look at the news to see how hate speech can lead to violence, damaging the health and safety of individuals and the welfare of society. This places such topics firmly in the YMYL niche.
But what about other personal opinions? A blog post expressing your own negative views about exercising, for example, might lead others to adopt an unhealthy lifestyle. So, it could be considered YMYL.
Your blog post ranking your favorite Cillian Murphy films, however, is unlikely to be a YMYL topic. It might spark disagreement but is improbable to lead to harm under any of Google’s categories.
News
If you’re writing about a situation like the Covid pandemic – when people’s decisions about how to stay safe and protect their own health and that of their community were guided by the accuracy of the information – then that would clearly be a YMYL topic.
Other news bulletins, even about events that have caused harm – a car accident, for example – are less likely to cause harm through inaccuracies in the content.
But an article for the local newspaper about World Book Day celebrations is unlikely to be considered a YMYL topic, however disgruntled the children might feel if you misinterpret some of their costumes.
Social Media Posts
Launching a challenge on social media can boost your followers. But some, such as the Tide Pod challenge, have caused serious damage to individuals’ health. This firmly places similar topics within the YMYL category.
Again, it’s the potential harm – whether to health, safety, finances, or welfare – of the content that will determine if it’s YMYL. An Instagram post about the history and grammar of Mother’s Day is unlikely to meet the criteria.
Product reviews and sales
The sale of prescription drugs, which can cause significant damage to health if misused, is a clear YMYL topic. But what about other products?
Google’s guidelines make it clear that a high cost associated with the item being reviewed doesn’t necessarily categorize it as a YMYL topic. Their example is that of buying a car: Some people will rely on online content, but others might ask their friends and family.
If, however, you’ve been asked to write a product review about tea or free blogging platforms for freelance writers, you’re unlikely to cause harm to anyone following your advice. Your post will probably not be considered YMYL.
Why Are YMYL Pages Important?
From the above examples, you’ll have spotted a theme: YMYL pages carry potentially harmful content. And it’s that potential for harm that makes it important to set the highest standards for such content.
If you’ve gone online for advice or information about a health, financial, or legal issue, for example, you’ll have a lot to lose if the information is wrong or misleading. By holding pages with YMYL content to a higher standard, Google aims to ensure that the top-ranked search results for such topics are, above all, trustworthy.
Therefore, while YMYL is not in itself a factor for search engine optimization (SEO), it stands to reason that if you are not able to demonstrate that your YMYL content meets the E-E-A-T guidelines, it will be penalized in the search results.
If your YMYL page is misleading or inaccurate, you will likely also suffer damage to your reputation. And, with that, your business. It might even leave you open to legal action.
How to Optimize YMYL Content for Google
Now that you understand the importance of YMYL content, both as a writer and as a consumer, here are our tips for optimizing it:
Put Your Audience First
If you understand what’s at stake for the people who will read your content, you’ll be better placed to answer the questions you set out to address in a way that avoids causing harm. Try to provide a clear action your audience can take.
Engage with User Feedback
Encourage feedback from your audience and make sure to address any concerns or questions promptly. Engaging with your audience will foster trust and provide valuable insights into areas where your content may need improvement.
Demonstrate Expertise
If you have expertise in the subject, make sure that it is clearly set out. An author bio can help. If you don’t have the expertise, consider working with other professionals who do. Include their credentials in your piece.
Cite Reliable Sources
In the absence of your own expertise, experience, or the availability of a suitable co-author or guest writer, you will need to demonstrate that you have carried out thorough research. Back up what you say with evidence from reputable sources. Linking to official government websites, for example, will not only add credibility to your content but will also help your audience – and Google’s quality raters – verify the information.
Keep It Up-To-Date
Take another look at our examples of YMYL topics. Some of those identified as “clearly YMYL” can become harmful simply by being out of date. Therefore, you need to keep an eye on developments and update your content to ensure it remains relevant and accurate.
Prioritize Quality over Quantity
The potentially serious consequences of YMYL topics mean that accuracy is paramount. Avoid sacrificing quality for the sake of churning out more content. A few well-researched articles that effectively address your audience’s needs will likely rank higher and build more credibility for you than a plethora of poor-quality posts.
Becoming A Freelance Writer
Now you know that:
- YMYL is the initialism coined by Google to represent online content with an impact on your money or your life.
- YMYL content must be able to stand up to increased scrutiny under the E-E-A-T guidelines due to the potential harm caused by misleading or inaccurate information.
- If you deliver YMYL content that is credible, trustworthy, up-to-date, and clearly answers the questions it sets out to address, you will improve its quality and, with that, its chances of appearing higher in search results.
Whether or not YMYL is your content niche, you can develop your writing skills with our Becoming A Freelance Writer course, which includes a module on SEO. You can even try two lessons for free to give you a taster of the full version.
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