The Search Quality Guidelines is a document used by Google to assess the quality of websites and web pages. Google itself acknowledged that these guidelines are used by Google’s Quality Raters, most probably third-party contractors who are tasked with evaluating the quality of search results.
Since the main document is so long, Google published a summary document that contains the overview of the main document.
However, I decided to go through the document’s extended version and collected its main points directly from the source document.
- Purpose of the Page: Every page should have a purpose. It could be to share information, to express an opinion or viewpoint, to entertain, to sell products or services, etc. The purpose should be clear and easily identifiable.
- Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T): High-quality pages and websites need enough expertise to be authoritative and trustworthy on their topic. This includes the content, the author, and the website itself.
- Main Content Quality and Amount: The quality of the main content is one of the most important considerations in Page Quality rating. The amount of content necessary for the page to achieve its purpose can vary depending on the topic and purpose of the page.
- Website Information and Information about the Content Creator: Both the website and the content creators should provide information about who is responsible for the main content. This helps users understand the expertise and authoritativeness of the content.
- Website Reputation: The reputation of a website is based on the experience of real users, as well as the opinion of people who are experts in the topic of the website.
- Page Design: High-quality pages are designed to achieve their purpose. They are user-friendly and look trustworthy.
- Satisfying Website Information: A high-quality page should have satisfying amount of website information. For example, pages that share personal information, such as social media profiles, should have some information about who is behind them.
- Functional Page Design: The page should be designed to help users quickly find the information they need. It should not distract users or make it difficult to read the content.
- Website Maintenance: Websites that are well cared for and maintained are likely to provide better and more reliable content.
- Comparative and Up-to-Date Information: The information provided should be up-to-date and accurate. If the topic is one that changes over time, the page should be updated regularly.
- Clear and Satisfactory Customer Service Information: If the page is for a business or includes transactions, clear customer service information should be provided.
- Positive Website Reviews: A website that has positive user reviews and ratings is likely to be a high-quality website.
The guidelines ensure that search results are helpful, relevant, and trustworthy. Here’s a simplified explanation of some of the main points:
- Accessibility Concerns: The search results should provide useful and accessible information for all users, including those with disabilities. For example, websites in the search results should be easy to navigate and use, even for people who use screen readers or other assistive technologies.
- Technical Issues: The search results should not include websites with technical problems, such as broken links, error messages, or slow loading times. Websites that work well and load quickly are rated higher.
- Ads or Sponsored Content: The search results should not be dominated by ads or sponsored content. While it’s okay for websites to include some ads, they should not interfere with the user’s ability to find and use the information they’re looking for.
- Misleading Design: Websites that use misleading design practices, such as “clickbait” headlines or hidden charges, should be rated lower. The search results should prioritize websites that are honest and transparent in their design and content.
- Improper Customer Service: If a website has a reputation for poor customer service, this should be taken into account in the search results. Websites that provide excellent customer service should be rated higher.
- Poor E-Commerce Experiences: Websites that provide a poor shopping experience, such as complicated checkout processes or unclear return policies, should be rated lower. The search results should prioritize e-commerce sites that make shopping easy and convenient.
- Lack of Transparency in the authority of content: Websites that do not provide clear, accurate, and transparent information should be rated lower. This includes websites that spread misinformation or hide important details in the fine print.
- Misleading Content Creation Practices: Websites that use unethical content creation practices, such as plagiarism or automated content generation, should be rated lower. The search results should prioritize websites that create original, high-quality content.
- Poor Website Maintenance: Websites that are not regularly updated or maintained should be rated lower. This includes websites with outdated information, broken links, or security vulnerabilities.
- Poor User Experience: Websites that provide a poor user experience, such as confusing navigation or intrusive pop-up ads, should be rated lower. The search results should prioritize websites that are user-friendly and easy to navigate.
- Weak Security: Websites that do not take user security seriously or have a history of security breaches should be rated lower. Websites that use secure protocols (https), have clear privacy policies, and take steps to protect user data should be rated higher.
- Improper Policies or Guidelines: Websites that do not have clear policies or guidelines, or do not enforce the ones they have, should be rated lower. Websites that have clear, fair, and consistently enforced policies should be rated higher.
- Community Standards Rules: Websites that allow harmful or abusive behavior, or that do not moderate their communities effectively, should be rated lower. Websites that foster positive, respectful communities should be rated higher.
- Lack of Content Moderation Practices: Websites that do not effectively moderate their content, allowing for things like spam, misinformation, or offensive content, should be rated lower. Websites that effectively moderate their content to maintain a high-quality user experience should be rated higher.
- Enforcement of Rules or Policies: Websites that have rules or policies but do not enforce them consistently or fairly should be rated lower. Websites that enforce their rules and policies consistently and fairly should be rated higher.
- User Feedback or Complaints: Websites that ignore user feedback or complaints, or do not take steps to address them, should be rated lower. Websites that listen to their users and take steps to improve based on their feedback should be rated higher.
- Legal Requests or Obligations: Websites that do not comply with legal requests or obligations, such as copyright takedown notices, should be rated lower. Websites that comply with their legal obligations should be rated higher.
- Lack of Quality in Ethical Concerns: Websites that act unethically, such as by exploiting their users or engaging in deceptive practices, should be rated lower. Websites that act ethically and responsibly should be rated higher.
- Social or Cultural Sensitivities: Websites that are insensitive to social or cultural issues, or that promote harmful stereotypes, should be rated lower. Websites that are sensitive to social and cultural issues and promote inclusivity should be rated higher.
- Technological Changes or Advances: Websites that do not keep up with technological changes or advances, or that provide outdated or incorrect information about technology, should be rated lower. Websites that stay up-to-date with technological changes and provide accurate, current information should be rated higher.
- Industry Trends or Changes: Websites that do not stay current with industry trends or changes, or that provide outdated or incorrect information about their industry, should be rated lower. Websites that stay up-to-date with industry trends and provide accurate, current information should be rated higher.
- User Needs or Expectations: Websites that do not meet user needs or expectations, such as by providing poor customer service or failing to deliver on their promises, should be rated lower. Websites that meet or exceed user needs and expectations should be rated higher.
- User Behavior or Usage Patterns: Websites that do not adapt to user behavior or usage patterns, or that provide a poor user experience, should be rated lower. Websites that adapt to user behavior and provide a good user experience should be rated higher.
- User Feedback or Suggestions: Websites that ignore user feedback or suggestions, or do not take steps to improve based on this feedback, should be rated lower. Websites that listen to user feedback and make improvements based on this feedback should be rated higher.
- User Reviews or Ratings: Websites that ignore user reviews or ratings, or that respond to negative reviews in a defensive or aggressive manner, should be rated lower. Websites that take user reviews into account and respond to negative reviews in a constructive manner should be rated higher.
- User Complaints or Disputes: Websites that do not effectively resolve user complaints or disputes, or that ignore these issues, should be rated lower. Websites that effectively resolve user complaints and disputes should be rated higher.
- Websites compromising User Accessibility: Websites that are not accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, should be rated lower. Websites that are accessible to all users should be rated higher.
- Compromising User Privacy Concerns: Websites that do not respect user privacy, or that collect or use user data in inappropriate ways, should be rated lower. Websites that respect user privacy and use data responsibly should be rated higher.
- Not giving importance to User Security Concerns: Websites that do not take user security seriously, or that have a history of security breaches, should be rated lower. Websites that take user security seriously and protect user data should be rated higher.
- User Navigation Issues on websites: Websites that are difficult to navigate, or that do not provide clear paths to the information users are looking for, should be rated lower. Websites that are easy to navigate and that make information easy to find should be rated higher.
- Creating difficulties with User Ads or Sponsored Content: Websites that bombard users with ads or sponsored content, or that do not clearly distinguish between ads and regular content, should be rated lower. Websites that use ads responsibly and clearly distinguish between ads and regular content should be rated higher.
- Improper usage of User Interstitial Pages: Websites that use interstitial pages (pages that appear before the content you want to see) in a way that disrupts the user experience should be rated lower. Websites that use interstitial pages responsibly, if at all, should be rated higher.
- Improper Usage of User Pop-Up Ads or Overlays: Websites that bombard users with pop-up ads or overlays, especially ones that are difficult to close, should be rated lower. Websites that use pop-ups and overlays responsibly, if at all, should be rated higher.
- User Misleading Design: Websites that use misleading design practices, such as “clickbait” headlines or hidden charges, should be rated lower. Websites that use honest and transparent design practices should be rated higher.
These are the main points that I’ve collected from the document so far. I’ll update the article once I get more points from the revised versions and will modify the existing points accordingly.
Thanks for reading 🙂
Last Updated on March 20, 2024 by Ujesh