The Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines are a set of standards used by Google to assess the quality of search results. These guidelines are updated regularly to keep up with the changing needs of users.
The most recent update to the Guidelines was released in July 2018. This update included several changes, such as focusing on the need for websites to be mobile-friendly and provide a great user experience. In addition, the update included a new section on how raters should assess the quality of featured snippets.
If you want to learn more about the Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines and how they can affect your website, keep reading!
What Is a Google Quality Rater?
A Google Quality Rater is a standard by Google to evaluate the quality of their search results. The Quality Rater will visit different websites and rate them on a scale defined in the Google Quality Raters Guidelines. It will consider the website’s design, content, and user experience.
The Quality Rater’s job is to ensure that Google provides its users with the best possible experience. To do this, they must provide accurate and unbiased ratings. If a website does not meet the standards of a Quality Rater, it may be removed from Google’s search results altogether.
The Google Quality Rater Guidelines are constantly changing and evolving. As such, Quality Ratters must keep up with these changes to provide accurate ratings.
Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines are updated periodically to keep up with the latest changes in search. The most recent update was in July 2020, including several new features and updates. Here are the three most important changes that were made:
- YMYL (Your Money or Your Life)
The YMYL designation is given to pages that could impact a person’s finances or well-being. This includes pages about financial advice, medical advice, and shopping. Google wants to ensure that these types of pages are of the highest quality, so they’ve made some changes to how they evaluate them.
- Lowest Quality Pages
Google has also updated its guidelines to include a section on the lowest-quality pages. This is for pages that don’t provide any real value to the user and are just there to try and get people to click on ads. Google doesn’t want its users to waste their time on these pages, so they’re clamping down on them.
- Google E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness)
The last significant change in the latest update is a focus on Google E-A-T. This stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google wants to ensure that the information on a page comes from a credible source. They’ll be looking at whether the author is an expert in the subject they are writing about and if the content is trustworthy.
How Can This Update Help Law Firm Digital Marketing?
As a law firm, it is essential to be aware of the Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines update and how it can help improve digital marketing. The update includes new sections on content quality and creating a better user experience.
Content quality is now more critical than ever before. The guidelines suggest that raters should look for original, well-written, and informative content. This content will help engage readers and keep them coming back for more.
Creating a better user experience is also crucial. The guidelines suggest that websites should be easy to navigate and provide relevant results. Websites that are hard to use or full of irrelevant information will not only turn away potential clients but could also get penalized by Google.
By following these guidelines, law firms can create a solid online presence that will attract new clients and keep existing ones coming back for more.
Simulas has been helping law firms with their Google Quality Rater Guidelines for years. For more information on improving your website to meet the latest guidelines, contact us (408) 715-3635 or visit our website.
