Google has updated the Google search quality raters guidelines handbook on September 5, 2019. That is 16-weeks after it last updated the guidelines, which was on May 16, 2019 and before that, it was about 10-months since Google updated that document. The live guidelines document is located over here as a 167 page PDF right now, which is one page larger than last time, which was 166 pages.
I have archived the May 16, 2019 PDF if you want to compare it to the September 5, 2019 PDF. But you really don't have to, there are numerous sites that have done the comparison for you already. Here are those sites, that I found:
- Change log: Google updated its Search Quality Rater Guidelines, Search Engine Land
- 5 Changes to Google’s Search Quality Guidelines in September 2019, Path Interactive
- Quality Raters Guidelines Update – This is What Changed, Search Engine Journal
- Google Updates Quality Rater Guidelines: Reputation for News Sites; Video Content Updates; Quality for Information Sites, The SEM Post
Here are some tweets highlighting changes:
Yeah... The QRG were updated, and a quick DIFF tells me these are the changed sections: pic.twitter.com/XF5slgbFbf
— Pedro Dias: ~/pedro$ (@pedrodias) September 6, 2019
Just scanned the YMYL section and noticed a bunch of changes there in the bullets. Notice "pages" has been changed to "topics" and there are some interesting additions. Lots more to go through, but I found this list interesting. :) pic.twitter.com/0CvEjpxQE2
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) September 6, 2019
Another change "very positive reputation". For YMYL topics, careful checks for reputation are required. Should be based on evidence from experts, professional societies, awards, etc. For medical, experts should be people or orgs w/appropriate medical expertise or accreditation. https://t.co/u76NwHOchl pic.twitter.com/0mwxWEmMJM
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) September 6, 2019
Just to be clear - these guidelines do not tell you how the Google algorithm works but rather how Google wants the raters to judge the search results.
Forum discussion at Twitter.
