Google has updated its Google Search Quality Raters Guidelines PDF just a bit over 9 months since the last update. The document keeps getting smaller, from 175 pages in 2020 to 172 pages in 2021 and now to 167 pages in 2022.
Here is what Google documented it changed:
- Refreshed language to be aligned with the newly published Search Quality Rater Guidelines: An Overview (PDF)
- Refined YMYL to focus on topics that require a high level of accuracy to prevent significant harm; added a new table of examples and refreshed existing examples
- Added clarifications to Low and Lowest Page Quality sections to emphasize that the type and level of E-A-T depends on the purpose of the page, and that low quality and harmful pages can occur on any type of website
- Refactored language throughout to be applicable across all devices types
- Minor changes throughout (updated screenshots; removed or updated outdated examples and concepts; removed user location when irrelevant; etc.)
Here are the previous versions, compared to the live version:
- July 28, 2022 PDF download link
- October 19, 2021 PDF download link
- October 14, 2020 PDF download link
- December 5, 2019 PDF download link
- May 16, 2019 PDF download link
- June 20, 2018 PDF download link
Here is the updated change log of this file from Google (click to enlarge):
I did not do a comparison in detail Lily Ray posted a more detailed comparison on Search Engine Land.
Forum discussion at Twitter.
