Google Updates The Search Quality Raters Guidelines After 10 Months

The last time Google updated the search quality raters guidelines was in July 2018. On May 16, 2019 Google pushed out an updated version of the search quality raters guidelines used by humans hired as consultants to review both the live and test Google search results, aimed at giving feedback to Google's search engineers to make improvements to the Google search algorithms.

Again, this document that you can read this 166 page PDF does not tell you how the search algorithms work exactly but rather how raters are guided to judge Google's search results. It is an important distinction. This is still an excellent guide on how Google wants their search results to be seen - so it is worth reading.

Here is the one from July 20, 2018 and you can compare it to the one from May 16, 2019. Okay, don't want to do that? Jennifer Slegg has come back to do that for us in detail over here.

Here are her tweets on it:

Biggest changes... those using interstitials will want to take note, it seems as though they are going to strengthen the algo targeting them. https://t.co/GpDlyTNnER

— Jennifer Slegg (@jenstar) May 18, 2019

Also, there is a distinctive change from E-A-T to Page Quality throughout... I have included many thoughts on why I feel they did this. https://t.co/GpDlyTNnER

— Jennifer Slegg (@jenstar) May 18, 2019

Google is also loosening some E-A-T requirements for non-YMYL sites (although obviously, you should still strive to have it and show it! https://t.co/GpDlyTNnER

— Jennifer Slegg (@jenstar) May 18, 2019

And showing author expertise for sites that are not YMYL sites has been changed. So let's say if you have a knitting hobby site, you don't need to go take knitting classes to "prove" expertise. You can show your knowledge and skills within the content :) https://t.co/GpDlyTNnER

— Jennifer Slegg (@jenstar) May 18, 2019

George Nguyen from Search Engine Land did his review as well over here.

Also see:

What's new in the new QRG:
-Raters are given more info on interstitials
-Info on "every day expertise"
-LOTS of emphasis on Page Quality. Many instances of "EAT" changed to "Page Quality"

I've got an article written with our thoughts...will be out next week.

— Marie Haynes (@Marie_Haynes) May 17, 2019

I think the first to spot this was @SEO_Suedwest.

Forum discussion at Twitter.