Beneficial Purpose, EAT and YMYL: the keys to understanding
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2025 5:52 am
Google's definition of quality for web pages and content
The Search Quality Evaluator guidelines have been updated three times: in July 2018, May 2019, and again in October 2021. Additionally, there have been numerous algorithm updates between the release date and the current one, including some major Core updates .
This guide references all current update information and incorporates it into how we understand EAT and YMYL.
It should be noted that the Search Quality Evaluator (SQEG) guidelines only provide clues, not definitive answers, about Google's ranking factors. We can only analyze and deduce what all this means.
But, it seems, there are more than enough elements to ensure that our content is up to par.
Let's take a closer look.
Beneficial Purpose: All websites must have it
Since the first update, one of the most significant changes has been the new list of japan consumer email emphasis on a concept called “beneficial purpose.”
Google refers to beneficial purpose almost immediately in the updated text, in section 2.2: What is the purpose of a web page?
SQEG update Purpose of a Page
"Websites and pages should be created to help users"
Specifically, the page must fulfill the purpose for which it was created, but that purpose must also be user-centric (whether that is to make readers laugh, sell them something, inform them, teach them, etc.)
Beneficial Page Purposes
Conversely, a page created with the intent of making money "without any attempt to help users" is considered the lowest quality page.
The "beneficial purpose" is mentioned again in section 3.2 and is indicated as the first step in evaluating the quality of a page:
"Remember that the first step in PQ evaluation is to understand the true purpose of the page."
Google’s June 2019 Core Update also emphasized beneficial purpose. Google spokespeople (most notably John Mueller and Danny Sullivan ) implied that the sites whose rankings plummeted had “nothing to fix” and that the update was broader in scope.
The Search Quality Evaluator guidelines have been updated three times: in July 2018, May 2019, and again in October 2021. Additionally, there have been numerous algorithm updates between the release date and the current one, including some major Core updates .
This guide references all current update information and incorporates it into how we understand EAT and YMYL.
It should be noted that the Search Quality Evaluator (SQEG) guidelines only provide clues, not definitive answers, about Google's ranking factors. We can only analyze and deduce what all this means.
But, it seems, there are more than enough elements to ensure that our content is up to par.
Let's take a closer look.
Beneficial Purpose: All websites must have it
Since the first update, one of the most significant changes has been the new list of japan consumer email emphasis on a concept called “beneficial purpose.”
Google refers to beneficial purpose almost immediately in the updated text, in section 2.2: What is the purpose of a web page?
SQEG update Purpose of a Page
"Websites and pages should be created to help users"
Specifically, the page must fulfill the purpose for which it was created, but that purpose must also be user-centric (whether that is to make readers laugh, sell them something, inform them, teach them, etc.)
Beneficial Page Purposes
Conversely, a page created with the intent of making money "without any attempt to help users" is considered the lowest quality page.
The "beneficial purpose" is mentioned again in section 3.2 and is indicated as the first step in evaluating the quality of a page:
"Remember that the first step in PQ evaluation is to understand the true purpose of the page."
Google’s June 2019 Core Update also emphasized beneficial purpose. Google spokespeople (most notably John Mueller and Danny Sullivan ) implied that the sites whose rankings plummeted had “nothing to fix” and that the update was broader in scope.