What are search quality evaluation guidelines? It is a guideline (manual) for evaluators adopted by Google to evaluate the quality of search results.
It is provided as an English-only PDF file entitled ” General Guidelines “.
If you apply the main points of these search quality evaluation guidelines to SEO measures, the quality of your site will improve.
As a result, it will be easier to be evaluated by Google.
On the other hand, if you do not know the main points of the search quality evaluation guidelines, you cannot use them for SEO measures.
If so, it will be difficult to be evaluated by Google.
To avoid such a bad situation, make good use of the search quality rating guidelines and improve the quality of your site.
Based on this point, this time, I would like to explain the points in an easy-to-understand manner for beginners, focusing on the definition, main points, and usage methods of the search quality evaluation guidelines.
Table of Contents
What are Search Quality Rating Guidelines?
What are search quality evaluation guidelines? It is a guideline (manual) for external evaluators adopted by Google to evaluate the quality of search results.
For example, external evaluators employed by Google visit certain websites to evaluate the quality of search results.
Then, when you visit them, you can actually see and evaluate the quality of your site.
At this time, the guidelines used as evaluation criteria are “search quality evaluation guidelines”.
This search quality rating guideline was originally classified as Google’s confidential document. However, it has been leaked several times in the past, and in the end, it is now available for general viewing as an English-only PDF file titled ” General Guidelines “.
Also, the Search Quality Rating Guidelines are often confused with other Google guidelines , especially the Webmaster Guidelines and the Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide .
If you access and browse each, you will understand, but as you can see, the content written is different, so each is a completely different guideline.
Characteristics of Search Quality Evaluation Guidelines
A feature of the Search Quality Evaluation Guidelines is that they are regularly updated.
Also, basically there is no Japanese version, only English version is provided, and there are many pages and it is voluminous.
In addition, evaluator ratings do not directly affect search rankings.
- Content updated regularly
- English version only, no Japanese version
- voluminous
- No direct impact on search rankings
Read Also: What are Google Webmaster Guidelines?
Content updated regularly
The search quality evaluation guidelines are content is updated regularly.
For example, if you look at the first page of the guidelines ” General Guidelines “, the date is written like “October 19, 2021”.
This is the last date we updated the content of the guidelines (last update date).
This update has occurred many times in the past, and there have been a total of seven updates since 2017 (as of January 29, 2021).
- Updated March 14, 2017
- Updated May 15, 2017
- Updated July 20, 2018
- Updated May 16, 2019
- Updated September 5, 2019
- Updated December 5, 2019
- Updated October 14, 2020
- Updated October 19, 2021
In this way, one of the features of the Search Quality Evaluation Guidelines is that the content is regularly updated.
English version only, no Japanese version
The search quality evaluation guidelines are There is no Japanese version, only English version.
For example, if you access the guideline ” General Guidelines “, it will be all written in English.
There are no guidelines for content written in languages other than English (such as Japanese).
As you can see, the fact that only the English version is available is one of the features of the Search Quality Evaluation Guidelines.
By the way, there is a site that translates this English version independently.
For example, IREP Co., Ltd. provides its own translation of ” Search Quality Evaluation Guideline IREP Private Translation ” so that you can see it in Japanese.
voluminous
The search quality evaluation guidelines are There is a lot of volume.
For example, go to the guidelines ” General Guidelines ” and look at the table of contents.
Each table of contents is numbered sequentially, starting with 1.
If you look to the end, it says 175.
In other words, you can see that it is a large capacity of 175 pages in total.
This high volume is one of the features of the Search Quality Evaluation Guidelines.
No direct impact on search rankings
The search quality evaluation guidelines are It does not directly affect search rankings.
For example, the Search Quality Rating Guidelines are the criteria by which evaluators rate sites.
Suppose this evaluator has rated a site as good.
This good rating does not mean that your search ranking will increase.
And vice versa, a bad review by an evaluator does not mean that your search ranking will drop.
In this way, one of the features of the search quality evaluation guidelines is that they do not directly affect search rankings.
Key points of the Search Quality Rating Guidelines
The search quality evaluation guidelines are in English and have a lot of volume, so it is difficult to read and understand everything.
Therefore, I would like to summarize and explain the points that are particularly important from the guidelines.
- Needs Met
- Page Quality
- ease of use
Needs Met
Needs Met is It is a match between the information that the search user is looking for and the information written in the content.
For example, let’s say a user searches for “search console how to”.
In this case, content with information on how to use Search Console is a good match.
If there is a match of this demand, it will be easier to be evaluated by the evaluator.
On the other hand, if there is no match with demand, it will be difficult for evaluators to evaluate.
Matching such demand is one of the main points of the Search Quality Rating Guidelines.
Page Quality
Page Quality is EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is mainly involved.
For example, let’s say we increase the number of pages by focusing on the specific topic “soccer”.
In this case, the site will only contain information about football.
Also, let’s say that the person posting the information has more than 20 years of soccer experience, has a qualification as a soccer referee, and has some coaching experience.
If so, it can be said that the site has good page quality because it has expertise, authority, and credibility.
If this page quality is good, it will be easier for evaluators to evaluate it.
Page quality like this is one of the main points of our search quality rating guidelines.
By the way, EAT is more strictly involved on the YMYL site.
Ease of use
Ease of use It includes ease of use not only on PC but also on mobile.
For example, let’s say you have a design that uses content that fits the width of a smartphone and easy-to-tap buttons.
In this case, there is no need to bother to zoom in or out on the screen or make mistakes in tapping links, so it can be said that it is easy to use on a smartphone (good usability).
The ease of use of this smartphone will make it easier for evaluators to evaluate it.
Ease of use like this is one of the main points of the Search Quality Rating Guidelines.
How to use the Search Quality Evaluation Guidelines
In order to utilize the search quality evaluation guidelines, SEO measures should be taken mainly considering the main points of the guidelines.
- meet search intent
- increase EAT
- Enhance your page experience
Meet search intent
To satisfy search intent, First, consider the trends of your top competitor sites.
For example, search for a keyword (SEO keyword) that you want to be displayed at the top, and see the trends in the title name and content of competing sites that are displayed at the top.
Then incorporate that trend into your content.
At this time, put SEO keywords in the title name.
That way, you’ll end up with content that includes the information users are looking for (relevant to their search queries).
As a result, it matches the user’s demand, so it will be easier to be evaluated by Google.
Satisfying the search intent is thus the key to utilizing the search quality rating guidelines.
Increase EAT
To increase EAT, Consider specialization.
For example, increase the number of pages with keywords related to swimming such as “backstroke”, “butterfly”, and “breaststroke”.
That way, you’ll end up with a site dedicated to swimming information.
Also, if the person who created the site has 30 years of swimming experience or is an active swimming coach, the information will be more persuasive.
These sites tend to have a good reputation, so positive reviews (citations) and referral links (backlinks) also tend to increase.
As a result, expertise, authoritativeness, and credibility will increase, so it will be easier to be evaluated by Google.
In this way, increasing EAT is the key to utilizing search quality evaluation guidelines.
By the way, EAT is especially important for YMYL sites.
Enhance your page experience
To enhance your page experience, Consider usability.
For example, optimize image formats to reduce file size or leverage caching.
Or, for example, support AMP.
This will speed up page load times and reduce user frustration.
As a result, it is easier for users to use (improves user experience), so it is easier to be evaluated by Google.
Thus, enhancing the page experience is the key to leveraging the Search Quality Rating Guidelines.
By the way, the main web metrics, mobile friendly, safe browsing, HTTPS, and no annoying interstitials, contribute to the page experience.
What to Avoid When Using Search Quality Rating Guidelines
When using the search quality evaluation guidelines, it will not work unless you suppress the main points and take SEO measures.
- Ignore Search User Demand
- increase low quality pages
- make it difficult to use
Ignore Search User Demand
If you ignore the demand of search users, It doesn’t contain the required information.
For example, let’s say you don’t look at the title name or content content trends of your top competitors.
In this case, I don’t know what kind of information the searcher is looking for.
In that state, I create content based solely on my imagination.
Doing so will result in content that lacks the information users are looking for.
As a result, there will be no match with demand, so it will be difficult to be evaluated by Google.
Thus, ignoring search user demand is a point you want to avoid when using search quality rating guidelines.
increase low quality pages
If you increase the number of low quality pages, It reduces the quality of the site itself.
For example, increase the number of pages with similar or duplicate content within the site.
In this case, users are more likely to view the same content multiple times.
If so, it will lead to a decrease in user convenience.
As a result, the reliability of the site is lacking and the EAT does not rise, so it becomes difficult to be evaluated by Google.
Thus, increasing the number of low-quality pages is something you want to avoid when using search quality rating guidelines.
By the way, if you have more low quality pages, crawls are wasted on those pages.
This increases the likelihood that important pages will not be crawled.
As a result, the content of important pages will not be indexed properly, so it will be difficult for Google to evaluate them accordingly.
Make it difficult to use
If it is difficult to use, Poor user experience (UX).
For example, placing advertisements that interfere with viewing the main content.
In this case, even if the user lands, they will not be able to reach the desired content smoothly. (Bounce and leave easily)
If so, the site will be difficult to use.
As a result, the user experience deteriorates and it becomes difficult to be evaluated by Google.
Thus, making it difficult to use is a point you want to avoid when using search quality rating guidelines.
Also, ads that interfere with browsing content contribute to page experience signals.
Therefore, it may lead to a direct drop in ranking.
Summary: Make Good Use of Search Quality Rating Guidelines to Improve Site Quality
Make good use of search quality evaluation guidelines, Improve your site quality.
To that end, we will take SEO measures by suppressing the main points of the guidelines.
Specifically, we create content and operate the website by considering search intent, EAT, and page experience.
By doing so, the quality of the site will be easier to improve, so it will be easier to be evaluated by Google.
On the other hand, if you do not suppress the main points of the guidelines, you cannot expect any effect even if you take SEO measures.
In other words, you can’t expect an increase in search rankings or search traffic.
To avoid this bad situation, make good use of the search quality rating guidelines to improve the quality of your site.