YMYL · Your Money or Your Life — SEO Guidelines

YMYL — Your Money or Your Life — is a classification Google uses in its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines to identify content where the stakes of low quality are particularly high. Google defines YMYL pages as those where inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information "could directly impact the reader's health, financial stability, safety, or society as a whole."

The designation matters because Google's quality standards for YMYL content are explicitly higher than for general informational content. A YMYL page that would be considered adequate quality for a general topic may be considered low quality in a YMYL category because the potential for harm from inaccuracy is greater.

Google's Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines define the following as YMYL categories:

The "groups of people" category was added in 2022 — reflecting Google's recognition that content promoting discrimination or hate has societal harm consequences beyond individual users.

For YMYL content, Google's Quality Raters are instructed to apply higher quality thresholds at every E-E-A-T dimension. Content that would be rated "adequate" on a general topic receives a lower rating on a YMYL topic if it lacks the same quality indicators.

• Expertise must be formal and verifiable for most YMYL topics — everyday expertise is insufficient for medical dosage information, legal contract advice, or financial investment guidance. Named authors with verifiable credentials are required.
• Sources must be authoritative and cited. Claims in YMYL content should be sourced from primary references (medical journals, government agencies, regulatory bodies) rather than secondary aggregators.
• Accuracy must be maintained over time. YMYL content that was accurate when published but has become outdated (drug interactions changed, tax laws revised, safety guidelines updated) is considered low quality. Ongoing editorial maintenance is required.
• Potential for harm must be acknowledged. YMYL content that presents complex issues as simple (e.g. "always do X" for a medical situation that requires professional assessment) may be flagged as potentially harmful oversimplification.

Medical and health content is the category where YMYL's higher standard is most extensively documented in Google's guidelines. Inaccurate medical information can directly cause patient harm — leading to missed diagnoses, dangerous medication interactions, delayed emergency care, or harmful self-treatment.

What Google's quality raters look for in medical content

• Author credentials. Medical content should be written or reviewed by licensed medical professionals (physicians, pharmacists, registered nurses, certified specialists for specific conditions). The qualification and specialty relevant to the topic should be specified.
• Medical review process. Large health sites (WebMD, Mayo Clinic, NHS) display a "medically reviewed by" byline distinct from the author byline — indicating peer review by a qualified professional. This process documentation is a quality signal.
• Primary source citations. Claims should be linked to peer-reviewed research (PubMed, Cochrane Reviews), government health agencies (NIH, CDC, NHS), or major medical institutions.
• Appropriate medical disclaimers. Content should recommend professional consultation for diagnosis, treatment, or medication decisions — not because disclaimers reduce legal liability but because they accurately represent the limits of written medical information.
• Last reviewed date. Medical guidelines change. Content should display when it was last medically reviewed, and the review date should be recent for fast-changing topics (COVID treatment, drug approvals).

Financial content — investment advice, tax guidance, insurance selection, retirement planning, debt management — has direct monetary consequences for users. Legal content — employment rights, contract guidance, criminal law, immigration — has legal consequences. Both categories require the same elevated quality standards as medical content.

Financial content requirements

• Author credentials (CFP designation, CPA credentials, registered investment advisor status)
• Jurisdiction-specific disclosures — financial regulations differ significantly by country and region
• Clear differentiation between educational content and personalised financial advice (which requires regulatory licensing in most jurisdictions)
• Disclosure of any financial relationships with products or services discussed
• Regular factual updates — tax rates, contribution limits, regulatory requirements change annually

Legal content requirements

• Author credentials (qualified solicitor, barrister, attorney in relevant jurisdiction)
• Jurisdiction-specificity — legal rules vary by country, state, and local authority
• Clear disclaimer that content is general information, not legal advice
• Regular updates as law changes

Sites that publish YMYL content need to implement structures and processes that demonstrate quality at the page, author, and site level:

Authentic Sources