Google updated its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines to explicitly classify election and voting information as YMYL within Government, Civics & Society. The new edition is published on Google's official guidelines site and informs how quality raters evaluate Search results.
Google expands YMYL guidelines to cover election and civic content
The update clarifies that election and voting information is subject to very high Page Quality standards, emphasizing accuracy and reliable sourcing. Quality rater assessments do not directly change how individual pages rank - they are used to evaluate and improve Google's search systems.
Key details
- Document: Google Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (PDF) available in the new edition.
- New coverage: election and voting information under YMYL Government, Civics & Society.
- Changelog highlights: updated YMYL definitions, more examples, and minor textual fixes.
- Purpose: raters use the guidelines to assess result quality; their evaluations do not directly affect rankings.
- YMYL categories include Health or Safety, Financial Security, Government, Civics & Society, and Other.
- YMYL pages are held to very high Page Quality standards, including accuracy and reliable sources.
Context
Google defines YMYL as topics where misinformation could harm health, finances, safety, or society. Government and civics information falls under this scope when it can affect people's lives. The latest update adds explicit coverage for election and voting information within that category.
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