YMYL pages

How critical is Google of your page? In the case of YMYL pages, Google is even more critical than for regular pages. The reason for this is that the content present on these pages really needs to be right. The importance of this is even greater than with normal pages. In this article, I talk more about YMYL pages and how I deal with them within SEO.

What are YMYL pages?

YMYL stands for ”Your money, or your life.” Google considers this term applicable to various industries. Google is extra critical of pages that fall under this term. For website optimization, it is important to know immediately which websites fall under this term. YMYL pages impact a person’s life, health or finances. (1)(2)

Examples of YMYL pages

I discuss some examples of YMYL pages:

• Pages where financial transactions take place;
• pages offering financial information (investments, taxes);
• pages that disseminate medical information about specific diseases and mental health;
• pages that distribute legal information on child support, divorce and inheritance.

Websites that fall within the above categories are more at risk when they publish low-quality content.

• Financial sites, which allow you to move money or pay bills.
• Online stores, online banks
• Financial information websites: websites that provide advice or information about investments, tax, retirement or insurance.
• Websites disseminating medical information.
• Websites that provide information about the law

The impact of YMYL pages on SEO

There are a number of known criteria that a Web site must possess to be a YMYL Web site:

• Contact information is complete and up-to-date.
• The website undergoes regular updates.
• All YMYL content is created by experts.
• It is recognized by professional organizations and/or qualified individuals.

Why does Google place stricter requirements on YMYL pages? When the content is incorrect, the consequences are disastrous.

When your website is a YMYL website, it impacts your website’s position within search results. Websites that fall under this must be even more reliable than other websites. Why? When information is inaccurate, it can have negative consequences.

On a page-by-page basis, Google checks which pages are YMYL. Google wants to offer the highest quality to searchers at all times.

Is E-E-A-T only important with YMYL pages?

Actually, I try (to a greater or lesser extent) to think of every page as a YMYL page. After all, on every page, E-E-A-T is important. The difference is that E-E-A-T becomes even more important when a page potentially affects one’s health or finances. But this doesn’t mean you get a free pass to do whatever you want on regular pages.