Have you read Google's new 2023 Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines?

[MichaelCorfman]

On November 16th Google released a new version of its guidelines for evaluating the quality of the sites included in search results.

According to Search Engine Land:

Google’s 2023 Search quality rater guidelines update: Here’s what changed

The big focus of changes this year is around user intent and whether Google's search results meet the expectations of users.

Unlike previous edits to the Search Quality Guidelines, which have introduced significant, new concepts (like the new E for Experience last year), the latest updates to the Search Quality Guidelines seem much more focused on user intent and needs met.

Google is:

• Refining what it means to provide high-quality search results.
• Helping quality raters understand why certain results are more helpful than others.

The guidelines are the instructions given to quality evaluators on how to assess website quality and whether the search results they review meet the needs of Google search users.

Understanding the guidelines can be helpful to affiliates (or to anyone responsible for the content of websites). Google cares about the quality of its search results, and so understanding the factors Google uses to assess quality can provide valuable guidance on what is necessary to be viewed as providing quality content deserving of top positions in search results over the long term.

So, for this week's poll I ask if you have seen the new quality guidelines, and if you have or plan to read them. I also encourage to you share your views on the guidelines and whether or not you have made or plan to make any changes to your sites based on the guidelines.

You can see the new quality guidelines here:

Google 16 November 2023 Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines

If you are interested in seeing the details of how they have changed, you can see previous guidelines here:

Google 15 December 2022 Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
Google 28 July 2022 Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
Google 19 October 2021 Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
Google 14 October 2020 Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
Google 5 December 2019 Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
Google 16 May 2019 Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
Google 20 July 2018 Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines

Michael

[GamingPro]

Same as always, be a big site, buy a million links, and you too will be number #1, Honestly quality has not mattered in years

[Oliver Cooper]

Why can't I "like" a comment?

[PaulEchere]

I've never actually read any of them, but I have watched (or rather listened to) video summaries and tbh I've always struggled to see how they differed. To me it always sounds like rephrasing of the exact same things.

[Josh Williams]

Always great to compare the 'pr' versus what actually works in real-life tests. Basically just fiction these guides.

[chaumi]

Remember these are (human) quality rater guidelines (ie manual reviews). That's significantly different to any 'quality' judgments that an algorithm may or may not make.

[NoDepositCasinos]

I have not read the new search evaluator guidelines. I used to do it before, but then I opted to read only the summaries.

I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but it feels like most of them say the same thing in different words and try to make the most naive ones believe that being #1 is a straightforward job.