What is YMYL in SEO? Why Google is extra strict on sensitive topics

When we talk about SEO, many people think of keywords, link building, and technical optimization. But Google looks beyond what you write and how you support it technically. Indeed, some topics receive a special label: YMYL, which stands for Your Money or Your Life. These are pages that, according to Google, can have such a big impact on people's lives that they're reviewed with extra care and rigor.

Imagine someone reading the wrong medical tip via Google and thereby putting their health at risk. Or follow financial advice that leads to a huge debt. That's exactly why Google puts this type of content in a separate category. In this article, as an SEO specialist, I explain step by step what YMYL means, why it is important and how to ensure that your website complies with it.

What does YMYL mean exactly?

The term YMYL comes from the Search Quality Rater Guidelines, a document that Google uses to guide human reviewers. These reviewers (the so-called Quality Raters) analyze pages and determine whether the information is reliable and valuable.

By YMYL, Google means all pages that can have a direct impact on someone's financial situation, health, safety, or general well-being. That sounds broad, and it is. Think of a blog about how to invest, an article with medical advice, or a page that explains how to file a tax return.

So the most important feature of YMYL is that incorrect or misleading text can cause real damage. That's why Google rates this content with much stricter standards than, for example, an article about fashion or a review of a new smartphone.

Examples of YMYL pages

It helps to look at concrete categories.

• Health and Medical Information: everything from disease descriptions to dietary advice and medication information.
• Financial advice: mortgages, loans, investments, retirement planning, tax tips.
• Legal Information: explanation of dismissal rights, contractual matters, criminal law or family law.
• News and current events: topics that influence social debate, such as elections, pandemics or political decisions.
• Government Information: information about votes, permits or tax returns.
• Security and payments: everything about online banking, credit card use and cyber security.

These are the most obvious sectors, but Google itself states that other topics may also be temporarily covered by YMYL. Think of travel advice during a pandemic or up-to-date information in the event of a natural disaster.

Why is Google so strict on YMYL content?

The core lies in Google's mission: to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. This also includes the fact that this information must be reliable.

A page with incorrect information about the latest sneaker may only cause disappointment. But a page with wrong medical claims can harm someone's health. That's why Google can't afford to make mistakes.

That's why you see that YMYL content looks much more heavily at:

• Who writes the information: does the author have the right knowledge or background?
• How reliable the information is: are there clear sources or studies that support it?
• How up to date the page is: Outdated information can be just as dangerous as incorrect information.

Google simply wants to prevent users from being harmed by incorrect search results.

How does Google rate YMYL content?

This is where the Search Quality Rater Guidelines come in again. While these reviewers have no direct influence on your page's ranking, their evaluations help Google further improve the algorithm.

YMYL looks at, among other things:

• The author's expertise: is this person a doctor, financial advisor or lawyer? Or is it just a blogger with no experience?
• The site's reputation: does the website appear positively in external sources, does the brand have authority in the industry?
• Page transparency: is there a name, a bio, a publication date and a clear source citation?
• The accuracy of the content: is what it says true and has it been checked?

So it's not enough to publish a well-written piece; Google wants to see proof that the information is reliable.

YMYL and EEAT: the perfect combination

As an SEO specialist, you often come across the term EEAT: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. This is already important with regular content, but with YMYL, it is crucial.

For example, an article about “healthy weight loss tips” written by a licensed dietician, with clear sources and clinically substantiated information, scores much better than an article written anonymously and based on vague claims.

In doing so, Google looks at the complete context: who is the author, how reliable is the website, and what signs of trust (such as reviews, citations, and security) are present?

Best practices for scoring well with YMYL content

If your website covers YMYL topics, you'll need to take extra steps into account.

1. Let experts write or check: a medical item really needs to be checked by a doctor.
2. Be transparent: always mention who the author is, what his or her background is, and when the piece was published or updated.
3. Use reliable sources: do not link to a random blog, but to official bodies, scientific studies or recognized media.
4. Update your content regularly: medical or financial advice is aging rapidly. Google values content that is verifiably up to date.
5. Make sure your website is technically secure and reliable: use HTTPS, prevent errors and use structured data to provide extra context.

Common mistakes with YMYL content

However, in practice, I see that many websites struggle with this. Blogs are often written without a clear author or source. Sometimes clickbait is used too quickly, with titles that promise to “get rich with crypto in 7 days”. Such pages are not only penalized by Google, but also affect your credibility with the user.

Another mistake is neglecting updates. An article about 2019 tax rules has hardly any value in 2025, yet they are still online with many companies.

My advice as an SEO specialist

My most important advice: don't see YMYL as a disability, but as an opportunity to stand out. By investing in expertise, reliability and transparency, you are not only building a stronger position in Google, but also in the eyes of your target group.

A website that exudes trust and offers relevant, current and substantiated content always prevails over superficial competitors. Especially in sectors where it comes to health, money and safety, that trust is your biggest asset.

Conclusion

YMYL is Google's way of ensuring the quality of search results in sensitive sectors. For entrepreneurs and marketers, this means taking extra care when it comes to content that may affect someone's life or well-being. By taking EEAT seriously, collaborating with experts, and focusing on transparency and current events, you are turning YMYL into an opportunity instead of an obstacle.