Google's classification for pages that could impact health, finances, or safety, held to higher quality standards.
YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) pages are those that could significantly impact a person's health, financial stability, safety, or well-being. Google applies stricter quality evaluation standards to YMYL content because inaccurate information in these areas can cause real harm to users' lives.
Google's quality raters use YMYL as a key factor when evaluating page quality, requiring higher levels of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) for content covering medical advice, financial guidance, legal information, safety instructions, and major life decisions. Sites covering these topics face more scrutiny during algorithm updates and manual reviews.
Why It Matters for AI SEO
AI content generation has made creating YMYL content faster but also riskier. Google's algorithms have become increasingly sophisticated at detecting AI-generated content that lacks proper sourcing, expertise, or real-world experience in sensitive topics. The Helpful Content System specifically targets AI-generated YMYL content that prioritizes search traffic over user safety. YMYL classification affects how AI-powered tools should approach content creation. While AI can help research and structure YMYL content, human experts must verify facts, provide real experience, and ensure medical or financial accuracy. Search engines now cross-reference AI-generated claims against authoritative sources more aggressively for YMYL topics.
How It Works
YMYL pages require demonstrable expertise through author credentials, citations to authoritative sources, and clear accountability. For medical content, this means licensed healthcare professionals as authors. For financial advice, certified financial planners or similar credentials. Legal content needs practicing attorneys or legal experts. Tools like MarketMuse and Semrush can help identify YMYL topics in your content strategy, but human oversight remains critical. When using AI writing assistants like Jasper or Copy.ai for YMYL content, fact-check every claim against primary sources, add proper citations, and have qualified experts review the final content before publishing. Google Search Console can help monitor how YMYL pages perform and identify potential quality issues.
Common Mistakes
The biggest mistake is using AI to generate YMYL content without human expert oversight. Many sites have seen traffic drops after publishing AI-generated medical advice or financial tips without proper verification. Another common error is assuming that high-quality writing alone satisfies YMYL requirements—Google specifically looks for demonstrated expertise and real-world experience, not just well-structured prose.