There are multiple factors that can affect the SEO for a website. Many people think about the algorithms and other factors that are part of the SEO, but it’s also important to think about the various ways a website uses this information to create a more enjoyable experience for website owners. Google updated its rater quality guidelines at the beginning of December. There are too many updates to go over in this single update, but it illustrates some of the ways that website owners can affect their site by improving specific elements of their SEO.

One of the biggest changes in the 2019 update to search rater guidelines is the introduction of a diversity component to the guidelines. Adding diversity may seem like a strange way for Google to go, but this option does make some sense. SEO requires many rankings around the world and there are many different things to keep in mind when Google tries to create an SEO experience that reflects the multiple SEO guidelines used around the world.

In part of the opening, Google introduced the new guidelines by stating, “Search engines exist to help people find what they are looking for. To do that, search engines must provide a diverse set of helpful, high quality search results, presented in the most helpful order.”

These results include several aspects about SEO that should be a part of modern search engine optimizations. For example, the results for ethnic groups and other minority groups will need to be localized. Creating an effective localized structure for minority groups will take more time and effort than some people may realize. If you don’t think your quality in these guidelines will be up to caliber, Google suggests letting the publisher know. 

Though it goes without saying, it’s also worth noting that these new guidelines should be free of “Ratings should not be based on your personal opinions, preferences, religious beliefs, or political views. Always use your best judgment and represent the cultural standards and norms of your rating locale.”

These updates are necessary for a global company like Google. There are too many potential ways for people to mess up search engine results by using tools incorrectly to disadvantaged minority groups and other people online. Organizations like Google and Facebook have been called out on this issue in the past, so an updated search rater guidelines that include these features makes sense for Google. 

This is only the second update to the search raters guidelines since the last update came online on Sept 5th. Website owners may expect to see some more updates and changes made to these options in the near future. It takes time to iron out all of the kinks in a system.

By ensuring that a website uses these tools will keep the website up on EAT. This acronym is a reminder for website owners to improve the (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) within “Page Quality” in certain sections of their webpage. How much these efforts will actually affect the SEO efforts will vary from user to user. However, by maintaining these guidelines will ensure that a website is putting forward it’s best option when creating new content.