Audit 18: Google QRG Compliance Audit
Optimize content against Google's Quality Rater Guidelines — Page Quality scoring, Needs Met assessment, YMYL classification, and E-E-A-T signal optimization.
Title & Description
What it is: A systematic audit that evaluates content against Google's 181-page Quality Rater Guidelines (QRG), the document used to train the raters who calibrate Google's ranking algorithms.
When to run it: When traffic has declined after a quality-related update, when writing YMYL content, when launching content for a new site, or as a pre-publish checklist for high-stakes pages.
Source: Google Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (January 2025 edition, 181 pages)
Patent & Research Foundation
How QRG Maps to Algorithmic Signals
Quality Rater Guidelines are not rankings — they train the algorithms that produce rankings.
Key insight from DOJ antitrust trial (2024): E-E-A-T is not just guidelines — it maps to actual variables in Google's ranking models. Quality raters train the algorithms that rank content.
The QRG Framework
Two Primary Rating Tasks
1. Page Quality (PQ) Rating
- How good is this page at what it's trying to do?
- Evaluated independently of any query
- Focuses on content quality, E-E-A-T, purpose
2. Needs Met (NM) Rating
- How well does this page satisfy the user's query?
- Query-dependent evaluation
- Focuses on relevance and intent matching
Page Quality (PQ) Audit
The 5 PQ Levels
| Rating | Description |
|---|---|
| Highest (5) | Truly exceptional page — deepest expertise, most complete content, verified trust |
| High (4) | Very high quality — strong E-E-A-T, comprehensive content, good UX |
| Medium (3) | Average quality — adequate content, some E-E-A-T signals |
| Low (2) | Low quality — thin content, missing E-E-A-T, poor UX |
| Lowest (1) | Harmful, misleading, or deceptive content |
What "Lowest" PQ Looks Like (Exact QRG Signals)
These signals trigger "Lowest" PQ ratings
- Pages created primarily to deceive users
- Harmful content (malware, dangerous instructions)
- Medical/financial misinformation from non-experts
- Pages with no useful Main Content (MC)
- Pages where MC is impossible to use (popups, ads)
- Content that contradicts scientific consensus (vaccines, climate)
- Fake news that could cause real-world harm
- Content that could be classified as "hate speech"
E-E-A-T Framework (Core of PQ)
Experience (New in 2022)
How to demonstrate Experience:
- First-person accounts of personal use or testing
- "I tried this for 30 days and found..."
- Photos of actual products used
- Personal data from direct experience
- Testimonials with verifiable details
Experience language signals:
- "In my experience..."
- "After testing..."
- "I've personally used..."
- "My results show..."
Expertise
Domain expertise signals:
- Credentials listed (MD, JD, CPA, certifications)
- Industry experience in years
- Professional role and employer
- Published works, research, citations
- Peer recognition (quotes in industry publications)
Authoritativeness
Authority signals:
- Domain authority (links from authoritative sources)
- Author authority (cited by other experts)
- Brand recognition in the industry
- Wikipedia or Knowledge Panel presence
- Industry awards, speaking engagements
Trustworthiness
Trust signals:
- Transparent ownership (About page with real people)
- Contact information (phone, address)
- Privacy Policy and Terms of Service
- SSL certificate (HTTPS)
- No deceptive design patterns
- Primary source citations for claims
- Corrections policy
YMYL Classification
Your Money or Your Life Topics
YMYL content requires the HIGHEST level of E-E-A-T. Low-quality YMYL content is rated "Lowest" — not just "Low."
YMYL Categories:
Medical/Health:
- Medical conditions, symptoms, treatments
- Mental health content
- Medications and supplements
- Nutrition and health advice
Financial:
- Investment advice
- Tax guidance
- Insurance information
- Retirement planning
Legal:
- Legal rights and obligations
- Immigration information
- Contracts and legal documents
Safety:
- Emergency procedures
- Product safety
- Dangerous activities
News and Current Events:
- Politics, policy, social issues
- Breaking news
Groups:
- Content about protected classes
- Religious informationNeeds Met (NM) Audit
The 5 NM Levels
| Rating | Description | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|
| Fully Meets | Completely satisfies the query | Perfect answer, navigational queries |
| Highly Meets | Very useful for most users | Strong relevance, mostly complete |
| Moderately Meets | Useful for some users | Partial answer, tangential topic |
| Slightly Meets | Marginally useful | Barely relevant, incomplete |
| Fails to Meet | Not useful at all | Wrong content, broken page |
Fully Meets — The Highest Standard
"Fully Meets" is rare and specific:
- Only possible for queries with a clear, objective answer
- Navigational queries (user wants specific website)
- Simple factual queries (what's 2+2, current time)
- Local queries (user wants nearby business, must show GMB data)
- Download queries (user wants the file directly)
Most informational content can reach "Highly Meets" at best.
Main Content (MC) Quality Audit
MC Quality Checklist
[ ] Does the MC address the query topic clearly?
[ ] Is the MC the main focus (not buried under ads/nav)?
[ ] Does MC satisfy user intent (informational/transactional/local)?
[ ] Is MC accurate and verifiably correct?
[ ] Is MC updated recently enough for the topic type?
[ ] Does MC go deep enough for the expertise level expected?
[ ] Is the writing quality professional and error-free?
[ ] Does MC answer the implied questions, not just the surface query?Supplementary Content (SC) Audit
Supplementary Content helps users find related information and enhances their experience.
[ ] Navigation helps users find related content
[ ] Related articles/products are genuinely relevant
[ ] SC doesn't overwhelm or distract from MC
[ ] Internal links point to genuinely useful related pages
[ ] SC doesn't indicate a "doorway page" to other sitesAds & Monetization Audit
The QRG notes that monetization is fine — but not when it's the primary purpose or when ads/SC impede MC use.
[ ] Ads don't cover or obscure Main Content
[ ] No aggressive interstitials that prevent MC access
[ ] Affiliate content is clearly disclosed
[ ] Sponsored content is labeled
[ ] Ad density is appropriate (not excessive)
[ ] No "surprising" monetization that users don't expectYMYL Content Audit
For YMYL content only:
Medical Content:
[ ] Author is a licensed medical professional
[ ] Content reviewed by medical professional
[ ] Medical guidelines referenced (CDC, WHO, AMA)
[ ] Publication and review dates visible
[ ] "Consult a doctor" disclaimer present
Financial Content:
[ ] Author has financial credentials (CFP, CFA, CPA)
[ ] Content reviewed by financial professional
[ ] "Not financial advice" disclaimer present
[ ] Conflicts of interest disclosed
Legal Content:
[ ] Author is a licensed attorney
[ ] Jurisdiction specified
[ ] "Not legal advice" disclaimer present
[ ] Attorney review notedPQ + NM Scoring Matrix
How Page Quality and Needs Met interact:
| PQ Rating | NM Rating | Overall Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | Fully Meets | Ideal — top ranking candidate |
| High | Highly Meets | Strong — typically top 3 |
| High | Moderately Meets | Good content, intent mismatch |
| Medium | Highly Meets | Relevant but low quality |
| Low | Any | Ranking suppression risk |
| Lowest | Any | Potential algorithm penalty |
Scoring Summary
| Score Range | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 90-100 | QRG compliant — meets Highest or High PQ |
| 75-89 | Medium-High PQ — good baseline, minor gaps |
| 60-74 | Medium PQ — adequate but not competitive |
| Below 60 | Low PQ — major work needed before ranking is realistic |
Related Audits
- Panda Quality Score Audit — Algorithmic quality signals
- Agent Rank Author Audit — E-E-A-T signals
- Entity Extraction Audit — Entity-level quality