Google Publishes Search Quality Ratings Guidelines

Google has made its Search Quality Guidelines available to help users better understand how Google employees evaluate search quality of search results. The download link for the Google Search Quality Guidelines PDF was made available in the official Google Webmaster Central Blog, posted by Mimi Underwood, Sr. Program Manager, Search Growth & Analysis.

The guidelines do not contain the recipe for the secret sauce that comprises the Google algorithm. It contains the basic information that aids in understanding what Google wants to see from search results. The 160 page document includes sections cover web page quality, mobile user needs, flags and evaluation.

Google's blog post references the human rating guidelines it published in 2013 and points out that times have changed significantly. Smartphone usage has increased exponentially. The guidelines have been modified to reflect that users will take their mobile devices with them wherever they go and perform Internet searches. To date, the Search Quality Guidelines reflects the Posted by Mimi Underwood, Sr. Program Manager, Search Growth & Analysis's most ambitious attempt at transparency regarding its approach to search and its search engine algorithm.