YMYL stands for Your Money or Your Life. Google uses the term for topics that could significantly affect a person’s health, financial stability or safety, or the welfare of society. Google describes this in its guidance on helpful, reliable content, alongside its explanation of E-E-A-T.
Why does it matter?
According to Google, its systems give more weight to content with strong E-E-A-T on YMYL topics: experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. A mistake in a text about medication or a mortgage simply has bigger consequences than a mistake in a text about garden furniture. For such topics, Google asks for information that is accurate and in line with well-established expert consensus.
Example
Say a financial adviser writes a page on whether you can make extra repayments on your mortgage. That is a YMYL topic. A clear sender, an adviser with demonstrable knowledge, the date of the last review and references to official sources make the page more trustworthy.
Common mistake
Thinking YMYL only concerns hospitals and banks. An online shop selling food supplements, or a contractor explaining how to work safely with electrics, also writes about topics that affect someone’s health or safety.
More on showing expertise in E-E-A-T: how do you show experience and expertise?