What types of content are considered YMYL?

YMYL content includes financial advice and investment information, medical and health guidance, legal advice and information, news about important current events, safety information (home, car, travel), major shopping decisions and product reviews, parenting and child safety advice, and information about major life decisions like education, employment, or housing. Essentially, any content that could significantly impact someone's well-being, safety, or financial security.

Why are AI systems more cautious with YMYL content?

AI systems are trained to be conservative with YMYL content because providing inaccurate information in these areas could cause real harm to users. Financial misinformation could lead to financial losses, incorrect medical advice could endanger health, and faulty legal guidance could result in serious legal consequences. AI models are specifically designed with safety measures to avoid providing definitive advice in these sensitive areas and often recommend consulting qualified professionals.

How can YMYL websites build trust with both search engines and AI systems?

YMYL websites should feature content authored by licensed professionals with clear credentials, implement rigorous fact-checking and editorial processes, provide comprehensive author bio pages with qualifications, display relevant certifications and regulatory compliance, cite authoritative sources and peer-reviewed research, maintain transparent contact information and company details, regularly update content to ensure accuracy, and include appropriate disclaimers about the limitations of the information provided.

Do YMYL standards apply differently to different industries?

Yes, YMYL standards vary by industry based on potential impact. Medical and financial content faces the strictest requirements due to direct health and financial implications. Legal advice requires licensed attorney authorship. News content needs journalistic standards and fact-checking. Safety information must be accurate and up-to-date. The more potential harm that could result from misinformation, the higher the E-A-T standards and AI safety measures applied.

YMYL (Your Money or Your Life)

Google's classification for content that could impact users' health, financial stability, safety, or well-being.

Updated July 23, 2025

SEO

Definition

YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) is a classification used by Google to identify web pages and content that could potentially impact a person's future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety.

YMYL content categories include: • Financial advice and information • Medical and health information • Legal advice and information • News and current events on important topics • Shopping and product reviews for major purchases • Safety information • Advice on major life decisions

Google applies stricter quality guidelines and higher E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) standards to YMYL content because inaccurate information in these areas could cause real harm to users.

For AI-powered search and GEO strategies, YMYL classification is critical because AI systems are particularly cautious about citing and referencing YMYL content, often requiring additional verification and authority signals. Content in YMYL categories must demonstrate exceptional expertise through author credentials, institutional backing, regular fact-checking, comprehensive source citations, and ongoing content updates.

AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's Gemini are specifically trained to be more conservative with YMYL topics, making it essential for businesses in these sectors to establish strong authority, credibility, and trust signals. This includes having licensed professionals author content, displaying clear credentials and certifications, implementing rigorous editorial processes, and maintaining transparent organizational information.

Examples of YMYL (Your Money or Your Life)

A financial advisory website featuring articles authored by certified financial planners (CFP) with clear credentials and regulatory disclosures
A medical website where all health content is written by licensed physicians and reviewed by medical boards before publication
A legal advice platform clearly indicating which content is written by licensed attorneys and including proper legal disclaimers
A cryptocurrency trading site providing detailed risk disclosures and having content reviewed by financial regulatory experts

Share this article

Terms related to YMYL (Your Money or Your Life)

E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

Google's quality framework evaluating content based on expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, especially for YMYL content.

SEO

Content Authority

The perceived credibility and expertise of specific content pieces or creators, crucial for AI model citation preferences.

GEO