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Who are Google search quality raters and what do they do?
Google contracts with over 10,000 search quality raters worldwide to evaluate its search results. Raters are given actual searches to conduct, drawn from real searches that happen on Google. They then rate the quality of pages that appear in the top results — hence the “quality rater” name.
Quality raters cannot alter Google’s results directly. A rater marking a particular listing as low quality will not cause that page to be banned or lose ranking.
Instead, the data generated by quality raters is used to improve Google’s search algorithms, an automated system of ranking pages. Over time, that quality rater data might have an impact on low-quality pages that are spotted by raters, but the algorithm will also impact pages weren’t reviewed.
Quality raters use a set of guidelines you can see here that are about 200 pages long, instructing them on how to assess website quality and whether the results they review meet the needs of those who perform searches.
Google has published a revised version of the 164-page set of guidelines used to help human 'quality raters' evaluate online content and provide...
Chris Sherman | Jul 25, 2018 at 8:47 am ETDo you think voice search is the next "big thing" digital marketers need to watch for? Contributor Bryson Meunier isn't so sure and feels there...
Bryson Meunier | Feb 8, 2018 at 10:13 am ETGoogle made some small tweaks to their quality raters guidelines on July 27, 2017. The previous update, on March 14, 2017, was much larger....
Barry Schwartz | Aug 3, 2017 at 9:36 am ETGoogle hopes to improve by better surfacing authoritative content and enlisting feedback about suggested searches and Featured Snippets...
Danny Sullivan | Apr 25, 2017 at 10:00 am ETInfowars article was used to help illustrate how quality raters might judge content, but raters have no power to censor, ban or penalize...
Danny Sullivan | Apr 18, 2017 at 4:09 am ETUsing data from human "quality raters," Google hopes to teach its algorithms how to better spot offensive and often factually incorrect...
Danny Sullivan | Mar 14, 2017 at 1:00 pm ETDuring this SMX Advanced session, panelists discussed what SEOs need to know about Google's Search Quality Rating Guidelines, created for the...
Joy Hawkins | Jul 6, 2016 at 10:46 am ETColumnist Patrick Stox takes a comprehensive look at what Google might consider to be "quality content" and adds his own thoughts and tips based...
Patrick Stox | Jun 9, 2016 at 10:34 am ETGoogle updated their search quality raters guidelines document on March 28, reducing it from 160 to 146...
Barry Schwartz | Apr 4, 2016 at 8:51 am ETFor the first time, Google has released the full version of its Search Quality Raters guidelines and handbook. It is 160 pages of wonderful SEO...
Barry Schwartz | Nov 19, 2015 at 3:36 pm ETIt's been a year since we have seen coverage of a new Google Search Quality Rater’s Guide. Here is what is...
Barry Schwartz | Nov 16, 2015 at 2:07 pm ETGoogle’s Quality Rating Guidelines document has been leaked once again! Version 5.0 was leaked a few days ago, where Google has reportedly...
Barry Schwartz | Jul 14, 2014 at 2:23 pm ETGoogle’s continuing push toward identifying expertise and authority on the web takes another step in the form of a new type of...
Matt McGee | Nov 18, 2013 at 9:02 am ETAs part of today’s big “How Search Works” reveal, Google also took the big step of sharing its Search Quality Rating...
Matt McGee | Mar 1, 2013 at 4:08 pm ETAs part of the How Search Works interactive infographic Google released today, they have decided to publish their search quality rating...
Barry Schwartz | Mar 1, 2013 at 12:43 pm ETEver wondered how Google Search works, finds pages from across the web and decides how to list them in response to a search? If so,...
Danny Sullivan | Mar 1, 2013 at 11:58 am ETGoogle is considering offering its search quality rating guidelines to the public. The news comes near the end of the latest webmaster video...
Matt McGee | Oct 30, 2012 at 3:12 pm ETIn the wake of Google’s Panda algorithm update, its cadre of human search quality raters has a new task: giving Google specific quality...
Matt McGee | Sep 7, 2012 at 4:07 pm ETGoogle’s head of web spam, Matt Cutts, has published a video talking about a topic that Google has never really talked about publicly...
Barry Schwartz | May 1, 2012 at 3:00 pm ETSince at least 2005, Google has been using a large, worldwide focus group to help review its search results and the quality of the web pages...
Matt McGee | Jan 20, 2012 at 1:42 pm ET