What SEOs Can Learn About Aligning with Consensus from Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines

When Google announced enhancements to featured snippets using MUM, the language around aligning with consensus reminded me of factors described in the search quality evaluator guidelines, also known as the Quality Rater Guidelines (QRG).

While the QRG is not a direct blueprint for Google’s algorithms, it offers many hints toward Google’s objectives. Google recommends that site owners study these guidelines:

"If you understand how raters learn to assess good content, that might help you improve your own content. In turn, you might perhaps do better in Search." — Google

We’ve had success in improving website performance by evaluating them from a quality rater’s perspective. I highly recommend studying the QRG.

This article covers:

• What it means to align with consensus.
• What the QRG says about aligning with consensus.
• The implications of Google’s expanding content advisories for sites discussing fringe or alternative topics.
• Google’s new content advisories for information gaps or low-quality sites.
• Why understanding the concept of E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is crucial.

What Does It Mean to Align With Consensus?

Google’s blog post indicates new changes to "featured snippet callouts"—the bold part of the featured snippet that provides the search-answer directly. For example, if someone asks, “How long does it take for light from the sun to reach Earth?”, the featured snippet might answer “8 and 1/3 minutes.”

Google checks these callouts against high-quality sources to ensure consensus, even if different words or concepts describe the same thing. As of the article’s writing, a search on this topic shows consensus from top-ranking sites but hasn’t returned a consistent snippet.

Despite slight differences in wording, such as stating 499 seconds instead of 8 1/3 minutes, there’s broad agreement that this fact is correct, making Google confident to display it as a featured snippet. Google claims this consensus-based technique has improved snippet quality and helpfulness.

Aligning with Consensus in Featured Snippets

Aligning with general consensus—what most high-quality sources say—is crucial to winning featured snippet rankings, especially for simple queries. If your content contradicts authoritative sites, Google might hesitate to display your answer. Currently, consensus alignment affects only featured snippet callouts and not broader ranking beyond these snippets. However, aligning with consensus seems important for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics.

What the QRG Says About Aligning With Consensus

QRG instructs raters to determine if page content aligns with expert consensus, which is seen as a mark of high quality for YMYL topics. News articles or science information pages are deemed high quality if they reflect established scientific consensus.

For harmful topics or misinformation in YMYL areas, content that contradicts expert consensus results in the lowest ratings. Therefore, aligning with expert consensus is critical for sites covering YMYL topics.

Examples of Sites That Do Not Align With Consensus

1. Pro-anorexia websites: Promoting anorexia as a lifestyle contradicts medical consensus and can cause harm.

2. Stomach flu advice: Medical advice given with no evidence of medical E-A-T, contradicting established medical recommendations.

3. Flat Earth Society: Content contradicts the scientific consensus that Earth is round.

What If People Search for Information Contrary to Consensus?

QRG states that medical/scientific pages must represent established consensus unless the user seeks an alternative viewpoint. However, current searches often fail to surface alternative viewpoints even when they are explicitly sought.

Content Advisories for Information Gaps

Google is expanding advisories beyond breaking news stories to alert users when there may be a lack of reliable information. Google provides these advisories when search results may not be reliable, further guiding users toward higher-quality content.

Understanding E-A-T is Incredibly Important

Google emphasizes the importance of E-A-T, encouraging the use of the "About this result" feature to help users understand the website they are viewing. This aligns with the QRG’s focus on demonstrating expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

Consensus: What SEOs Can Learn From Google

Aligning with expert consensus is important for topics where it impacts credibility, especially for YMYL content. While not confirmed as an organic search ranking factor, consensus alignment should be a goal.

Advice:

• Separate controversial content into its own section or domain.
• Ensure any controversial content presents balanced viewpoints.
• Focus on marketing through channels other than Google if your content frequently contradicts consensus.
• For borderline topics, push for expert discussion and ensure rigorous backing by authoritative references.
• Assess if your viewpoint might be controversial by analyzing top-ranking content in your domain.

Implementing E-A-T principles effectively includes much more than just adding author bios; it requires comprehensive presentation of expertise and thorough referencing.