The phrase ‘your money your life’ (YMYL) has become increasingly important in the world of Google and search engine optimisation (SEO). The phrase relates to topics and subject areas online which as you might imagine, have the potential to affect people’s money and their lives more broadly.
There are a wide range of topics which are encompassed within the YMYL sphere which include (but are certainly not limited to):
- Loans and personal finance
- Health and healthcare
- Insurance
- Online gambling, bingo and casinos
- Some areas relating to mental health
There are also various areas which fall into the remit of YMYL as they may even indirectly affect those specific areas of a person’s life.
For example, when it comes to things like brain injury solicitors and compensation claims, although not necessarily within the above remit of YMYL, it can still affect a person in the same way as those mentioned, should something untoward, or ‘less than kosher’ occur, in a way that various other areas cannot do.
What Are the Implications of YMYL?
Although in the case of any industry online, the likes of Google and other search engines and social media platforms take strict stances, such are the potential ramifications, YMYL is a specific area of focus for Google.
In past years, unscrupulous people have exploited loopholes in Google and other platforms’ algorithms and have been able to market shady products to unsuspecting customers.
In the case of loans and personal finance, in the early days of payday loans in the UK, there were providers who were in essence, no more than loan sharks, that managed to rank online and offer potentially desperate customers appealing offers, only to later on exploit and overcharge them.
Thus, in the case of Google, they have openly admitted to developing specific features within their rankings and algorithm, to judge and assess topics and areas within YMYL in their own right. This means that as far as possible, only honest and true experts in potentially very impactful areas can rank, while those who may try and ‘chance’ ranking in areas of high repercussions, will find it much more difficult.
YMYL and Advice
More than a few people each day use ‘Doctor Google’ to try and understand and diagnose conditions. Although there are reputable providers of such information online, like the NHS in the UK and the FDA in the USA, there have in the past been unscrupulous people who have tried to exploit the need for knowledge and health information for unsavoury means.
Thus, when it comes to information, much like it does for products and services, the YMYL algorithm and terms and conditions will also apply, with users and honest people browsing in mind.