YMYL: when Google holds you to higher standards

This article provides a comprehensive technical framework for identifying and classifying "Your Money or Your Life" (YMYL) content on websites, which Google holds to higher quality standards due to its potential impact on users' health, finances, safety, or well-being. It serves as both an installation manual and audit reference, detailing the specific categories Google considers YMYL, the required author and reviewer credentials, and the structural code requirements needed to achieve compliance. The framework includes client variables for business classification, content inventory, and regulatory compliance posture, with implementation guidance for various web development stacks.

Originally published atPart of ThatDevPro's open SEO + AI framework library. thatdevpro.com . ThatDevPro is an SDVOSB-certified veteran-owned web + AI engineering studio. Open-source AI citation toolkit: github.com/Janady13/aio-surfaces . Your Money or Your Life — Content Sensitivity Classification & High-Stakes Quality Standards A comprehensive installation and audit reference for identifying YMYL content on a website, applying the elevated quality standards Google requires for it, and protecting both users and the business from the legal, regulatory, and ranking consequences of YMYL violations. This document is dual-purpose: installation manual and audit document. Cross-stack implementation note: the code samples in this framework are written in plain HTML for clarity. For React, Vue, Svelte, Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Astro, Hugo, 11ty, Remix, WordPress, Shopify, and Webflow equivalents of every pattern below, see . For pure client-rendered SPAs no SSR/SSG see framework-cross-stack-implementation.md . For Tailwind-specific concerns purge, dynamic classes, dark-mode CLS, focus accessibility see framework-react.md . framework-tailwind.md 1. Document Purpose & How to Use This Document 1.1 What This Document Is This is the canonical reference for classifying website content under Google's YMYL framework and implementing the elevated quality standards YMYL content requires. Every category Google considers YMYL is documented here. Every signal Google's Search Quality Raters look for in YMYL content is specified. Every code block, schema, and structural requirement needed to meet the YMYL bar is included. 1.2 Three Operating Modes Mode A — Install Mode : Building YMYL-compliant infrastructure into a new or existing site. Follow Sections 2 → 17 in order. Mode B — Audit Mode : Evaluating an existing site for YMYL classification and compliance. Skip to Section 12. Mode C — Hybrid Mode : Audit then install for failing items. 1.3 How Claude Code CLI Should Consume This Document - Read Section 2 — collect all client variables, especially YMYL category determinations - Run Section 3 — apply the YMYL classification decision tree to determine site or per-page YMYL status - Detect existing state — check what YMYL trust elements already exist - Follow phases in order — site-wide foundations before per-content-type elements Validate after each phase - Generate the report — Section 17 1.4 Conflict Resolution Rules | Conflict | Rule | |---|---| | Existing medical/legal/financial disclaimer | Audit for completeness. Add missing elements. Do not remove existing disclaimer language without legal review. | | Existing reviewer credit | Verify reviewer credentials. Update only if reviewer has changed. | | Existing editorial policy page | Audit against Section 5.2.9 requirements. Add missing elements. Preserve customizations. | | Existing corrections process | Verify it matches the policy page. Document any inconsistencies for manual review. | | Existing content classified differently than this framework recommends | Flag for manual review with the legal/compliance owner. Do not reclassify automatically. | 1.5 Required Tools & Validators - Whitespark / BrightLocal / Moz Local — for citation consistency audit - PubMed — for primary medical literature citations health YMYL - SEC EDGAR — for primary financial source citations finance YMYL - Westlaw / LexisNexis / CourtListener — for primary legal sources legal YMYL - FTC.gov — for compliance reference on advertising/affiliate disclosures - State Attorney General sites — for state-specific privacy and consumer protection law - Originality.ai — for AI content detection Trust signal validation 2. Client Variables Intake ============================================ YMYL FRAMEWORK CLIENT VARIABLES ============================================ --- Business Classification REQUIRED --- business name: "" primary domain: "" business industry: "" state of operation: "" Primary state — affects regulatory framework states served: All states where the business operates --- YMYL Classification REQUIRED --- ymyl overall classification: "" "full ymyl", "partial ymyl", "lite ymyl", "non ymyl" ymyl categories: Categories applicable to this site: "health medical", "mental health", "fitness nutrition", "financial advice", "investing", "tax", "banking", "insurance", "legal advice", "civic government", "elections", "safety personal", "safety occupational", "major life decisions", "news current events", "shopping ecommerce" --- Content Inventory REQUIRED for audit --- total content pieces: 0 ymyl content pieces: 0 ymyl content percentage: 0.0 ymyl content types: "articles", "calculators", "tools", "directories", etc. --- Author/Reviewer Credentials REQUIRED for full YMYL --- primary authors: - name: "" credentials: Required: degrees, licenses, board certifications license number: "" Where applicable medical, legal, financial license state: "" Where applicable license verification url: "" Public verification link years practicing: 0 specialty areas: conflicts of interest: medical reviewers: Required for health YMYL - name: "" credentials: MD, RN, NP, DO, PhD, etc. license number: "" license state: "" npi number: "" National Provider Identifier specialty: "" affiliations: Hospital systems, academic institutions legal reviewers: Required for legal YMYL - name: "" bar admission: State s where admitted bar number: "" practice areas: firm affiliation: "" financial reviewers: Required for finance YMYL - name: "" credentials: CFP, CFA, CPA, ChFC, RIA registration sec registration: "" If applicable finra crd: "" If applicable state registrations: specialty: "" --- Compliance Posture REQUIRED --- hipaa applicable: false Health entities subject to HIPAA ferpa applicable: false Educational records glba applicable: false Financial services sox applicable: false Public companies fcra applicable: false Consumer reporting finra member: false Securities-related sec registered: false Investment advisor state insurance licensed: States with insurance license attorney advertising compliant: false If legal services --- Editorial Process REQUIRED --- has editorial policy: false has corrections policy: false has fact checking process: false fact checking methodology: "" Brief description review cadence: "" "monthly", "quarterly", "biannually", "annually" content source standards: "" "primary only", "primary plus secondary", etc. --- Disclosures REQUIRED --- has medical disclaimer: false has financial disclaimer: false has legal disclaimer: false has general advice disclaimer: false has advertising disclosure: false has affiliate disclosure: false has sponsored content disclosure: false has ai use disclosure: false has conflict of interest disclosure: false has results may vary disclaimer: false For testimonials/case studies --- AI Use in YMYL Content REQUIRED --- uses ai in ymyl content: false ai review protocol for ymyl: "" If true: must describe stricter review for YMYL specifically --- Existing Compliance Documentation --- last legal review date: "" legal counsel firm: "" last compliance audit date: "" known compliance gaps: After variables are gathered, save them as ymyl-variables.yml in the project root. 3. What YMYL Is YMYL stands for Your Money or Your Life — Google's classification for content categories where inaccurate, misleading, or low-quality information can cause real-world harm to users' health, financial stability, safety, or wellbeing. The term originated in Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines and refers to topics where Google holds content to dramatically higher quality standards than non-YMYL topics. YMYL is not a separate ranking factor. It's a quality multiplier — a classification that tells Google's algorithms and human raters to apply elevated E-E-A-T standards to the content. A non-YMYL article scoring 80% on E-E-A-T audit might rank well; a YMYL article at 80% will likely struggle. The bar is meaningfully higher because the consequences of bad YMYL content are meaningfully more severe. The September 2025 Search Quality Rater Guidelines update significantly expanded the YMYL category to explicitly include elections, civic institutions, and government information alongside the historical categories of health, finance, legal, and safety. This expansion reflects Google's growing concern about misinformation on high-stakes civic topics. Sites covering these topics now face the same elevated quality bar as health and finance sites. YMYL applies at the page level , not the site level. A general-purpose blog might publish one YMYL article among many non-YMYL ones — that single article must meet YMYL standards. A site that's primarily YMYL a medical site, a financial advisory site, a legal directory must meet YMYL standards across nearly every page. The four core consequences of getting YMYL wrong: - Ranking suppression — Google de-prioritizes YMYL content that doesn't meet the bar - AI engine de-citation — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini avoid citing untrusted YMYL sources - Regulatory action — FTC, state AGs, professional licensing boards, and securities regulators have enforcement authority - Civil liability — Bad medical/legal/financial advice that causes harm creates legal exposure This framework specifies how to identify YMYL content, what elevated standards apply, and how to install the trust infrastructure required. 4. The YMYL Classification Decision Tree 4.1 Primary YMYL Categories Use this tree to classify each piece of content. If any branch returns YMYL, the content is YMYL. Does the content cover any of the following? ├── Health & Medical │ ├── Diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions → YMYL health, full │ ├── Medication information, dosing, side effects → YMYL health, full │ ├── Mental health advice or crisis information → YMYL mental health, full │ ├── Nutrition advice with health claims → YMYL health, partial │ ├── Fitness routines with injury risk → YMYL health, partial │ ├── Supplements with medical claims → YMYL health, full │ ├── Pregnancy, parenting infant care → YMYL health, full │ ├── Veterinary medical advice → YMYL health, partial │ └── General wellness lifestyle content → Non-YMYL be cautious │ ├── Financial │ ├── Specific investment recommendations → YMYL finance, full │ ├── Tax advice or strategy → YMYL finance, full │ ├── Retirement planning advice → YMYL finance, full │ ├── Loan/mortgage/credit advice → YMYL finance, full │ ├── Insurance advice or comparisons → YMYL finance, full │ ├── Cryptocurrency advice → YMYL finance, full │ ├── General financial education → YMYL finance, partial │ ├── Personal finance budgeting tips → YMYL finance, partial │ └── Reviews of financial products → YMYL finance, partial │ ├── Legal │ ├── Specific legal advice for situations → YMYL legal, full │ ├── Court procedures and rights → YMYL legal, full │ ├── Immigration guidance → YMYL legal, full │ ├── Family law divorce, custody → YMYL legal, full │ ├── Criminal law information → YMYL legal, full │ ├── Estate planning/wills → YMYL legal, full │ ├── Business legal information → YMYL legal, partial │ ├── Legal directory listings → YMYL legal, partial │ └── General "what is X law" reference → YMYL legal, partial │ ├── Civic & Government expanded September 2025 │ ├── Election information, voter rights → YMYL civic, full │ ├── Government services and benefits → YMYL civic, full │ ├── Public health information → YMYL civic + health, full │ ├── Civic institutional information → YMYL civic, full │ ├── Tax filing and government forms → YMYL civic + finance, full │ └── Political opinion content → Non-YMYL but information integrity matters │ ├── Safety │ ├── Personal safety assault, abuse → YMYL safety, full │ ├── Occupational safety → YMYL safety, full │ ├── Driving and vehicle safety → YMYL safety, partial │ ├── Home safety electrical, gas, structural → YMYL safety, partial │ ├── Drug/substance information → YMYL safety + health, full │ ├── Outdoor/wilderness safety → YMYL safety, partial │ └── Child safety → YMYL safety, full │ ├── Major Life Decisions │ ├── Career changes and education → YMYL significant │ ├── Relationship and divorce decisions → YMYL significant │ ├── Major purchases home, car → YMYL significant + finance │ ├── Adoption or fertility → YMYL significant + health │ └── End-of-life planning → YMYL significant + legal │ ├── News & Current Events │ ├── Breaking news with safety implications → YMYL news, full │ ├── Investigative journalism → YMYL news, full │ ├── Public health announcements → YMYL news + health, full │ ├── Election coverage → YMYL news + civic, full │ └── Entertainment news → Non-YMYL │ └── E-Commerce ├── Health products, supplements → YMYL lite + health-adjacent ├── Financial products, insurance → YMYL lite + finance-adjacent ├── Safety equipment → YMYL lite + safety-adjacent ├── Children's products → YMYL lite + safety-adjacent └── General consumer goods → Non-YMYL held to higher standards but not full YMYL 4.2 Classification Levels Explained Full YMYL — Maximum elevated standards apply. Author credentials must match topic regulatory requirements. Reviewer credit on every article. Primary literature citations only. Editorial and corrections policies required. Topic-specific disclaimers on every article. Monthly refresh cadence for time-sensitive content. Partial YMYL — Elevated standards apply but with some flexibility. Credentialed author or reviewer required. Primary or high-quality secondary sources acceptable. Disclaimers required. Quarterly refresh cadence acceptable. Lite YMYL — Higher than non-YMYL but lower than full YMYL. Credentialed author preferred but not strictly required for non-advice content. Standard review process. General disclaimers. Quarterly refresh. Non-YMYL — Standard E-E-A-T rules apply see framework-eeat.md . 4.3 Edge Cases & Judgment Calls Personal experience YMYL — "How I paid off $50k in debt" or "My experience with chemo" can be valuable YMYL content even without formal credentials. Frame as personal experience , not authoritative advice. Use first-person language consistently. Never present personal experience as universal recommendation. Disclaimers must be especially clear that this isn't professional advice. Aggregated YMYL — A site that aggregates content directory of medical providers, comparison of financial products is YMYL even if the site doesn't author the underlying advice. Aggregation introduces YMYL responsibility — the curation itself affects user decisions. Ambiguous content — When uncertain, classify higher. The cost of treating non-YMYL content as YMYL is some extra rigor. The cost of treating YMYL content as non-YMYL is potential harm to users plus ranking suppression plus regulatory exposure. Mixed-classification sites — Many sites have both YMYL and non-YMYL content. Apply YMYL standards to YMYL pages only. Make YMYL content visually distinct from non-YMYL content where helpful different page templates, clearer reviewer credits, more prominent disclaimers . 5. YMYL-Specific Implementation Requirements This section adds to the standard E-E-A-T installation. All E-E-A-T requirements still apply; YMYL content additionally requires everything in this section. 5.1 Phase 1: YMYL Inventory & Classification Before installing any YMYL trust elements, classify the site's content. 5.1.1 Content audit script For each piece of content on the site: - Read the URL, page title, and primary topic - Apply the decision tree from Section 4.1 - Record YMYL classification: full / partial / lite / non - Record applicable categories health, finance, legal, etc. - Flag any content that's currently published as authoritative advice but lacks credentialed authorship Create a classification spreadsheet at /admin/ymyl-inventory.csv : url,title,primary topic,ymyl classification,categories,current author,author credentials,reviewer,reviewer credentials,disclaimer present,citations present,last review date,risk level,action required /articles/diabetes-medication-guide,Diabetes Medication Guide,health/medication,full ymyl,"health medical","Sarah Smith","none","none","none","partial","2025-04-15","critical","add medical reviewer disclaimer citations" 5.1.2 Risk-prioritized remediation queue Sort the inventory by risk level: - Critical risk : YMYL content with no credentialed author/reviewer, no disclaimer, factual claims without citations - High risk : YMYL content missing reviewer or disclaimer - Medium risk : YMYL content with all elements but stale 12 months since review - Low risk : YMYL content fully compliant but minor enhancements possible Remediate in order: Critical → High → Medium → Low. Critical-risk YMYL content should not remain published past 7 days. 5.2 Phase 2: Editorial Policy Page Build at /editorial-policy/ . This is mandatory for all YMYL sites. 5.2.1 Required content <article class="editorial-policy" <h1 Editorial Policy</h1 <p {{BUSINESS NAME}} is committed to publishing accurate, helpful, and well-sourced content on topics that affect our readers' {{YMYL CATEGORIES PROSE}}. This editorial policy describes our content creation standards, review processes, and accountability mechanisms.</p <h2 Our Authors and Reviewers</h2 <p {{BUSINESS NAME}} content is created and reviewed by individuals with verifiable credentials in their subject areas:</p <ul {{LIST OF AUTHORS WITH CREDENTIALS}} {{LIST OF REVIEWERS WITH CREDENTIALS}} </ul <p You can verify all author and reviewer credentials on their respective <a href="/authors/" author profile pages</a .</p <h2 Content Creation Process</h2 <ol <li <strong Topic selection:</strong {{TOPIC SELECTION PROCESS}}</li <li <strong Research:</strong {{RESEARCH STANDARDS PROSE}}</li <li <strong Drafting:</strong {{DRAFTING PROCESS PROSE}}</li <li <strong Expert review:</strong {{EXPERT REVIEW PROCESS PROSE}}</li <li <strong Fact-checking:</strong {{FACT CHECKING PROCESS PROSE}}</li <li <strong Editorial review:</strong {{EDITORIAL REVIEW PROCESS PROSE}}</li <li <strong Publication:</strong {{PUBLICATION PROCESS PROSE}}</li <li <strong Ongoing review:</strong {{ONGOING REVIEW CADENCE PROSE}}</li </ol <h2 Source Standards</h2 <p For {{YMYL CATEGORY}} content, we cite from primary sources:</p <ul {{IF HEALTH}}<li Peer-reviewed medical journals indexed in PubMed</li {{/IF}} {{IF HEALTH}}<li FDA, NIH, CDC, and WHO official publications</li {{/IF}} {{IF FINANCE}}<li SEC filings and EDGAR records</li {{/IF}} {{IF FINANCE}}<li IRS publications and Treasury guidance</li {{/IF}} {{IF FINANCE}}<li Federal Reserve, FDIC, and CFPB publications</li {{/IF}} {{IF LEGAL}}<li Primary case law via Westlaw/LexisNexis/CourtListener</li {{/IF}} {{IF LEGAL}}<li Federal and state statutes and regulations</li {{/IF}} {{IF LEGAL}}<li Bar association ethics opinions</li {{/IF}} </ul <h2 Disclosures and Independence</h2 <p {{BUSINESS NAME}} maintains editorial independence. {{INDEPENDENCE STATEMENT PROSE}}</p <p When commercial relationships exist, they are disclosed at the article level. See our <a href="/disclosure/" full disclosures policy</a .</p <h2 Limitations and Disclaimers</h2 <p Our content is informational and educational. {{TOPIC SPECIFIC DISCLAIMER PROSE}}</p <p See: <a href="/medical-disclaimer/" Medical Disclaimer</a , <a href="/financial-disclaimer/" Financial Disclaimer</a , <a href="/legal-disclaimer/" Legal Disclaimer</a .</p <h2 Corrections and Updates</h2 <p If you find an error in our content, please contact us. See our <a href="/corrections-policy/" Corrections Policy</a for our process.</p <h2 Contact</h2 <p Editorial questions: <a href="mailto:editorial@{{PRIMARY DOMAIN}}" editorial@{{PRIMARY DOMAIN}}</a </p <p Last reviewed: <time datetime="{{LAST REVIEW DATE ISO}}" {{LAST REVIEW DATE HUMAN}}</time </p </article 5.3 Phase 3: Corrections Policy Page Build at /corrections-policy/ . Mandatory for all YMYL sites. <article class="corrections-policy" <h1 Corrections Policy</h1 <p {{BUSINESS NAME}} is committed to factual accuracy. When we publish errors, we correct them transparently.</p <h2 How to Report an Error</h2 <p If you find a factual error in any {{BUSINESS NAME}} content, please contact us at <a href="mailto:corrections@{{PRIMARY DOMAIN}}" corrections@{{PRIMARY DOMAIN}}</a with:</p <ul <li The URL of the page containing the error</li <li The specific text or claim you believe is incorrect</li <li The correct information, with source if possible</li </ul <h2 Our Correction Process</h2 <ol <li <strong Acknowledge:</strong We respond to correction requests within 2 business days.</li <li <strong Investigate:</strong Our editorial team and where applicable subject matter expert reviewer evaluate the claim against primary sources.</li <li <strong Decide:</strong If the claim is correct, we update the content. If we believe the original content was correct, we explain our reasoning.</li <li <strong Update:</strong Corrections are made to the source content immediately.</li <li <strong Disclose:</strong Material corrections are disclosed at the top of the article with the date of correction and the nature of the change.</li <li <strong Notify:</strong If you reported the error, we follow up to inform you of the outcome.</li </ol <h2 Types of Corrections</h2 <dl <dt Material corrections</dt <dd Factual errors that change the meaning or recommendation of the content. These are disclosed at the top of the article and noted in our corrections log.</dd <dt Minor corrections</dt <dd Typos, grammatical errors, formatting issues. These are corrected silently.</dd <dt Updates</dt <dd Information that was correct at publication but has since changed e.g., updated regulations . These are reflected via dateModified and noted in the article changelog.</dd </dl <h2 Corrections Log</h2 <p We maintain a public log of all material corrections at <a href="/corrections-log/" /corrections-log/</a .</p <h2 Contact</h2 <p Corrections: <a href="mailto:corrections@{{PRIMARY DOMAIN}}" corrections@{{PRIMARY DOMAIN}}</a </p </article Pair with a /corrections-log/ page that lists all material corrections with date, article URL, and nature of correction. 5.4 Phase 4: Topic-Specific Disclaimer Pages Each YMYL category requires its own dedicated disclaimer page. 5.4.1 Medical disclaimer /medical-disclaimer/ — for health YMYL <article class="medical-disclaimer" <h1 Medical Disclaimer</h1 <p The information provided on {{BUSINESS NAME}} {{PRIMARY DOMAIN}} is for general informational and educational purposes only. <strong It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.</strong </p <h2 Always Seek Professional Medical Advice</h2 <p Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website.</p <h2 Emergency Situations</h2 <p <strong If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency room immediately.</strong </p <p If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm:</p <ul <li 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline US : Call or text 988</li <li Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741</li <li International Association for Suicide Prevention: <a href="https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis Centres/" rel="noopener" https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis Centres/</a </li </ul <h2 No Doctor-Patient Relationship</h2 <p Reading content on {{BUSINESS NAME}} does not create a doctor-patient or healthcare provider relationship between you and {{BUSINESS NAME}}, its authors, its medical reviewers, or anyone else affiliated with the site.</p <h2 Individual Variation</h2 <p Medical information presented on this site is general. Individual circumstances vary, and what is appropriate for one person may not be appropriate for another. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making decisions about your health.</p <h2 Medications and Treatments</h2 <p Information about medications, treatments, and procedures is for educational purposes. {{BUSINESS NAME}} does not endorse or recommend any specific test, physician, product, procedure, opinion, or other information that may be mentioned on the site. Reliance on any information provided by {{BUSINESS NAME}} is solely at your own risk.</p <h2 Currency of Information</h2 <p Medical knowledge evolves rapidly. While we work to keep our content current — see our <a href="/editorial-policy/" Editorial Policy</a — information may not reflect the latest guidance. Always verify with your healthcare provider.</p <h2 External Links</h2 <p {{BUSINESS NAME}} may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the content of those external sites and inclusion of a link does not constitute endorsement.</p <h2 Editorial Standards</h2 <p Our content is created by {{AUTHOR DESCRIPTION}} and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. See our <a href="/editorial-policy/" Editorial Policy</a for details.</p <p <time datetime="{{LAST UPDATED ISO}}" Last updated: {{LAST UPDATED HUMAN}}</time </p </article 5.4.2 Financial disclaimer /financial-disclaimer/ — for finance YMYL <article class="financial-disclaimer" <h1 Financial Disclaimer</h1 <p The information provided on {{BUSINESS NAME}} {{PRIMARY DOMAIN}} is for general informational and educational purposes only. <strong It is not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.</strong </p <h2 No Personalized Advice</h2 <p Nothing on this website constitutes a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security, investment, or other financial product. Content is general in nature and does not consider your specific financial situation, goals, or risk tolerance.</p <h2 Consult Qualified Professionals</h2 <p Before making financial decisions, consult with qualified professionals:</p <ul <li Certified Financial Planner CFP for comprehensive financial planning</li <li Registered Investment Advisor RIA for investment advice</li <li Certified Public Accountant CPA or Enrolled Agent for tax advice</li <li Licensed insurance agent for insurance decisions</li <li Estate planning attorney for estate decisions</li </ul <h2 Past Performance Disclaimer</h2 <p <strong Past performance is not indicative of future results.</strong Investment values fluctuate, and you may lose principal. Historical examples shown for educational purposes do not guarantee similar future outcomes.</p <h2 No Guarantees</h2 <p {{BUSINESS NAME}} makes no guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or applicability of information presented. Financial regulations, tax laws, and market conditions change frequently. Verify all information with current primary sources or qualified professionals.</p <h2 Affiliate and Advertising Relationships</h2 <p {{BUSINESS NAME}} may have affiliate or advertising relationships with financial product providers. These relationships are disclosed at the article level. See our <a href="/disclosure/" full disclosures policy</a . Such relationships do not influence editorial recommendations, but you should consider them when evaluating our content.</p <h2 Securities Regulation Disclosure</h2 {{IF NOT REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISOR}} <p {{BUSINESS NAME}} is not a registered investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and does not provide personalized investment advice. Information on this site is not tailored to any individual's financial situation.</p {{/IF}} {{IF REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISOR}} <p {{BUSINESS NAME}} is a Registered Investment Advisor CRD {{CRD NUMBER}} . However, content on this website is for educational purposes and does not constitute personalized investment advice. Personalized advice is available only through our advisory engagement. <a href="/services/" Learn about our services</a .</p {{/IF}} <h2 Tax Disclaimer</h2 <p Tax information is general and not personalized tax advice. Tax laws are complex and vary by jurisdiction and individual circumstances. Consult a qualified tax professional before making tax-related decisions.</p <h2 No Fiduciary Relationship</h2 <p Reading content on {{BUSINESS NAME}} does not create a fiduciary or advisory relationship between you and {{BUSINESS NAME}}.</p <p <time datetime="{{LAST UPDATED ISO}}" Last updated: {{LAST UPDATED HUMAN}}</time </p </article 5.4.3 Legal disclaimer /legal-disclaimer/ — for legal YMYL <article class="legal-disclaimer" <h1 Legal Disclaimer</h1 <p The information provided on {{BUSINESS NAME}} {{PRIMARY DOMAIN}} is for general informational and educational purposes only. <strong It is not legal advice.</strong </p <h2 No Attorney-Client Relationship</h2 <p Reading content on this website, contacting us through this website, or otherwise interacting with {{BUSINESS NAME}} does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and {{BUSINESS NAME}} or any of its authors, reviewers, or affiliates.</p <p An attorney-client relationship is established only through a signed engagement agreement.</p <h2 Consult a Qualified Attorney</h2 <p Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. The information on this site may not be current or applicable to your specific situation. Always consult a qualified attorney licensed in your jurisdiction before making legal decisions.</p <h2 Confidentiality</h2 <p <strong Communications sent through this website are not confidential.</strong Do not send confidential or time-sensitive information through this website or via email to addresses listed on this website.</p <h2 No Guarantee of Outcome</h2 <p Discussions of legal cases, statutes, or principles do not predict the outcome of any specific legal matter. Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes in your case.</p <h2 Attorney Advertising</h2 {{IF LAW FIRM}} <p This website may constitute attorney advertising under applicable rules of professional conduct. {{ATTORNEY ADVERTISING DISCLOSURE BY STATE}}.</p {{/IF}} <h2 Bar Admissions</h2 {{IF LAW FIRM}} <p {{BUSINESS NAME}} attorneys are admitted to practice in the following jurisdictions: {{LIST OF BAR ADMISSIONS}}. We do not practice law in jurisdictions where we are not admitted.</p {{/IF}} <h2 Currency of Information</h2 <p Laws change. Court decisions are issued daily. Regulations are updated. While we work to keep content current — see our <a href="/editorial-policy/" Editorial Policy</a — information may not reflect the latest law. Always verify with current primary sources or a qualified attorney.</p <h2 External Links</h2 <p This website may link to external websites. We are not responsible for content on external sites, and inclusion of a link does not constitute endorsement.</p <p <time datetime="{{LAST UPDATED ISO}}" Last updated: {{LAST UPDATED HUMAN}}</time </p </article 5.5 Phase 5: Per-Article YMYL Trust Elements Every YMYL article requires these elements in addition to standard E-E-A-T elements. 5.5.1 Top-of-article disclaimer banner <aside class="ymyl-top-disclaimer" role="note" <p <strong {{TOPIC DISCLAIMER HEADLINE}}</strong {{TOPIC DISCLAIMER TEXT}} <a href="/{{TOPIC}}-disclaimer/" Read our full {{TOPIC}} disclaimer.</a </p </aside Examples: For health: "This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personal medical decisions." For finance: "This article is for informational purposes only and is not personalized financial advice. Consult a qualified financial professional before making financial decisions." For legal: "This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney for legal decisions specific to your situation." 5.5.2 Author + Reviewer credit block <header class="article-header ymyl-article" <h1 {{TITLE}}</h1 <div class="ymyl-byline" <div class="author-credit" <img src="{{AUTHOR PHOTO}}" alt="{{AUTHOR NAME}}" width="48" height="48" <p Written by <a href="/authors/{{AUTHOR SLUG}}/" rel="author" {{AUTHOR NAME}}</a <br <span class="credentials" {{AUTHOR CREDENTIALS}}</span </p </div <div class="reviewer-credit" <img src="{{REVIEWER PHOTO}}" alt="{{REVIEWER NAME}}" width="48" height="48" <p {{REVIEWER TYPE VERB}} reviewed by <a href="/authors/{{REVIEWER SLUG}}/" {{REVIEWER NAME}}</a <br <span class="credentials" {{REVIEWER CREDENTIALS}}</span {{IF LICENSED}} <br <span class="license-info" License {{LICENSE NUMBER}}, {{LICENSE STATE}} · <a href="{{VERIFY URL}}" rel="noopener" Verify</a </span {{/IF}} </p </div </div <div class="ymyl-dates" <p <time datetime="{{PUBLISHED DATE}}" Published {{PUBLISHED DATE HUMAN}}</time · <time datetime="{{UPDATED DATE}}" Last updated {{UPDATED DATE HUMAN}}</time · <time datetime="{{REVIEWED DATE}}" Last reviewed by {{REVIEWER TYPE}} {{REVIEWED DATE HUMAN}}</time </p </div </header {{REVIEWER TYPE VERB}} examples: - "Medically" for medical reviewer - "Legally" for legal reviewer - "Financially" for financial reviewer 5.5.3 Conflict-of-interest disclosure When applicable: <aside class="coi-disclosure" role="note" <strong Conflict of Interest Disclosure:</strong {{COI DISCLOSURE TEXT}} </aside Example: "The author owns shares in companies discussed in this article. The reviewer has consulted for one of the firms mentioned. These relationships are disclosed in compliance with our editorial policy and do not influence the analysis presented." 5.5.4 Primary literature citations YMYL content cites from primary sources only. Format inline citations with prominent links to primary literature: <p A 2025 systematic review<sup <a href=" ref-1" 1</a </sup found that the recommended treatment protocol reduces complications by 47% in patients with Type 2 diabetes<sup <a href=" ref-2" 2</a </sup . </p <section class="article-references" <h2 References</h2 <ol <li id="ref-1" Smith J, Doe A, et al. 2025 . "Treatment protocols for Type 2 diabetes: A systematic review." <em New England Journal of Medicine</em , 392 15 , 1422-1438. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/{{PMID}}/" rel="noopener" PubMed</a · DOI: <a href="https://doi.org/{{DOI}}" rel="noopener" {{DOI}}</a </li <li id="ref-2" American Diabetes Association. 2026 . "Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes — 2026." <em Diabetes Care</em , 49 Supplement 1 . <a href="{{URL}}" rel="noopener" Full text</a </li </ol </section For finance YMYL, cite SEC filings, IRS publications, FRED data, and Federal Reserve research. For legal YMYL, cite primary case law, statutes, and regulations. 5.5.5 Schema additions for YMYL articles <script type="application/ld+json" { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "MedicalWebPage", "headline": "{{TITLE}}", "author": {"@id": "https://{{PRIMARY DOMAIN}}/authors/{{AUTHOR SLUG}}/ person"}, "reviewedBy": {"@id": "https://{{PRIMARY DOMAIN}}/authors/{{REVIEWER SLUG}}/ person"}, "datePublished": "{{PUBLISHED DATE}}", "dateModified": "{{UPDATED DATE}}", "lastReviewed": "{{LAST REVIEW DATE}}", "publisher": {"@id": "https://{{PRIMARY DOMAIN}}/ organization"}, "specialty": { "@type": "MedicalSpecialty", "name": "{{MEDICAL SPECIALTY}}" }, "audience": { "@type": "MedicalAudience", "audienceType": "Patient" }, "citation": {{ARTICLE CITATIONS JSON}}, "isPartOf": {"@id": "https://{{PRIMARY DOMAIN}}/ website"} } </script For legal articles, use LegalService or Article with detailed about properties. For financial articles, use Article with mentions of relevant FinancialProduct entities. 5.5.6 Reviewer Person schema additional fields YMYL reviewers need expanded Person schema beyond standard E-E-A-T: <script type="application/ld+json" { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://{{PRIMARY DOMAIN}}/authors/{{REVIEWER SLUG}}/ person", "name": "{{REVIEWER NAME}}", "jobTitle": "{{REVIEWER TITLE}}", "honorificPrefix": "{{HONORIFIC PREFIX}}", "honorificSuffix": "{{HONORIFIC SUFFIX}}", "hasCredential": { "@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential", "name": "{{DEGREE NAME}}", "credentialCategory": "degree", "recognizedBy": { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "{{INSTITUTION}}" } }, { "@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential", "name": "{{LICENSE NAME}}", "credentialCategory": "license", "recognizedBy": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "{{LICENSING BODY}}" }, "identifier": "{{LICENSE NUMBER}}", "url": "{{LICENSE VERIFICATION URL}}" } , "memberOf": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "{{PROFESSIONAL ORG}}" } , "knowsAbout": {{REVIEWER SPECIALTIES JSON}}, "sameAs": {{REVIEWER PROFILES JSON}} } </script 5.6 Phase 6: Mental Health Crisis Handling For any health YMYL site that touches mental health topics, install crisis-line resources prominently and consistently. 5.6.1 Mental health crisis banner Display on every mental-health-related page: <aside class="crisis-resources" role="note" <h2 If You're in Crisis</h2 <p If you're experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm:</p <ul <li <strong 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline US :</strong Call or text <a href="tel:988" 988</a </li <li <strong Crisis Text Line:</strong Text HOME to <a href="sms:741741" 741741</a </li <li <strong Veterans Crisis Line:</strong Call <a href="tel:988" 988</a and press 1</li <li <strong International:</strong <a href="https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis Centres/" rel="noopener" Find a crisis center near you</a </li </ul <p If you are in immediate danger, call <a href="tel:911" 911</a or go to your nearest emergency room.</p </aside This banner appears at the top of mental health articles, not the bottom. 5.7 Phase 7: Regulatory Compliance Per Industry 5.7.1 Healthcare HIPAA-applicable entities If hipaa applicable: true : - HIPAA Privacy Notice page - Notice of privacy practices - Patient rights enumeration - Breach notification procedure - Business associate agreement template for vendors - All forms collecting PHI use HTTPS with proper encryption - Cookie consent calibrated for HIPAA-compliant analytics 5.7.2 Financial Services If sec registered: true : - Form ADV linked from footer - Brochure Form ADV Part 2A downloadable - Code of ethics - Customer relationship summary Form CRS for retail clients - Cybersecurity disclosures per SEC rules If finra member: true : - BrokerCheck links per representative - Investor education resources - Required disclosures per FINRA Rule 2210 advertising 5.7.3 Legal Services State-by-state attorney advertising compliance: - "Attorney advertising" or equivalent label per state requirements - Disclaimer language varies by jurisdiction NY, FL, TX, CA each have different requirements - Past results disclaimer - Bar association required language - Specialization claim restrictions per state 5.8 Phase 8: AI Content in YMYL — Higher Bar The standard AI content disclosure E-E-A-T Section 4.4.6 is insufficient for YMYL. Additional protocols apply: 5.8.1 Per-article YMYL AI disclosure <aside class="ymyl-ai-disclosure" role="note" <h3 How This Article Was Created</h3 <ul <li {{AI USAGE LEVEL}} — {{AI USAGE DESCRIPTION}}</li <li Reviewed for accuracy by {{REVIEWER NAME}}, {{REVIEWER CREDENTIALS}}</li <li All factual claims verified against primary sources cited in the references section</li <li {{REVIEW DATE AND TIME INVESTED}}</li </ul <p See our <a href="/disclosure/" AI use policy</a and <a href="/editorial-policy/" editorial policy</a for details on our YMYL content standards.</p </aside 5.8.2 What's never acceptable in YMYL - AI-generated content published without expert review - AI-generated medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment recommendations - AI-generated legal analysis presented as authoritative - AI-generated financial recommendations - AI-generated case studies or statistics that aren't real - AI-fabricated citations always verify every citation independently If an AI tool produces content for YMYL purposes, treat the AI output as a research draft. The credentialed reviewer must verify every fact, every citation, every recommendation. The reviewer's name and credentials go on the article — taking professional responsibility for the content. 5.9 Phase 9: Refresh Cadence Calendar YMYL content requires more frequent refreshing than non-YMYL. | YMYL Category | Refresh Cadence | |---|---| | Drug information, dosing, interactions | Monthly | | Medical condition treatment guidelines | Quarterly | | Tax deadlines and rates | Annually + on regulatory change | | Investment product reviews | Quarterly | | Legal procedure guides | Quarterly + on case law change | | Insurance regulation guides | Annually + on regulatory change | | News-sensitive YMYL elections, public health | Daily during active periods | | Evergreen YMYL anatomy, basic legal concepts | Annually | Build a refresh calendar at /admin/ymyl-refresh-calendar/ listing every YMYL article with next-review-due date. 6. Per-Page YMYL Validation Every YMYL page must pass: | | Criterion | Severity | |---|---|---| | Y1 | Top-of-article topic-specific disclaimer banner present | Critical | | Y2 | Credentialed author byline | Critical | | Y3 | Credentialed reviewer byline with verifiable license where applicable | Critical | | Y4 | Last-published, last-updated, last-reviewed dates all displayed | Critical | | Y5 | Conflict-of-interest disclosure if applicable | Critical | | Y6 | Primary literature citations for every factual claim | Critical | | Y7 | References section with full source citations | High | | Y8 | Topic-specific schema MedicalWebPage for health, etc. | High | | Y9 | Reviewer Person schema with hasCredential including license | Critical | | Y10 | Crisis resources displayed if mental health topic | Critical mental health | | Y11 | AI use disclosed if AI was involved in creation | Critical if applicable | | Y12 | Article reviewed within required cadence not stale | High | Score: 24 max. World-class YMYL article: 22+/24 with zero Critical fails. 7. Site-Wide YMYL Audit Criteria Beyond per-article criteria, the site as a whole must satisfy: | | Criterion | Severity | |---|---|---| | YS1 | Editorial policy page exists at /editorial-policy/ | Critical | | YS2 | Corrections policy page exists at /corrections-policy/ | Critical | | YS3 | Corrections log maintained at /corrections-log/ | High | | YS4 | Topic-specific disclaimer pages exist medical, financial, legal as applicable | Critical | | YS5 | Author hub page lists credentialed authors with verifiable licenses | Critical | | YS6 | YMYL inventory and classification documented internally | High | | YS7 | Refresh calendar maintained with next-review dates | High | | YS8 | Industry-specific compliance documentation in place HIPAA, SEC, bar advertising | Critical if applicable | | YS9 | Cookie consent calibrated for industry compliance | Critical if HIPAA/finance | | YS10 | Crisis resources prominent on mental health pages sitewide | Critical mental health | | YS11 | AI use policy explicitly addresses YMYL content standards | High | | YS12 | Quarterly internal YMYL audit conducted and documented | Medium | Score: 24 max. World-class YMYL site: 22+/24 with zero Critical fails. 8. Common YMYL Mistakes & Anti-Patterns 8.1 "Educational" Content That Functions as Advice Anti-pattern : Articles framed as "educational" but written to direct readers toward specific decisions "This medication is best for...", "You should invest in..." . The educational framing is a fig leaf for advice. Why it fails : Google's raters see through this. Regulatory bodies see through this. Readers harmed by following the implicit advice have legal recourse. Fix : Either commit to advice with credentialed authorship and proper disclosures or commit to education with clearer language that isn't directive . 8.2 Generic Reviewer Stamping Anti-pattern : A single "medical reviewer" listed on hundreds of articles without evidence they actually reviewed each one. Why it fails : When detected typically through inconsistencies in claims across articles , it collapses Trust across the entire site. Fix : Reviewer process must be real. Track which articles each reviewer has actually reviewed. Maintain audit trail. 8.3 Outdated YMYL Content Treated as Current Anti-pattern : Article published 2021 about "current tax law" still ranking and not refreshed. Why it fails : Stale YMYL content harms users and tanks rankings post-core-update. Fix : Aggressive refresh cadence. Retire content that can't be maintained. 8.4 Hidden Affiliate Conflicts in YMYL Anti-pattern : A health site recommends a supplement; affiliate disclosure exists in footer but not on the article. Why it fails : FTC requires "clear and conspicuous" disclosure. For YMYL especially, the conflict is material. Fix : Top-of-article disclosure for any YMYL article with affiliate links. 8.5 Personal Anecdote Presented as Universal Advice Anti-pattern : "How I cured my anxiety with this technique" framed as a solution that will work for readers. Why it fails : Mental health is highly individual. Generalizing personal experience creates harm. Fix : Frame personal experience as personal. Add disclaimers explicitly stating the experience may not apply to others. 8.6 AI-Generated YMYL Without Real Review Anti-pattern : ChatGPT writes an article on medication side effects. A non-credentialed editor "reviews" it. Published as authoritative. Why it fails : AI hallucinations in YMYL content can directly harm readers. Lack of credentialed review is a Trust violation. Detection rate is rising. Fix : Either don't use AI for YMYL drafting, or have a credentialed expert genuinely verify every fact and citation. 8.7 Boilerplate Disclaimers That Don't Match Content Anti-pattern : Generic "consult a professional" disclaimer at the bottom of an article that explicitly tells readers what to do. Why it fails : Disclaimers don't immunize against directive content. Plus: regulators don't accept boilerplate disclaimers as protection. Fix : Match disclaimer to content. If you're giving advice, the disclaimer should reflect that. If you're educating, the content should be educational. 8.8 Misleading Credential Claims Anti-pattern : Author bio claims "20 years of experience" without specifying in what. Or lists credentials abbreviations that look impressive but aren't actually relevant e.g., a non-medical "PhD" reviewing health content . Why it fails : Misleading credentials are a Trust violation when discovered. Plus: in regulated industries medicine, law, finance , can be illegal. Fix : Specific, verifiable credentials. Plain-language explanation of why this person's credentials are relevant to the topic. 8.9 Fabricated Citations Anti-pattern : Article cites a study that doesn't exist or misrepresents what the study found. Often happens with AI-generated content. Why it fails : Easily verified. Catastrophic Trust violation when discovered. Fix : Verify every citation independently before publishing. Click every link. Read the actual source. 8.10 Cross-Border YMYL Without Jurisdictional Awareness Anti-pattern : US-focused legal content viewed by readers in other countries who follow guidance that doesn't apply. Why it fails : Harm to international readers. Reflects on the site's quality. Fix : Clear jurisdictional scope statements. International readers redirected to country-appropriate resources where possible. 9. Stack-Specific YMYL Implementation Notes YMYL content can be created and managed in any stack, but these patterns help: 9.1 WordPress - Plugin : Use a custom plugin or ACF Advanced Custom Fields to add YMYL-specific fields per article: reviewer, license number, last review date, conflict disclosures - Template : Build dedicated ymyl-article.php template that renders required disclaimer + reviewer block + citation requirements - Workflow : Use Editorial Calendar or PublishPress to enforce reviewer assignment before publish 9.2 Next.js - Content schema : Define TypeScript types for YMYL article frontmatter requiring reviewer, license, citations array - Validation : Pre-publish CI/CD step validates required YMYL fields are present - Component : <YmylArticleHeader / component encapsulates disclaimer + author/reviewer credit + dates 9.3 Astro / Hugo / Static Sites - Content collections : Define YMYL article schema with required fields - Build-time validation : Reject builds where YMYL articles are missing required fields - Layout : Dedicated YMYL article layout enforces structural requirements 9.4 Universal Pattern Regardless of stack, the YMYL workflow looks like: - Author drafts article with YMYL classification metadata - Drafted content goes to credentialed reviewer - Reviewer adds review notes and signs off with date - Editorial layer fact-checks against primary sources - Publication system requires all YMYL fields present before publishing - Article appears with full YMYL trust elements - Refresh calendar tracks next-review-due date - Quarterly audit verifies compliance across all YMYL content 10. Cross-Reference to the 14-Tier Framework YMYL implementation touches multiple tiers: - Tier 1 SSO : Security required for HIPAA-compliant health sites - Tier 1 GCO : GDPR/CCPA compliance overlaps with health/finance privacy requirements - Tier 2 ETO : Per-article trust signals disclaimer banner, reviewer credit - Tier 2 AAO : Author authority — extended for credentialed YMYL authors - Tier 4 PBO : Personal brand for credentialed reviewers - Tier 4 REO : Reviews carry more weight in YMYL niches - Tier 6 RSO : Research and original studies — primary literature citations - Tier 8 GA4 : Compliance-aware analytics for YMYL sites When YMYL improvement is the priority for a site, implement in this order: - Classify content Section 5.1 - Build editorial and corrections policy pages Sections 5.2-5.3 - Build topic-specific disclaimer pages Section 5.4 - Recruit credentialed reviewers if not already in place - Per-article YMYL elements Section 5.5 - Industry compliance documentation Section 5.7 - Refresh calendar Section 5.9 - Mental health crisis resources if applicable Section 5.6 11. Validation Protocol 11.1 Automated Validation Verify all YMYL articles have required schema for url in $YMYL URLS; do curl -sL "$url" | python -c " import sys, re, json html = sys.stdin.read matches = re.findall r'<script type=\"application/ld\+json\" . ? </script ', html, re.DOTALL has reviewer = False for m in matches: try: data = json.loads m if 'reviewedBy' in data: has reviewer = True except: pass if not has reviewer: print f'{url}: MISSING reviewedBy' sys.exit 1 " done Verify all YMYL articles have disclaimer for url in $YMYL URLS; do if curl -sL "$url" | grep -q 'class="ymyl-top-disclaimer"'; then echo "FAIL: $url missing disclaimer" fi done Verify required pages REQUIRED= /editorial-policy/ /corrections-policy/ /corrections-log/ for page in "${REQUIRED @ }"; do status=$ curl -o /dev/null -s -w "%{http code}" "https://$DOMAIN$page" "$status" = "200" && echo "FAIL: $page returned $status" done 11.2 Manual Validation - Sample 10% of YMYL articles. Verify each has all elements from Section 6. - Verify reviewer credentials by checking license verification URLs. - Spot-check citations — click every link in the references section of sampled articles. Verify the source actually exists and supports the claim. - Test mental health crisis resources are visible and links work. - Verify AI disclosure if AI is used in any YMYL content. 11.3 Regulatory Validation - HIPAA covered entities: have HIPAA officer review the site annually - SEC-registered firms: have compliance officer review marketing content quarterly - Law firms: have managing partner review attorney advertising compliance per state - Financial advisors: have compliance officer review per FINRA Rule 2210 12. Audit Mode Use Section 4.1 to classify each piece of content. Then score against: - Per-article criteria Section 6 — 24 points max per article. Average across all YMYL articles. - Site-wide criteria Section 7 — 24 points max. Total: 48 points max for YMYL audit. | Score | Status | |---|---| | 44-48 | World-class YMYL compliance | | 38-43 | Compliant with minor gaps | | 30-37 | Significant gaps requiring remediation | | <30 | Critical YMYL failures — immediate action required | A site cannot be considered YMYL-compliant if any Critical-severity item fails, regardless of total score. 13. Maintenance Schedule 13.1 Daily - Monitor mental health crisis page accuracy if applicable - Respond to corrections requests within 2 business days 13.2 Weekly - Review one piece of YMYL content from refresh queue - Check for new citations to add new studies, regulatory updates 13.3 Monthly - Generate YMYL compliance status report - Update corrections log with any material corrections - Run automated YMYL validation across all flagged content - Refresh time-sensitive content drug info, tax dates, etc. 13.4 Quarterly - Full YMYL audit of randomly sampled 10% of YMYL content - Reviewer credential verification license still active, not suspended - Editorial policy review - Industry compliance audit HIPAA, SEC, bar advertising - Update refresh calendar with new content 13.5 Annually - Comprehensive site-wide YMYL audit - Editorial policy substantive review - Disclaimer language legal review - AI use policy review - Reviewer team review any changes, additions, departures - Strategic decision: are we still publishing YMYL content responsibly? 13.6 On Regulatory Change - New SEC/FINRA rule → financial content review within 30 days - New tax law → tax content review immediately - New medical guidelines ADA standards, ACOG guidelines, etc. → relevant content review within 60 days - Court decisions affecting legal content → review within 90 days 14. Implementation/Audit Report Templates 14.1 YMYL Implementation Report Template YMYL Framework Implementation Report Project : {{BUSINESS NAME}} Domain : {{PRIMARY DOMAIN}} Implementation Date : {{TODAY}} YMYL Classification : {{CLASSIFICATION}} YMYL Categories : {{CATEGORIES}} Summary - Total YMYL articles : {{COUNT}} - Articles with full YMYL trust elements : {{COUNT}} - Critical items remediated : {{COUNT}} - Reviewer team established : {{REVIEWER LIST}} Required Pages Created - /editorial-policy/ — {{STATUS}} - /corrections-policy/ — {{STATUS}} - /corrections-log/ — {{STATUS}} - /medical-disclaimer/ — {{STATUS}} - /financial-disclaimer/ — {{STATUS}} - /legal-disclaimer/ — {{STATUS}} Per-Article Trust Elements Installed {{TABLE OF ARTICLES WITH INSTALLED ELEMENTS}} Industry Compliance Documentation {{LIST OF COMPLIANCE DOCS}} Items Flagged for Manual Review {{LIST WITH REASONS}} Refresh Calendar Established - Articles requiring monthly refresh: {{COUNT}} - Articles requiring quarterly refresh: {{COUNT}} - Articles requiring annual refresh: {{COUNT}} Validation Results {{AUTOMATED AND MANUAL RESULTS}} Sign-Off Implementation complete: {{DATE}} Implementer: {{NAME}} Editorial Lead: {{NAME}} Compliance Lead: {{NAME}} 14.2 YMYL Audit Report Template YMYL Framework Audit Report Site : {{BUSINESS NAME}} Audit Date : {{TODAY}} YMYL Classification : {{CLASSIFICATION}} Executive Summary {{SUMMARY}} Overall Score : {{X}}/48 {{PERCENTAGE}}% Status : {{STATUS}} YMYL Inventory - Total content: {{COUNT}} - YMYL content full : {{COUNT}} - YMYL content partial : {{COUNT}} - YMYL content lite : {{COUNT}} - Non-YMYL content: {{COUNT}} Per-Article Compliance {{X}}/24 average {{DETAILED PER ARTICLE FINDINGS}} Site-Wide Compliance {{X}}/24 {{DETAILED SITE FINDINGS}} Critical Failures {{LIST WITH REMEDIATION}} High-Severity Issues {{LIST WITH REMEDIATION}} Industry-Specific Findings {{HIPAA SEC BAR FINDINGS}} Recommended Remediation Order {{PRIORITIZED LIST}} Sign-Off Audit complete: {{DATE}} Auditor: {{NAME}} End of Framework Document Document version : 1.0 Last updated : 2026-04-29 Maintained by : ThatDeveloperGuy YMYL is the highest-stakes framework in the foundational library. Errors in YMYL content can harm users, expose the business to legal and regulatory consequences, and tank rankings. The standards in this document are non-negotiable. When in doubt, err toward more rigor — extra disclaimers, more credentialed reviewers, more frequent refresh, more conservative claims. Companion documents in this library: - framework-eeat.md — Foundational E-E-A-T YMYL applies elevated E-E-A-T standards - framework-hcs.md — Helpful Content System - framework-sqrg.md — Search Quality Rater Guidelines - framework-coreupdates.md — Core Updates - framework-infogain.md — Information Gain - framework-entitysalience.md — Entity Salience - framework-knowledgegraph.md — Knowledge Graph - framework-aicitations.md — AI Citation Theory About this framework library This article is the Dev.to republish of a framework reference document from ThatDevPro's SEO + AI engineering library. Canonical source: https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/framework-ymyl/ ThatDevPro is an SDVOSB-certified veteran-owned web + AI engineering studio operating from Cassville, Missouri. The studio runs the full 14-tier Engine Optimization https://www.thatdevpro.com/services/engine-optimization/ stack and ships open-source tooling for AI citation engineering. Companion 14-tier Engine Optimization stack each tier is its own article : Tier 1 — Foundation https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-1-foundation/ Tier 2 — Search Visibility https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-2-search-visibility/ Tier 3 — AI Domination https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-3-ai-domination/ Tier 4 — Entity and Authority https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-4-entity-and-authority/ Tier 5 — Local Domination https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-5-local-domination/ Tier 6 — Content and Multimedia https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-6-content-and-multimedia/ Tier 7 — Social and Community https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-7-social-and-community/ Tier 8 — Data, Analytics, Conversion https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-8-data-analytics-conversion/ Tier 9 — Monitoring and Intelligence https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-9-monitoring-and-intelligence/ Tier 10 — Workflow and Operations https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-10-workflow-and-operations/ Tier 11 — Marketplace and Retail https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-11-marketplace-and-retail/ Tier 12 — International https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-12-international/ Tier 14 — Advanced and Immersive https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/seo-tier-14-advanced-and-immersive/ Need this framework implemented on your site? See the Engine Optimization service https://www.thatdevpro.com/services/engine-optimization/ or hire through ThatDevPro contact https://www.thatdevpro.com/contact/ .