Google Updates Its Guidance on Main Content and Page Quality
Google has quietly updated its Creating Helpful, Reliable, People-First Content documentation, adding more information about the importance of main content on webpages and how Search Quality Raters evaluate it.
The update says that, beyond E-E-A-T, the quality of a page’s main content is “one of the most critical factors for assessing page quality.” Google also explains that the focus is on how effectively the main content helps a page achieve its purpose and provides a satisfying user experience.
The change was also reported by Search Engine Roundtable, which highlighted the additions to Google’s documentation.
1. Google Adds New Guidance on Main Content
Google has added new information explaining what it considers “main content” and how the quality of that content is evaluated.
The updated documentation defines main content as any part of a webpage that directly helps the page achieve its purpose.
What counts as main content can therefore vary depending on the type of webpage and its primary intent.
2. What Does Google Consider Main Content?
Google’s updated guidance identifies several types of content that can qualify as main content.
Primary Text and Media
This includes the main text and media presented on a page, such as:
- Articles
- Written content
- Images
- Audio
- Videos
These elements can serve as the main content when they directly fulfill the purpose of the webpage.
Interactive Features
Interactive functionality can also be considered main content.
Google gives examples such as:
- Calculators
- Online tools
- Games
- Search functionality
For a page built around an online calculator or another tool, the interactive feature can directly fulfill the purpose for which users visit the page.
User-Generated Contributions
User-generated material can also be part of the main content when it directly serves the purpose of the page.
Examples include:
- Forum discussions
- Customer reviews
- Comments
- User-uploaded media
For example, if a page is created around discussing a particular user question, the discussion and contributions from users can directly fulfill the purpose of that page.
Tabbed or Expanded Sections
Information available through tabs or expandable sections can also be considered main content.
This may include:
- Product specifications
- Safety information
- User reviews
The information can remain part of the main content even when users need to interact with the page before seeing it.
Page Titles and Headings
Google also includes visible page titles and headings in its explanation of main content.
These elements summarize the topic of the page and help users understand what the page covers before deciding whether to visit or continue reading.
3. How Search Quality Raters Evaluate Main Content
Google has also added information explaining how Search Quality Raters are trained to evaluate fundamental attributes of main content.
The updated guidance identifies four areas:
Effort
Effort refers to the amount of human work involved in creating the content or the systems that power it.
Google gives examples such as writing original analysis, manually translating a poem, or building a custom interactive map for a game.
By contrast, automatically generating pages from feeds or using generative AI to produce large amounts of content without manual oversight or curation can represent little to no effort.
Google also states that attribution or giving credit to other sources does not replace the need for original effort.
Originality
Originality refers to the extent to which content provides unique and original information or perspectives that are not already available on other websites.
Talent or Skill
Google says Search Quality Raters also consider whether the content demonstrates the talent, skill, or expertise needed to provide a satisfying experience for visitors.
Examples include clear writing, well-produced video, and functional page tools.
Google also points out that not every type of content requires specialized expertise. For example, a person sharing their experience of finding a new way to clear a driveway of snow does not necessarily need specialized expertise.
Accuracy
For informational pages, Google says the content should be factually accurate.
For topics that could significantly affect people’s lives or well-being, including YMYL topics, the content should be highly accurate and consistent with established expert consensus.
4. Why Did Google Add This Information?
Google has not updated this part of its documentation in a long time. The new guidance provides more detail about what Google considers main content and the attributes that Search Quality Raters evaluate.
The update comes alongside other changes related to content created with generative AI. Google has also provided guidance on using generative AI content, covering how AI-generated content fits within its broader search guidance.
5. What Does the Update Say About AI-Generated Content?
The new guidance specifically addresses the amount of human work involved in creating content.
Google says that automatically generating pages from feeds or using generative AI to produce large amounts of text without manual oversight or curation can represent little to no effort.
It also states that giving attribution or credit to another source does not replace the need for original effort.
These points are included as part of Google’s explanation of how the effort behind main content can be evaluated.
6. Is This Connected to the September 2026 Spam Update?
The documentation changes come while Google’s September 2026 spam update is rolling out.
However, there is no confirmation that the changes to the helpful content documentation are related to that spam update.
The documentation update focuses on main content and how Search Quality Raters evaluate it, while the spam update is a separate search-system update.
At this point, the connection between the two has not been confirmed.
7. What Has Google Added?
The new information mainly covers two areas.
Main content: Google explains that the main content of a webpage can include primary text and media, interactive features, user-generated contributions, tabbed or expanded sections, and visible page titles and headings when they directly help the page achieve its purpose.
Content attributes: Google explains that Search Quality Raters evaluate main content based on effort, originality, talent or skill, and accuracy.
The update provides additional detail in Google’s documentation about what main content can include and how its quality is evaluated.
