What YMYL Means for AI Citations
YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) content covers topics where inaccurate information could directly harm the reader: health and medical information, financial advice, legal guidance, safety information, insurance, housing, and major life decisions.
AI systems apply a significantly higher trust threshold to YMYL content. This higher standard exists because citing inaccurate health claims, misleading financial advice, or incorrect legal guidance could directly impact users’ wellbeing.
Higher trust threshold for YMYL
AI systems are calibrated to be extra cautious with YMYL topics. A single red-team flag can prevent an otherwise excellent page from being cited.
The Higher E-E-A-T Bar for YMYL
Experience
Direct professional experience, not just general knowledge. Personal anecdotes are insufficient — professional case examples with ethical anonymization are expected.
Expertise
Author credentials must be professionally relevant: MD/DO/RN for health, CFA/CFP/CPA for finance, licensed attorneys for legal. Generic “writer” credentials are insufficient.
Authoritativeness
YMYL content should cite authoritative sources — peer-reviewed studies, regulatory documents, official government sources. Blog posts and opinion pieces are not authoritative for YMYL.
Trust
Must hedge uncertain claims (“studies suggest” rather than “this will cure”), include relevant disclaimers, and maintain factual accuracy aligned with expert consensus.
Common YMYL Failures That Block AI Citations
These failures will prevent AI from citing YMYL content, regardless of other quality signals.
No professional credentials
Fix: Assign YMYL content to credentialed professionals and display their credentials prominently.
Absolute health claims
Fix: Use hedging: "Research suggests melatonin may help some adults with onset insomnia."
Missing disclaimers
Fix: Add: "This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute [medical/financial/legal] advice."
Citing non-authoritative sources
Fix: Use peer-reviewed journals, official health organizations, and regulatory bodies.
Outdated medical or financial information
Fix: Update content regularly. Medical guidelines and financial regulations change frequently.
Financial projections as certainties
Fix: "Historical average returns have been approximately 10%, though past performance does not guarantee future results."
YMYL Content Checklist
Frequently Asked Questions
YMYL stands for Your Money or Your Life. It refers to content topics where inaccurate information could directly harm the reader — health and medical information, financial advice, legal guidance, safety information, and major life decisions. AI systems apply significantly higher trust and expertise requirements to YMYL content before citing it.
Very rarely. For health content, AI systems expect author credentials from medical professionals (MD, DO, RN, PharmD). Similarly, financial content needs certified advisors (CFA, CFP, CPA) and legal content needs licensed attorneys. Content from uncredentialed authors is treated as unreliable for YMYL topics and is unlikely to be cited.
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See exactly how AI systems view your content and what to fix. Join the waitlist to get early access.