Google Search Results Can Be Harmful & Dangerous In Some Cases

EEAT stands for Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It was introduced by Google partially to ensure that the search results do no harm and are not dangerous. The concept came about as a response to concerns about the quality and safety of information provided in Google Search results. The goal was to prevent searchers from being led to harmful or dangerous information.

Complaints have arisen because some users have found Google search results to be not just of low quality, but also potentially harmful and dangerous. This includes instances where Google has been showing more forum content, such as Reddit results, which may not always be reliable or safe. Despite users seeking out this type of content, there is concern that it can lead to the dissemination of dangerous information, particularly when it ranks highly in search results.

Google, through its Search Liaison Danny Sullivan, has acknowledged the feedback and concerns regarding harmful and dangerous search results. Sullivan has stated that the feedback has been passed on to the team and that they are in discussions about these issues. Google aims to improve their ranking systems and reduce unhelpful content, promising quality improvements and a reduction of such content by approximately 40%. They are taking in the feedback and have expressed a commitment to doing better in the future.

Most SEOs don't expect much change from Google in terms of search result quality. Despite Google's assurances that search quality is better and that unhelpful content will be reduced by around 40%, while also promising quality improvements repeatedly, there is a general skepticism among SEO professionals about significant changes being implemented.