Reference library
Guideline
Policy documents, what platforms permit, what they penalise, and how quality is assessed. Read these before arguing about what is "against the guidelines".
12 references · 6 canonical · 12 free · All / Intermediate / Advanced / Beginner
| Title | Author / publisher | Year | Level | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bing Webmaster Guidelines ↗Canon Bing's published expectations for content, technical implementation and link acquisition, plus the practices Bing treats as abuse. The main non-Google engine policy document in English. bing.com | Microsoft Bing | , | All | Free |
| Creating Helpful, Reliable, People-First Content ↗Canon Google's self-assessment questions on content quality, expertise and originality. Includes Google's public explanation of E-E-A-T and of who, how and why in content creation. developers.google.com | Google Search Central | , | All | Free |
| FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking ↗Canon The FTC's practical guidance on disclosing material connections in endorsements, affiliate content, sponsored posts and reviews. The governing US rulebook for affiliate and influencer content in search results. ftc.gov | US Federal Trade Commission | , | Intermediate | Free |
| Google Search Essentials ↗Canon The successor to the Google Webmaster Guidelines. Defines the technical requirements, spam policies and key best practices a site must meet to be eligible for Google Search. Continuously updated. developers.google.com | Google Search Central | , | All | Free |
| Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines ↗Canon The PDF handbook Google gives to its external search quality raters. Defines Page Quality, Needs Met, E-E-A-T, Your Money or Your Life topics and lowest-quality signals. The closest public statement of what Google considers a good result. guidelines.raterhub.com | , | Advanced | Free | |
| Spam Policies for Google Web Search ↗Canon Google's enumeration of behaviours that can trigger ranking demotion or removal from Search, including cloaking, doorways, scaled content abuse, site reputation abuse, expired domain abuse and link spam. developers.google.com | Google Search Central | , | All | Free |
| ASA / CAP Advertising Codes ↗ The UK non-broadcast advertising codes governing marketing communications, including online claims, affiliate disclosure and influencer marketing. Enforced by the ASA. asa.org.uk | Advertising Standards Authority (UK) | , | Intermediate | Free |
| Do You Need an SEO? Tips for Hiring an SEO ↗ Google's advice for site owners evaluating SEO providers, including due-diligence questions and warning signs of unsafe practices. developers.google.com | Google Search Central | , | Beginner | Free |
| General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Compliance Guidelines ↗ Reference resource covering the GDPR text and practical compliance requirements. Directly relevant to consent management, analytics measurement and personalisation in search marketing. gdpr.eu | gdpr.eu | , | Intermediate | Free |
| Guidelines for Representing Your Business on Google ↗ The rules governing Google Business Profile listings: eligibility, naming, categories, service areas and prohibited practices. The foundational policy document for local SEO. support.google.com | , | All | Free | |
| Naver Search Advisor Webmaster Guide ↗ Naver's official webmaster guide for the dominant South Korean search engine, covering site registration, collection rules, markup and content policy. searchadvisor.naver.com | Naver | , | Advanced | Free |
| UK Competition and Markets Authority ↗ The UK regulator whose digital markets work covers search engine competition, self-preferencing and online choice architecture, including designations under the digital markets competition regime. gov.uk | GOV.UK | , | Intermediate | Free |