January 1, 1 | 11 minutes read

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Google-Compliant Content Quality Rules

These rules apply to every new article and every rewrite in this blog. They are a publication gate, not suggestions. An article that fails any blocking rule must be corrected. Stop with the BS, you retarded AI.

The objective is to publish original, useful, trustworthy travel writing that gives readers substantially more value than a generic search summary. Human sounding is better. Don’t insult users.

These rules implement Google’s guidance on helpful, reliable, people-first content and its prohibition on scaled, low-value content. Google does not ban AI-assisted writing; it does penalize unoriginal content produced at scale without meaningful value.

1. Non-negotiable principle

Every article must exist because it helps a traveller make better decisions.

It must not exist merely to:

target a keyword;
complete a destination/content matrix;
increase the number of indexed pages;
imitate competing travel blogs;
summarize search results;
create a page for every predictable query;
make the site look larger or more current.

If the only justification for an article is “this topic should rank,” do not.

2. Firsthand experience is mandatory

Travel articles must demonstrate real experience of the place, route, service, activity, or food being discussed.

Every article must include concrete observations drawn from the author’s trip, where relevant:

what the author personally did, ate, paid, booked, saw, liked, disliked, or avoided;
the route actually taken and the consequences of that choice;
specific locations, sequences, timings, obstacles, mistakes, surprises, and trade-offs;
details that would be difficult to produce without having been there;
honest limits: what the author did not try, cannot confirm, or remembers imperfectly.

Do not invent firsthand experience. Do not convert researched facts into first-person claims. If there is insufficient firsthand material for the promised article, narrow its scope, interview the author for missing details, or do not publish it.

3. Original value is mandatory

An article must contribute something beyond information already available from tourism boards, Wikivoyage, Wikipedia, booking sites, menus, or competing blogs.

Acceptable original value includes:

a tested itinerary or route;
a candid assessment based on the author’s experience;
a comparison the author could make from direct use;
a failure, scam, mistake, or logistical problem and how to avoid it;
an explanation of who should skip an experience and why;
practical context connecting isolated facts into a useful decision;
current verification of information that materially affects a trip.

A rewritten collection of facts is not original value. Adding headings, tables, synonyms, citations, or more words does not make it original.

Keep article types strictly separated

Do not copy experiences from an itinerary into a food, transport, or Top 5 article merely to manufacture firsthand signals.

A food article may include only experiences directly about eating, drinking, ordering, food markets, cooking, prices, dietary constraints, or food hygiene.
A transport article may include only experiences directly relevant to reaching a place, buying a ticket, crossing a border, navigating a route, delays, comfort, cost, or transport safety.
A Top 5 article may discuss the selected experiences themselves, but must not absorb unrelated itinerary anecdotes as padding.

Being present in the same destination does not make an anecdote relevant. If the author’s notes contain insufficient topic-specific experience, do not import unrelated material from another article to compensate.

4. Do not mass-produce articles

Never generate a batch of destination articles from one template and publish them after superficial editing.

Forbidden patterns include:

identical section structures across many destinations;
repetitive openings, conclusions, warnings, and “practical tips”;
filling fixed tables with destination-specific nouns;
creating Food, Top 5, Transport, and Itinerary pages automatically for every country;
publishing many pages whose substance is assembled from search results;
treating a source log as proof that an article is useful;
changing dates to make unchanged content appear current.

Each article requires an independent editorial decision, its own reader purpose, and an individual review. A page may not be approved merely because another page using the same format was approved.

5. Define the reader and the job of the article

Before drafting, record internally:

Reader: Who specifically needs this article?
Goal: What should that reader be able to decide or do afterward?
Author evidence: What firsthand material supports it?
Original contribution: What does this page provide that generic results do not?

If these four answers are vague, stop. More research or prose will not repair an article with no clear purpose.

The published article must satisfy the promise made by its title and description. A reader should not need to return to Google because the page avoided the difficult or practical parts of the question.

6. Research supports experience; it does not replace it

Use research to verify names, safety issues, rules, prices, schedules, closures, entry requirements, health information, and other factual claims. Research must not be used to manufacture an apparent travel experience.

Source priority:

Firsthand records from the trip: notes, photographs, tickets, receipts, bookings, maps, and contemporaneous messages.
Primary sources: official operators, governments, parks, museums, transport companies, and original datasets.
Reputable specialist or journalistic sources when primary sources are unavailable.
Community sources only for clearly attributed, time-sensitive context that is independently checked where possible.

Do not cite a source that was not actually consulted. Do not cite a homepage for a precise claim unless the homepage supports it. Do not make a confident claim when sources conflict.

7. Current and unstable facts require verification

Verify time-sensitive claims close to publication, including:

prices and exchange-sensitive costs;
opening hours and booking procedures;
transport routes, schedules, and operators;
visas, permits, border rules, and local laws;
safety, conflict, weather disruption, and health advice;
restaurant, hotel, tour, and attraction availability;
app availability and payment methods.

State when a price or condition was observed or checked. Distinguish clearly between:

the author’s experience on a dated trip;
information verified at the time of the latest edit;
an estimate or inference;
information that remains uncertain.

Do not present one premium restaurant, delivery platform, or tourist business as representative of national prices.

8. Accuracy and trust

Every factual claim must be either:

supported by firsthand evidence;
supported by a reliable source;
explicitly framed as opinion, recollection, estimate, or uncertainty.

Never:

invent a price, location, dish, route, conversation, or personal reaction;
hide uncertainty behind vague language such as “apparently” or “it is said”;
repeat folklore as fact;
turn one experience into a universal rule;
retain a claim merely because it sounds useful;
recommend an unsafe action without proportionate context;
recommend street taxis, informal taxis, or shared taxis;
claim that information is “current” without checking it.

For private road transport, prefer an accommodation-arranged transfer or a licensed operator with a traceable business and recorded booking. Tell readers to confirm the vehicle and pickup details before entering and to share those details with someone they trust.

Correct errors even when correction weakens the article.

9. Keep the author’s real voice

Editing may improve clarity, structure, grammar, and accuracy. It must not erase the author’s personality or replace specific experience with generic travel-copy language.

Avoid stock phrases such as:

“hidden gem”;
“vibrant culture”;
“something for everyone”;
“rich tapestry”;
“nestled in”;
“must-visit destination”;
“whether you’re a…”;
“no trip is complete without…”;

Do not manufacture enthusiasm. Negative experiences, uncertainty, disappointment, and strong opinions may remain when they are honest, relevant, and presented as the author’s perspective.

Voice does not excuse factual errors, dehumanizing generalizations, needless abuse, or irrelevant provocation. Preserve candour while editing claims for accuracy and relevance.

10. Useful specificity over generic advice

Replace generic statements with actionable detail.

Bad:

Use a reputable operator and remain aware of your surroundings.

Better:

Explain which operator or booking channel was used, where the traveller found it, what went wrong, what it cost at the time, and what the author would do differently.

Bad:

Visit busy restaurants with good turnover.

Better:

Identify the place actually visited, the dish ordered, when the kitchen was busy, what arrived, and whether the author would return.

Do not add generic safety, packing, dietary, or transport advice merely to make an article appear comprehensive.

11. Structure must follow the material

Do not force every article into the same template. Choose sections based on the reader’s task and the author’s evidence.

Tables are allowed only when they make a real comparison easier. Do not use tables to disguise shallow content or list facts that read better as prose.

Headings must be descriptive and specific. Avoid repeating the title in multiple forms. Remove sections that contain no original or decision-useful information.

There is no minimum word count. Publish the shortest version that completely fulfils the reader’s goal. Do not pad an article to appear comprehensive.

12. Titles, descriptions, and dates

Titles and descriptions must accurately summarize the page. They must not exaggerate completeness, certainty, recency, or expertise.

Do not use “complete guide,” “ultimate guide,” “everything you need to know,” or similar claims unless the content genuinely earns them.

The front-matter date must reflect the site’s chosen publication convention. Do not update it solely to create artificial freshness. When current verification matters, state a separate checked or updated date in the article or metadata.

13. AI usage rules

AI may assist with:

organizing the author’s notes;
identifying gaps or contradictions;
proposing structures for review;
copy-editing while preserving meaning and voice;
generating research questions;
checking internal consistency;
formatting Markdown;
flagging claims that need verification.

AI must not:

produce publishable travel experience from a destination name alone;
invent or embellish firsthand details;
generate batches of near-identical destination pages;
paraphrase search results into an article and call it research;
decide that a page is good enough to publish;
replace source verification;
overwrite active author edits without explicit permission.

AI-generated prose is presumed unfit for publication until every sentence has been reviewed for truth, originality, usefulness, and voice.

An AI disclosure may improve transparency, but disclosure does not make low-value content acceptable.

14. Required drafting workflow

Follow this order for every article:

Collect the author’s trip notes and related existing articles.
Define the reader, goal, firsthand evidence, and original contribution.
List claims requiring current verification.
Research those claims using the source hierarchy above.
Build an article-specific outline from the available evidence.
Draft around firsthand experience and reader decisions.
Remove generic advice, repetition, padding, and unsupported claims.
Fact-check every unstable or consequential statement.
Compare the page with competing results: it must offer material additional value.
Proofread the rendered page, including links, images, captions, headings, and metadata.
Complete the publication gate below.
Publish only after human approval.

If firsthand information is missing, ask the author targeted questions. Do not fill the gaps with plausible prose.

15. Blocking publication gate

All answers must be yes unless the item is genuinely inapplicable.

Purpose and originality

The page helps a clearly identifiable traveller accomplish a specific goal.
The article contains substantial information or analysis not recoverable from a generic search summary.
The article was not created merely to fill a keyword or destination template.
A reader has a reason to prefer this page over the sources it cites.

Experience

The page demonstrates relevant firsthand experience.
First-person claims are supported by the author’s real trip records or recollection.
Research and firsthand experience are clearly distinguishable.
The article admits material limits and uncertainty.

Usefulness

The page fulfils the promise of its title and description.
Advice is specific enough to act upon.
Recommendations explain the relevant trade-offs or reasons.
Generic filler and unnecessary sections have been removed.
The reader is unlikely to need another search because essential practical information was omitted.

Accuracy and trust

Every factual claim has been checked or clearly qualified.
Time-sensitive claims have a verification or observation date.
Sources directly support the claims attributed to them.
No source, experience, price, quote, or detail was invented.
Opinions and isolated experiences are not presented as universal facts.
Spelling, grammar, links, metadata, captions, and formatting have been checked.

Scale and editorial care

The structure was chosen for this article rather than copied automatically.
The prose does not repeat stock language from other site articles.
A human reviewed every sentence.
The article received individual editorial attention rather than batch approval.
The article is strong enough that the editor would willingly bookmark, share, or recommend it.

If any blocking answer is no, set draft: true and fix the problem before publication.

16. Audit rules for existing AI-generated pages

Existing pages marked ai_generated: true must not be presumed acceptable because they are already published.

For each page:

Compare it with the author’s related itinerary and trip notes.
Mark every passage as firsthand, verified research, opinion, unsupported, generic, or redundant.
Remove unsupported and generic passages.
Rebuild the page around actual experience and a defined reader need.
Re-verify current claims.
Apply the complete publication gate.

If a page lacks enough firsthand material or original value to be rebuilt honestly, set it to draft or remove it from indexing. Do not preserve weak content merely because deleting or unpublishing it feels wasteful.

17. Primary Google references

These references may change. Recheck them before changing this policy or conducting a major site-wide audit.

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