Have you ever wondered how Google decides which websites to trust and promote? Well, the secret behind it can be E-A-T, the magic ingredient that determines Google’s rankings. E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trust. It is the best of credibility used by search engines to assess the quality of a website. Think of it as Google’s method of making sure that when you click the search button, you receive the best results possible.
When was the last time you clicked for information or to make a purchase on a dubious website? Probably not recently. It’s because of Google’s desire to provide a flawless and reliable internet experience for its users. Thus, how is it possible for your website to be the one that Google features?
Adopting the E-A-T technique is clearly the way to go. Your website can become a trusted source that Google prominently promotes by stressing its key features. Let’s have a look!
What E-A-T Actually Stands For?
Google came up with the abbreviation E-A-T, which stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trust. These three terms, which span different industries and niches, evaluate a company's merit as a leader in its particular field. This metrics are used by Google to assess a website's degree of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness as well as the individual content on every single page (analyzed by URL) and the writer of that content.
Incorporating E-A-T as a metric for content quality by Google signifies a paradigm shift in how search engines assess and rank content.
Still unsure about the true impact of E-A-T on your business's SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy? Keep reading for a comprehensive overview of:
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The origin and significance of E-A-T
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The potential risks to your business if overlooked
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Instances of disruptive algorithm updates influenced by E-A-T
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Strategies to enhance your website's E-A-T for SEO
#1: Expertise
Expertise is defined as having skill or knowledge in a particular field. Offering a service or product that you have a thorough understanding of can make you appear knowledgeable, especially if you can demonstrate that your knowledge is on the same level with or greater than that of your competitors.
Imagine yourself in a lineup with competitors, needing to prove to a potential customer how knowledgeable you are. Demonstrating your superior knowledge and plumbing compared to the person seated next to you would make you stand out.
This also applies to your website. It is aimed to check if it exhibits a greater degree of proficiency in comparison to other web pages and websites that Google finds online. Similar to making an impression in a lineup, showcasing the breadth of your website's expertise can help you stand out as an authority.
Some essentials here include:
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Expressing Expertise: Expertise goes beyond just showing what you know. It means explaining things in a way people can connect with.
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Building Trust: It indicates the need to really understand your subject. Make sure to explain clearly to gain people's trust.
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Matching Expertise with Topic: Your knowledge should fit how complex the topic is. Make sure your presentation makes sense and is complete.
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Backing up Expertise: Use real-life examples and case studies. Include insights from industry leaders to prove your expertise.
#2: Authoritativeness
Authoritativeness refers to an individual or website that is trustworthy, accurate, and reliable. Just as expertise assesses knowledge and skill, authority evaluates how distinct you, your brand, business, or website and its content are compared to other alternatives.
When people search online, they're seeking an authoritative source that provides trustworthy answers. They not only want to rely on the expertise of individuals or brands, but also want assurance that they are the go-to experts.
Google looks closely at your brand, website, and content to see if it has well-written content and if it is the most authoritative or leading source of content out there. This is how Authoritativeness works.
Here are some benefits of authoritative content:
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Attracts a larger readership
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Contributes significantly to enhanced SEO rankings
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Strengthens the website's standing as a go-to resource
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Authoritative content reinforces your brand's identity, contributing to increased recognition and recall among your target audience.
#3: Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness shows the ability to be relied on as honest or truthful. It is the assessment of how much confidence you have upon your brand, website, or content. It's not just about creating content; it's about ensuring that the content is trustworthy.
Consider a scenario where someone offers an unbelievable deal. If it seems too good to be true, trust is immediately lost. For instance, offering tickets at 75% off market price raises suspicions, and trust dissipates. Once trust is lost, it's challenging to regain. Same works with Google.
Google always measures trust in a website based on detected backlinks from other domains. The higher the trust in the linking domain, the more trust Google places in the linked-to domain. Recent advancements in Google's algorithms go beyond traditional measures, incorporating factors that mimic how a real person, like you, would evaluate trustworthiness based on repeated demonstrations of trust.
Why E-A-T A Must for Your Website?
You'd certainly look for a better accountant if yours isn't skilled or trustworthy. Google users do the same. Here's why Google thinks E-A-T is crucial for websites.
Google's Algorithm Learning
Google's computer system is getting smarter. It looks at whether a website has expertise, authority, and trust to decide its credibility. If it meets all the standards, it gets more traffic and leads.
What Happens if You Don't Meet the Standards?
If your website doesn't satisfy what users are looking for, Google will prefer another website. This means your site might lose its ranking, people may not visit as much, and you could make less money.
Giving Users a Good Experience
Google really likes websites that make users happy. If another website does a better job of making people happy, Google will show that website more. This can be bad news for your site.
Some Industries Need to Be Extra Good
Certain types of businesses, like ones related to health or finance, need to be super reliable. If your site is in one of these categories, you have to be extra careful to meet Google's standards.
What Occurs When E-A-T is neglected?
Avoiding E-A-T for your website can have several detrimental consequences, such as:
Loss of Trust
Neglecting E-A-T may lead to a decline in user trust. Visitors are less likely to engage with your content or make transactions if they doubt your site's reliability.
Decreased Visibility
Search engines prioritize websites with strong E-A-T. Ignoring these factors may result in lower search rankings, reducing your site's visibility and organic traffic.
User Dissatisfaction
Users expect accurate and reliable information. Ignoring E-A-T can lead to poor user experiences, resulting in dissatisfaction and a higher bounce rate.
Competitive Disadvantage
Competing websites investing in E-A-T may surpass yours in search results. This can hinder your ability to stand out in your industry and attract new visitors.
Impact on Revenue
A decline in trust, visibility, and user satisfaction can ultimately affect your revenue. Users may be less likely to convert into customers, leading to financial losses.
Long-Term Repercussions
Ignoring E-A-T guidelines can have lasting effects on your website's reputation. Rebuilding trust and recovering lost rankings may take considerable time and effort.
Missed Business Opportunities
Websites with strong E-A-T are more likely to attract partnerships, collaborations, and opportunities. Failing to prioritize E-A-T may result in missed chances for business growth.
Building E-A-T for Websites
There are more ways to improve E-A-T besides simply making more information. Taking a thorough method means creating detailed, high-quality material and ensuring users have a good experience.
Positive user experiences can include how easy it is to use a website, how fast pages load, and how well it works on mobile devices. Both people and search engines use these factors to get a full picture of how trustworthy a website is.
Content Creator's Responsibility
Content creators play a pivotal role in upholding E-A-T principles. Ethical content development involves avoiding plagiarism and ensuring the information presented is accurate, up-to-date, and aligned with the website's expertise.
Transparency in the content creation process can further enhance trust. This involves providing clear attributions, citing sources, and openly acknowledging potential biases or conflicts of interest.
Improving your website E-A-T is quite simple if you've determined that it has a low E-A-T problem. It involves applying a methodical approach to your user experience, content, and website. Let's start by discussing a few simple changes you can make this way.
Audit Your Brand
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Examine how clear, honest, and transparent your brand is on your website. Check out the homepage first. Evaluate the degree to which it conveys your knowledge and reliability. Check to see whether your website has any affiliations, awards, or certifications that attest to the legitimacy of your company and staff.
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Give a brief overview of your background, your main principles, and who you are. Highlight the unique qualities of your business, such as its reputation, core principles, or involvement in the community.
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Encourage simple communication. Make sure all devices have easy access to contact information. Quickly respond to frequently asked questions about returns, refunds, and customer service information.
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Perform a brand audit from the outside. Examine social media and review sites for comments. React positively as soon as you hear criticism, seeing it as a chance to get better. To improve customer satisfaction, take note of reoccurring problems and make necessary modifications.
Audit Your Existing Content
Your website is a representation of your expertise. So, it’s essential to make sure that your content meets the needs of current state of knowledge. If you've previously utilized content that doesn't meet your current standards, such as generic 500-word blog posts aimed at SEO, it's time for a content audit.
Consider whether each piece of content truly meets the needs of your audience when evaluating it. If the response is unambiguously "No," you have two choices:
Revise the content: Update it to align with search intent and reflect the required expertise and authority. Ignore arbitrary word counts and focus on satisfying the audience's needs.
Remove the content: If a piece doesn't serve your audience or meet the necessary standards, consider removing it from your website.
If there are any content gaps that can be filled with small modifications, make the required changes. Make sure the updated material is approved either by a designated authority in your organization or by yourself.
This content verification and approval by a designated authority leads to huge benefits. It ensures that the quality content is reaching to the audience and improves the website rankings on search engines like Google. By using this procedure, you can reuse and recycle content without compromising its accuracy or effectiveness.
Build Proper Content Creation Strategy
Some content creation strategies for your website can be:
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Establish a framework for future content creation to adhere to E-A-T principles.
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Ensure content is thoroughly researched and expertly written.
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Include relevant links to other pages on your website or reputable external domains.
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Seek expert approval for content created by individuals lacking expertise.
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Prioritize addressing specific customer needs over creating content for ranking purposes.
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Ensure content aligns with your sales funnel to maintain relevance.
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If content doesn't meet these criteria, reconsider its placement on your website.
Hire In Experts
If you don’t have time to do the research or write the content personally, there are outsourcing options available. You can consider building a team of skilled researchers and writers either as individual freelancers or through an agency. They must be exceptional in both areas to ensure that the content is clear, professional, and up to the mark.
Make Your Content Easy to Access
We are now in the era of mobile dominance, with over 50% of online traffic coming from mobile devices since 2017. Google has transitioned to a Mobile-first Index for ranking, emphasizing a website's performance on mobile devices. Mobile-friendly designs must be given top priority on modern websites, using responsive layouts.
Content should be simple to read, navigate, and distraction-free, whether it is viewed on desktop, laptop, or mobile devices. Google discourages too much ads and strongly dislikes fraudulent marketing practices. So, be careful when it comes to aggressive advertising.
Spare a Room for Improvement
Never stop trying to improve. Each day you delay optimizing your E-A-T for SEO is an opportunity for your competitors. Like SEO, improvements may not happen right away, but they pay off handsomely.
Make a commitment to improve your website by at least 1% every day. Keep an eye on:
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Improving your about page
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Making contact information more visible
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Performing content audits
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Posting well-thought-out updates
How Can You Differentiate Low and High E-A-T
Examples of low and high E-A-T can provide clarity on the concept. Here are examples of low E-A-T:
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An article authored by an individual lacking clear expertise in the subject. Just like a piece on advanced SEO strategies authored by someone without a background in digital marketing or search engine optimization.
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A website lacking authority in the field covered in an article, like a post on advanced SEO techniques found on a travel blog.
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A website with inadequate security or false information that makes it difficult to trust.
Examples of High E-A-T
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An article written by a reputable subject matter expert, e.g. an article on advanced SEO tactics written by an experienced SEO writer.
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A website recognized as an authoritative source for the topic covered in an article. For example, a post on advanced SEO practices featured on a leading digital marketing agency's website.
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Article showing accurate information and references from credible sources.
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A website with adequate security measures applied.
Future Trends in E-A-T and SEO
Search engine calculations are always changing, meaning SEO is also changing. Staying ahead of future trends involves adapting to current changes and anticipating how the role of E-A-T will evolve.
To provide a forward-looking perspective, exploring emerging technologies, shifts in user behavior, and potential changes in search engine algorithms can equip readers with insights to prepare for the future of E-A-T and SEO.
Takeaway
Google's EAT is a big deal for making your website shine in online searches. It's like the hero in the world of SEO, and it’s here to stay. Imagine it as the key to making your website stand out in Google eyes. When you focus on creating fantastic content that your audience loves and follows Google's rules, you're basically telling both your fans and Google, Check us out, we're worth it!
This E-A-T thing is like a bright future for your website's success. So, get on board, make friends with E-A-T, and ensure your business success.