E-A-T is an important guideline marketer need to know and focus on. Find out exactly what E-A-T is, and why it matters.
What is EAT?
Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, or E-A-T, is a guiding principle used by Google's search quality raters to assess the efficacy and quality of search results. The Search Quality Rater Guidelines are used by quality raters, who are actual people, to assess how well Google's search results satisfy users.
Rankings are not directly impacted by feedback from quality raters. But over time, it does assist Google in improving its algorithm. E-A-T, therefore, works hand in hand with SEO even if it isn't a direct Google ranking criterion.
Since introducing the guidelines in 2014, Google has updated them about once every twelve months. The weight given to E-A-T has been somewhat modified since the May 2019 Search Quality Rater Guidelines update. Now, rather than being a synonym for Page Quality, it is one factor in determining Page Quality.
Let's now explore the relationships between the three E-A-T components and your content.
Expertise
Search quality raters look at who created the Main Content (MC) of a page to assess expertise. Is the author a subject matter expert? Do they possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and credentials?
Additionally, quality raters look for "everyday expertise," which refers to a person's familiarity with a subject without necessarily possessing professional credentials.
An example of everyday expertise would be a food blogger that offers in-depth, helpful evaluations for restaurants while having less official training or experience.
Authoritativeness
Search quality raters examine the creator of a page's Main Content to determine expertise. Is the author an expert on the subject? Do they have the necessary knowledge, qualifications, and credentials?
Quality raters also look for "everyday expertise," which means someone is knowledgeable about a subject but does not necessarily have expert credentials.
Everyday expertise could refer to a food blogger who provides detailed, useful restaurant reviews, requiring less formal expertise or education
Your overall reputation in your industry is referred to as your authoritativeness. Particularly among experts and influencers in your field. Google quality raters are instructed to evaluate the authority of the main creator, the main creator itself, and the website. An article on abdominal pain from Healthline, for example, is authoritative because Healthline is a well-known publication for medical advice.
The writers—Healthline Editorial Contributors are health and wellness professionals. They request that an expert (usually a doctor) review their content for accuracy. Other authorities in your industry should link to your content because it is valuable.
In other words, people recognise you, are aware of your background, and regard you as a leader in your field. They consider you a reliable source of information.
Trustworthiness
To determine credibility, quality raters also consider the main content's author, the main content itself, and the website. Clarify who wrote your information, check it for factual correctness, credit reliable sources, and don't bury it in a sea of adverts. However, keep in mind that this goes beyond only substance.
Google describes "a shopping checkout page that has an unsecured connection" as being untrustworthy in section 6.1 of the Quality Rater Guidelines.
Is E-A-T a Ranking Factor?
E-A-T is not a specific ranking factor, but it can affect how highly ranked your material is.
In multiple different areas of its algorithm, Google uses the E-A-T principle to identify what information is high-quality and should be ranked higher. Indirectly, it can affect your total search ranks even if it isn't a direct ranking element.
So Why Is E-A-T Important for SEO?
Google is providing us with some insight into what they consider high-quality content, which can have huge implications for content marketers and SEO professionals. E-A-T guidelines specify what type of content Google considers high-quality to real human reviewers who evaluate hundreds of websites.
Great content, according to their guidelines, should:
- Help users.
- Be created by a professional.
- Be published on a reputable website.
- Be dependable.
- Be kept up to date.
If possible, high-level expertise should be used to create the content, but "everyday expertise" from people with real-world experience is acceptable when appropriate.
Pages that spread hatred, injure, misinform, or deceive users may receive a lower E-A-T rating from search evaluators.
How to improve E-A-T on your website?
You now understand that E-a-t stands for Google's algorithm. You are aware of its importance and the reason why SEO specialists are all abuzz over it. What does that imply for your website, though? It implies that you need to improve your content.
Here is a checklist to help your website become more authoritative and trustworthy.
1. Tell visitors who you are -
The E-A-T guideline indicates that Google wants to know who provides material and whether that person (or people) or website is a reliable source of that information.
Google needs to know who provides material and whether that person (or people) or website is a reliable source of that information, according to all three prongs of the E-A-T standards.
Now is the perfect moment to create an About Us or a Team page that describes your team and your content contributors.
Establishing your team's knowledge, authority, and reliability is easy with author pages.
2. Create high-quality content
Your website should offer information that puts people first. This refers to information that leaves the reader satisfied, offers guidance, and addresses their questions.
In its August 2022 "Helpful Content Update," Google strengthened its stance on this.
The update's main goal is to make certain that the following content is included:
- Original
- User-friendly
- written by people, for people
Make sure your content is always valuable and has a high degree of E-A-T by regularly auditing it. Your content won't be as helpful if it contains out-of-date information, even if it was once beneficial.
You must examine all of your current pages to see whether they need to be updated, removed, or combined before you can conduct a content audit.
After auditing your content, take action. Using your results, adjust your content strategy and determine which pages to add or update first.
To learn more about performing a detailed content audit, read our in-depth guide.
3. Create Content with the Help of Experts
Google wants content, but not just any content—it wants stuff from experts in the field.
Work with experts to build content Google will trust rather than engaging ghostwriters to produce half-baked content on high-click key phrases.
This could entail having a scientist interviewed, paying a specialist to write a guest article, or collaborating with another business to publish outstanding findings. If you run a small business or lack the resources to do so, at the absolute least, employ skilled writers who conduct thorough research to produce educational content.
Pro tip: Have your writers' content reviewed by subject-matter experts. By doing so, you can build your credibility and stay clear of errors or false information.
Your finance team, for instance, might not necessarily possess the necessary expertise to produce content. However, they can check the accuracy of publications about finance or offer quotes.
4. Provide transparency and author information
Google wants to know that a piece of content is being written by a reliable source of information. Create a page called "About Us" where you can introduce your team (if applicable). in addition to unique author pages to showcase particular authors.
Author pages that display author credentials and prior work aid in establishing transparency and E-A-T. By contributing to authoritative websites in your industry, you can also benefit from your author's experience. It's simpler to say than to do. But a wonderful approach to get started is by posting as a guest on pertinent, reputable websites in your area.
5. Use Credible Sources
It's always ideal to go straight to the source when writing content to establish credibility.
Always include links to reliable sources, research, academic papers, etc. Even professional blogs and tweets in your field may qualify.
Utilizing reliable sources is also recommended. Depending on the field, these can include academic databases, news sources, or the websites of reputable authorities and organisations.
6. Make Your Content's Purpose Visible
What is the purpose of your information?
Do you wish to educate, enlighten, persuade, or describe?
Use basic language and titles and headings that make the objective of your content very obvious.
You may be sure that all of your questions concerning E-A-T will be answered because, for instance, I utilised titles that are questions in these posts.
Avoid writing wordy, rambling text. Get right to the point and discuss the subject as plainly (and completely) as possible.
7. Update Your Content Regularly
Every day, we produce an enormous amount of data.
By 2025, we'll produce 463 billion GB of data every single day on average. This indicates that information ages quickly.
People change roles, websites go offline, tools change, and Google tweaks the algorithm yet again.
Depending on the subject and the business, the typical lifespan of internet content is, in my opinion, two years.
By incorporating content updates into your SEO plan, you can keep your information correct and updated.
Every few years, especially for high-ranking content, update stats, and best practices, and check for dead links.
8. Build a Positive Brand Image
The credibility of your site's content and overall can be impacted by the reputation of your brand.
This suggests that you need to watch out for negative publicity or reviews. If something does arise, react quickly and professionally.
Pro tip: Be sure to acknowledge the positive comments as well. Long-term brand reputation benefits can come from having positive connections with customers.
On all social media platforms, make sure to claim your brand name. Even if you tend to keep to a small number of websites, you don't want someone else to steal the handle and misrepresent your company
9. Consider Multiple Points of View
Content must consider issues from a variety of perspectives and analyse how each perspective advances the discussion as a whole to be considered trustworthy.
One type of ice cream might not be ideal for everyone, for instance, if your content is on the best kinds of ice cream to eat.
Some people might enjoy ice cream like this "Not Fried Chicken Ice Cream Bucket," which is produced with eggs from local farms. Another person could struggle to decide between ice cream and a drink and choose a flavour from OddFellows Ice Cream's Boozy Capsule line instead. Or ice cream with a BBQ flavour.
There are countless options. However, the objective is to clarify the various perspectives on an issue to build rapport with your audience and persuade them.
10. Track and Use User-Generated Content
Any sort of content produced by consumers or website users as opposed to brands is referred to as "user-generated content" (UGC). UGC content can generate brand loyalty and serve as a trust signal when used properly.
UGC, for instance, has a significant influence on 79% of online buyers' shopping decisions. Therefore, getting your consumer base to support your brand is essential.
UGC consists of things like pictures, videos, blog articles, YouTube videos, and product reviews.
According to the rules, a webpage's content can be divided into three categories: MC, Supplementary Content (SC), and Advertisements/Monetization (Ads).
Therefore, MC—which can also include UGC—is undoubtedly significant.
Encourage contented consumers to upload images of your goods on social media and tag you in them as a technique to collect UGC for your website's E-A-T.
Sending consumers a brief email or holding a social media contest are two ways to get them to promote you on social media.
According to the rules, a webpage's content can be divided into three categories: MC, Supplementary Content (SC), and Advertisements/Monetization (Ads).
Therefore, MC—which can also include UGC—is undoubtedly significant.
Encourage contented consumers to upload images of your goods on social media and tag you in them as a technique to collect UGC for your website's E-A-T.
Sending consumers a brief email or holding a social media contest are two ways to get them to promote you on social media.
You gain more exposure by requesting reviews from clients (and prospective clients). Additionally, by asking people to tag you, you can access a large collection of user-generated content that you can post to your feeds.
The following are additional ways you can use UGC to raise the E-A-T of your website:
- using hashtags wisely to later quickly browse fan photos
- Organising competitions or giveaways that ask consumers to interact and share content
- engaging with fans regularly to encourage conversation
- carrying out influencer marketing strategies
Always get creator consent before highlighting UGC on your website or social media networks. (And give them due credit in the text.)
And keep in mind:
Finding high-calibre UGC requires patience. Regularly interact with your audience to entice them to engage with your brand and one another.
11. Build Authoritative Backlinks
Your SEO approach should focus on obtaining backlinks from reputable websites. Additionally, it might demonstrate that your company is a leader in your sector.
Consider backlinks as word-of-mouth. You'd probably be more likely to believe a brand that a buddy had told you about.
In a similar vein, you could be more inclined to believe a site that has been suggested by a trustworthy website.
The other fantastic aspect of backlinks? They are an essential component of any SEO plan. You will generally perform better in Google search rankings the more high-quality backlinks you acquire.
Several strategies exist for gaining backlinks. But just producing excellent, helpful material is a fantastic place to start.
A few particular actions you can take to optimise with link building in mind are listed below:
- Create assets for linkable content (e.g., helpful infographics or video guides)
- Post intriguing images or data on social media (and always include links to your articles on those posts)
- Publicise original studies that readers might want to quote and link to
- Make useful how-to manuals for subjects in your speciality
Reach out to other publications after you've created your linkable content to see if they'd be interested in connecting to it.
