E-E-A-T: The Buzzword You Can’t Ignore
Your team has been posting content regularly on the company website. Every piece of content is packed with engaging copy, relevant keywords, visually stunning images, and informational graphics and statistics. You’re sure your content will soar to the top in search results but, instead, days pass and then weeks, but your content remains buried on page four of Google SERPs. You’re not only frustrated but also confused. What exactly went wrong?
This is what you missed. You failed to realize how the world of SEO is an ever-evolving one. Trends appear and disappear almost as quickly as new TikTok challenges. And in such a scenario what your content needs to display is expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness — in short E-E-A-T.
This fancy-sounding acronym has almost become the backbone of Google’s search results. Read on to find out how your content can ace E-E-A-T.
Why E-E-A-T Exists
E-E-A-T works as a framework for Google to evaluate the quality and credibility of content being posted. It helps Google ensure that the information users receive is accurate and trustworthy.
So, it is no longer enough that your content is keyword-rich for it to rank; the content also needs to solve pain points, offer solutions, answer queries, and be reliable enough for users to trust it.
Still wondering why E-E-A-T matters? Consider this: you are searching Google for “symptoms of a heart attack”. Would you be satisfied to follow advice from someone who read about it on Quora last week? Obviously, you’d want a cardiologist or a trusted health organization to provide answers to your queries. This is where the significance of E-E-A-T comes in.
Following E-E-A-T is especially crucial when dealing with sensitive topics related to health, finance, and legal matters. In such cases, poor-quality information can lead to serious consequences, often turning even dangerous.
Google relies on E-E-A-T to prioritize content that experts, organizations, credible creators, and recognized authority have provided. This aids in shaping a safer and worthier digital landscape for all users.
Now that you know why it is important that you rely on E-E-A-T for all your content, let’s check out each component of this acronym and understand how it can influence the performance of your content.
Breaking Down E-E-A-T
- Experience – What Google means by experience is whether as a content creator you have firsthand knowledge or experience on the topic you are dealing with. For instance, a travel blogger writing about five easy-to-moderate Himalayan treks to undertake during the winters will be considered more reliable if they’ve actually completed those treks and can produce photographic or video evidence of them being on those treks. Only real and credible information can rank high in Google.
- Expertise – The second E in the acronym E-E-A-T stands for expertise. When you demonstrate skill and knowledge in your field you display your proficiency. Merely knowing about what you’re talking about is not enough; you have to show it. And this is extremely crucial for niches such as health, finance, and law. Even the tiniest of errors can have major consequences and dip your search rankings.
- Authoritativeness – With authoritativeness you show how recognized you are in your domain. So how can you build authority? By relying on backlinks from credible sources, social proof, and industry recognition. The more credible entities vouch for you, the better are your chances of dominating search rankings.
- Trustworthiness – How transparent and accurate your claims are and how reliable your data security is will determine your trustworthiness. And for the effective functioning of the other three E-E-A-T components, trustworthiness is the one that glues them together. What this means is that even the most experienced and authoritative content can fail to meet Google’s standards if it lacks trustworthiness.
Has the above explanation piqued your interest enough for you to want to know how to optimize your content for E-E-A-T? Here’s how you can.
Optimizing Your Content for E-E-A-T
Does your content reflect real-world usage and practical insights? If not, you need to optimize for experience. You can do this by sharing testimonials of your customers, detailed reviews, and even include hands-on demonstrations. All these elements show that your content is grounded in actual experience. This not only enhances credibility but also provides valuable, relatable information to your audience.
Start by showcasing your expertise by including detailed author bios, highlighting relevant qualifications and credentials, and sharing personal anecdotes or case studies to reveal real-life experiences.
Next build authority by investing in link-building campaigns. You can target credible websites to do this. You can also try and get featured in industry publications to use the PR opportunities to your advantage.
You surely want to earn the trust of your users. For this you need to ensure your site is secure, all content is updated and reflects correct and current information, and that your data security and privacy policies are transparent.
And, after all the above three are done, you finally need to deliver high-quality content. Use only credible sources to back up your claims, avoid fluff, ensure every piece of content serves a purpose, and format your content well.
Ready to adopt E-E-A-T and make it a part of your SEO? Actually, do you even have a choice? E-E-A-T is the future!
Google Loves E-E-A-T and You Should Too
It’s no secret that search algorithms are evolving faster than ever, almost getting close to mimicking human judgement. The focus has shifted to quality and credibility in content rather than depending on traditional SEO. This is where E-E-A-T works its magic to align with Google’s broader goal. The aim of providing users with the most accurate, helpful, and trustworthy information that it can.
For content creators such as yourself, the question of embracing E-E-A-T or not is no longer a choice. It’s a necessity that you just can’t afford to ignore. So, if you are looking to thrive and not just survive in the competitive world of SEO, it is E-E-A-T all the way for you! By focusing on the principles of E-E-A-T you can build a brand that users trust and return to.
Now that you are aware of the importance of E-E-A-T, and are looking to move from producing purely algorithmic optimizations to creating credible content, help your business by hiring a dedicated SEO specialist today. These specialists will help ensure your content not only appeals to your audience but also meets the technical and qualitative standards Google requires so it ranks high in searches.
