The SEO industry felt compelled to react to a shift in Google’s algorithm adjustments in August of 2018.
This sequence of algorithm modifications, commonly referred to as the “Medic” update, started visibly rewarding sites that excelled in E-A-T.
If you’re unfamiliar with SEO but have seen the initials E.A.T. thrown around, you probably get the idea.
As a leading SEO firm with 120 employees, we have assisted industry leaders like Casper and Intuit in reaching new heights thanks to their exceptional E.A.T. We were able to raise Casper’s organic traffic by 280 percent in just six months. Cooperation like this has helped us hone in on the qualities that constitute excellent E.A.T.
The E-A-T of What?
Knowledge, Credibility, and Dependability are all abbreviations for E.A.T. For the purpose of reducing the spread of false information online, Google uses these factors to evaluate a website’s credibility and quality.
Though E-A-T isn’t a ranking factor (a measurable criterion Google employs to decide where a page should rank), it is nonetheless important to Google. A lot.
Human quality raters use a 168-page manual called Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines to evaluate the relevance and accuracy of Google’s search results.
Deconstructing the E.A.T.
Expertise, authority, and trustworthiness are terms that, at first glance, could seem interchangeable.
While all three of these concepts are interconnected, it is necessary to get a deeper understanding of each one on its own before you can set realistic and attainable E.A.T. objectives.
Expertise
Operating a website in a specific field undoubtedly makes you an authority in that field. No matter how logical you find that premise to be, Google will not accept it without evidence.
For one to be considered an expert, they must possess extensive training and experience in a specific profession.
Authoritativeness
Expertise isn’t the only thing that makes someone authoritative. Trusted authorities are more than just experts; they are also thought leaders in their fields.
Here’s a look at a leading SEO authority. Having been established since 2003 and with a global readership of SEO and other internet marketing experts, Search Engine Journal has earned its reputation as a reliable news source.
Trustworthiness
Being reliable means always being there for your friends and family. Is your company consistently reliable in the eyes of your clients and site visitors, or do you sometimes let them down?
Brands almost never get a second chance. If you provide misleading information or fail to regularly uphold your brand’s values, you risk damaging your reputation and losing the trust of your target audience as well as search engines like Google.
Exactly how Google Calculates Your E-A-T
Sites that invest in E-A-T are more likely to receive organic traffic, build backlinks, and rise in the SERP. This is because E-A-T conveys site quality to Google and visitors.
Google employs a group called Search Quality Raters to assess the performance of websites in the search engine’s rankings after each algorithm change (of which there are many; thousands every day). This group is responsible for determining E-A-T.
The E-A-T of your site will be evaluated by Search Quality Raters. As a basis for their evaluation, they consult Google’s detailed Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines.
Google’s interest in E-A-T begs the question: why?
Let’s say you want to borrow money and are researching your options online.
The search engine results page (SERP) content is dominated by articles written by amateurs with no formal training in finance. As you open a page, you’ll be inundated with random suggestions for how to spend your cash. You can’t use NerdWallet or Investopedia.
Looking Back at YMYL
Google classifies information that can have a direct impact on users’ financial well-being, physical and mental health, safety, and happiness as “Your Money or Your Life,” or YMYL.
Promote Your Strengths to Get More Eyeballs on Your E-A-T Content
It is common knowledge that Google values experience and knowledge highly. Don’t hide it if you have it; flaunt it.
Maybe you’ve worked in your field for over a decade and have a deep understanding of even the most complex topics, or maybe you have a team of recognised specialists informing your material.
Strategically establish and maintain your links
In the past, Google may have boosted your E-A-T with connections from anyplace; but, Google has now become smarter.
The strategy behind establishing connections now needs to be more deliberate.
Be sure the prospect makes sense for your industry before reaching out to a site in hopes of receiving a backlink. Links from unrelated sites, such as a construction site, are unlikely to help your skincare brand’s E-A-T.
Make sure to update the content frequently
Good evergreen material is invaluable. It can be used at any time of year and rarely (if ever) requires revision.
A large number of content options, however, aren’t perennial, such as seasonal subjects and topics that are still evolving.
Approaching the World for Advice
Do not worry if you do not have any in-house medical or mental health professionals to assess your piece about how herbal tea can alleviate anxiety. There is still time for you to show your worth.
You just need to seek them out and ask for help from the experts that are out there.
Think about joining Facebook and LinkedIn groups that discuss your industry, and when the names of influential people in your field come up, reach out to them.