Google E-E-A-T: The Key to High-Quality, Relevant Search Results

Google’s search algorithm has come a long way since its inception, and the company’s focus on Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) is a testament to this. E-E-A-T is a set of quality criteria that Google uses to determine the relevance and reliability of websites and content. The goal of E-E-A-T is to provide high-quality, relevant, and trustworthy results to users, and it plays a significant role in determining a website’s search visibility.

So, what exactly does E-E-A-T stand for and how does it apply to businesses? Let’s take a closer look.

Expertise Expertise refers to the author’s knowledge and experience in the topic they are writing about. Google wants to ensure that the information presented on a website is accurate and written by someone with sufficient knowledge in the subject matter. For businesses, this means having high-quality content that is written by experts in their respective fields. This could be in the form of blog posts, articles, or other types of content that demonstrate the author’s knowledge and expertise.

Authority Authority refers to the credibility of the website and its author. Google looks at factors such as the author’s qualifications, their credentials, and the reputation of the website and its domain. Businesses can improve their authority by having a well-designed website, displaying credentials, and establishing themselves as leaders in their respective fields through high-quality content and a strong social media presence.

Trustworthiness Trustworthiness refers to the reliability and integrity of the information presented on a website. Google wants to make sure that users can trust the information they find in search results, so it takes into account factors such as the quality of the website’s content, its history of presenting accurate information, and any potential conflicts of interest. Businesses can improve their trustworthiness by ensuring that their content is accurate and up-to-date, avoiding plagiarism and unethical practices, and being transparent about any potential conflicts of interest.

Actionable Steps for Improving E-E-A-T

1. Invest in high-quality content: Businesses should invest in creating high-quality content that is written by experts in their respective fields. This could be in the form of blog posts, articles, or other types of content that demonstrate the author’s knowledge and expertise.
   
2. Display credentials and expertise: Displaying credentials and expertise is crucial in establishing authority and trustworthiness. Businesses should showcase their qualifications and experience, and provide information about the authors of their content.
   
3. Focus on user experience: A website that is well-designed, fast-loading, and easy to navigate will go a long way in improving a business’s E-E-A-T. User experience signals such as page speed, mobile-friendliness, and site architecture play a significant role in determining a website’s search visibility.
   
4. Avoid unethical practices: Unethical practices such as plagiarism, keyword stuffing, and hidden links can negatively impact a website’s E-E-A-T. Businesses should avoid these practices and focus on providing high-quality, original content that meets user needs.
   
5. Establish a strong social media presence: A strong social media presence can help establish a business as an authority in its respective field. Businesses should focus on creating high-quality content and engaging with their followers on social media to improve their E-E-A-T.

What can you do to improve your “expertise” online that would help your SEO performance?

1. Develop industry-specific knowledge: Develop a deep understanding of your industry, including the latest trends, technologies, and best practices. Stay informed and up-to-date by attending conferences, networking with industry peers, and reading industry publications.
   
2. Create high-quality, in-depth content: Create high-quality, in-depth content that provides value to your target audience and showcases your expertise. This can be in the form of blog posts, articles, whitepapers, ebooks, and more.
   
3. Use keyword research: Use keyword research to understand the terms and phrases that your target audience is searching for and include them in your content in a natural way.
   
4. Develop a thought leadership strategy: Establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry by creating original research, speaking at conferences, and publishing articles or blog posts that demonstrate your expertise.
   
5. Foster partnerships and collaborations: Foster partnerships and collaborations with other experts and thought leaders in your industry. This can help establish your credibility and increase your visibility within your niche.
   
6. Utilize multimedia: Utilize multimedia such as videos, podcasts, and infographics to enhance your content and engage with your audience. These formats allow you to showcase your expertise in an interactive and engaging way.
   
7. Encourage customer reviews and testimonials: Encourage your customers to leave reviews and testimonials about your products or services. These positive reviews can help build trust and establish your expertise in the eyes of potential customers.
   
8. Participate in industry-specific forums and communities: Participate in industry-specific forums and communities and engage with others in your field. This can help establish your expertise and increase your visibility within your niche.
   
9. Maintain a professional online presence: Maintain a professional online presence, including a well-designed website and active social media accounts. This can help establish your credibility and showcase your expertise to potential customers and clients.

What can you to do improve your “authority” online?

1. Build high-quality backlinks: High-quality backlinks from reputable websites can help increase your authority in the eyes of Google. Focus on building relationships with other websites and creating valuable, shareable content that will encourage others to link back to your site.
   
2. Establish a strong brand presence: Establishing a strong brand presence through consistent messaging, professional design, and engaging content can help increase your authority and make you stand out in the eyes of Google.
   
3. Utilize social media: Utilizing social media to engage with your audience and share your content can help increase your authority and reach. This can include platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others.
   
4. Participate in industry events and conferences: Participating in industry events and conferences can help increase your authority by allowing you to network with others in your field, present your ideas, and demonstrate your expertise.
   
5. Foster collaborations and partnerships: Foster collaborations and partnerships with other industry leaders and websites. These relationships can help increase your authority and reach.
   
6. Create valuable, in-depth content: Create valuable, in-depth content that provides real value to your target audience. This can help establish your authority as a source of information and expertise.
   
7. Utilize schema markup: Utilize schema markup to help search engines understand the content on your website. This can help increase your authority by improving the visibility and relevance of your website to search engines.
   
8. Monitor your online reputation: Monitoring your online reputation through tools such as Google Alerts, and responding to negative feedback or comments can help improve your authority by showing that you are actively engaged with your audience and committed to providing a positive customer experience.
   
9. Encourage user engagement: Encouraging user engagement through things like comments, reviews, and social shares can help increase your authority by demonstrating the value and relevance of your content to your target audience.

What are some actionable steps a business could take to improve their trustworthiness online for better SEO?

1. Create a privacy policy and terms of service: Clearly outlining your privacy policy and terms of service can help build trust with your customers and visitors by showing that you respect their privacy and understand the legal requirements for doing business online.
   
2. Encourage customer reviews and testimonials: Encouraging customers to leave reviews and testimonials can help build trust with potential customers by providing them with real-life experiences and opinions from people who have already used your products or services.
   
3. Maintain a professional website: A professional-looking website with a clean design, easy navigation, and clear messaging can help build trust with your visitors and show that you take your business seriously.
   
4. Utilize secure connections: Utilizing secure connections such as HTTPS and SSL certificates can help build trust by showing that you are taking steps to protect sensitive information and keep your website secure.
   
5. Ensure accuracy and relevance: Make sure that your content is accurate, up-to-date, and relevant to your target audience. This can help build trust by demonstrating your expertise and commitment to providing valuable information.
   
6. Provide contact information: Providing clear and easily accessible contact information, such as a phone number, email address, and physical address, can help build trust by making it easy for customers to get in touch with you.
   
7. Respond promptly to customer inquiries: Responding promptly to customer inquiries, comments, and concerns can help build trust by demonstrating that you value their feedback and are committed to providing excellent customer service.
   
8. Use social proof: Utilize social proof, such as customer reviews and testimonials, to build trust with potential customers by demonstrating that others have had positive experiences with your business.
   
9. Foster transparency: Foster transparency by being open and honest about your products, services, and business practices. This can help build trust by showing that you have nothing to hide and are committed to doing business in a responsible and ethical way.

Optimizing for Google E-E-A-T is critical for businesses that want to succeed in the search engine rankings. By taking the steps outlined in this article to improve your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness, you can help ensure that your website is well-positioned to succeed in the constantly evolving world of SEO. However, it’s important to remember that the algorithm is constantly evolving and that these steps are just a starting point. A future-proof SEO plan requires continuous monitoring, adaptation, and improvement in order to stay ahead of the curve.

Update 2023: Google Expands E-A-T to E-E-A-T. What This Means and How it Applies To Your Website

As an update the this original article, Google has improved their algorithm to view the original EAT differently. Now they’ve added another E to the acronym and it is now referred to as E-E-A-T. The new E represents EXPERIENCE.

Now Google is viewing the EXPERIENCE (E), EXPERTISE (E), AUTHORITY (A) and TRUSTWORTHINESS (T) of your business and website.

What does this mean for you? In a world of AI created content that be thrown together in an instant, Google knows that an experienced, content expert on a given subject has more value than something thrown together just to manipulate the search results. AI doesn’t have images of you experiencing life and working in your field. It doesn’t have the quotes from real human experts added into the content. It doesn’t have the social media links and connections that show you experience on a given topic. They don’t have the stories, case studies, and related blog articles to prove you have the most experience on the subject. This will become the element that tips the search engines in your favor.

AI is a multiplier of what you already have. It cannot beat you on the experience and value you can add to the search results. Continue to write great stories and educational content for your websites and use AI to compliment it with additional content ideas and keyword phrases, but don’t lean on it to mass create content that doesn’t highlight the real human experiences that you have that make you an expert in your field.