Being an SEO Enthusiast, you must have heard of a term “E-A-T SEO”, but do you know, what does E-A-T SEO actually mean?
E-A-T SEO stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness Search Engine Optimization.
E-A-T is actually a factor in Google’s search algorithm and it was first introduced in 2014. However, it was not that recognised earlier.
The further emphasis which it receives the end of 2018 as it is included in their “Search Quality Guidelines” 2018.
Let’s understand E-A-T at a Glance...
E Stands for Expertise:
Expertise here means that you should get your bogs written by a verified professional that means you must make sure that a person with comprehensive knowledge on a particular topic writes about it for your blogs. The ultimate purpose of doing so is that "your content must demonstrate professional experience and knowledge about the topic".
A Stands for Authoritativeness:
You need to show the authoritativeness of your blogs that means you should display the author credentials, job title, bio, & relevant experience at the end of the blog. You should demonstrate that you are an expert by displaying the creator’s authoritativeness of the main content.
T Stands for Trustworthiness:
Lastly, you must demonstrate trust signals like SSL, HTTPs, Contact info, or another kind of professionalism to the user. Therefore, show users that they can have confidence in the content creator. The purpose of doing so is to instill confidence in the people that the main content they are interacting with is safe.
How to E-A-T-ing SEO?
You must have noticed the fact, that the websites which lack serving the beneficial purpose experience, the poor search performance.
These pages are considered by Google as the ones that have been created just for a money-making purpose, or to cause harm or deceit searchers as they deemed to provide little value to the users.
These low-quality pages along with the valuable content are held to a strict evaluation and with that, the E-A-T becomes increasingly important.
Please do remember that there are some high E-A-T pages and websites in all arena or niches. Even the gossip websites, fashion websites, humour websites, forum and Q&A pages, etc. also have good E-A-T.
Expertise
Expertise exhibits the expert knowledge in your field…
There are some content creators who are considered to be the most credible in their industry.
As per Google’s search guidelines, there are two primary types of expertise:
- Formal Expertise
​Formal expertise is related to the individuals that are considered to be professionals in a particular industry, and have verified expertise or accreditation.
This formal expertise is particularly important for the webpages in the medical, finance and legal sectors, as the information provided on the blogs or webpages could seriously harm the users if not accurate.
- Everyday Expertise​
The everyday expertise describes the individuals who demonstrate expertise based on their life experiences.
The Google search guidelines define the “Everyday Expertise” as follows...
If the person who is creating the content has the type and amount of life experience that makes him an ‘expert’ on the topic then, Google will value this ‘everyday expertise’ and won’t penalize the webpage or website for not having the "formal expertise or education or training in the field."
How to establish the expertise
Establishing expertise starts with the content team.
As a business owner, you have 3 options… you can either build a team internally, or outsource to freelancer content writers, or employ an experienced content marketing agency.
The best option for establishing expertise of your organization depends on your available resources along with your long-term goals. The appropriate resources are used to ensure that factually accurate content is created and professionalism is maintained to ensure that users reach their desired outcome.
Authoritativeness
The authoritativeness involves the process of displaying the content creators’ credentials for providing an established authority on the topic.
Authoritativeness is related to the individual who has created the main content, the webpage, as well as the website as a whole.
You can showcase the authority by displaying the author’s “Professional Title”, “Certifications”, “Short Bio”, “Photo”, and “Link to official website”.
However, when it is a case related to “everyday expertise,” then the author’s professional credentials aren’t that important.
Moreover, low-quality websites lack the appropriate level of authority that is to be considered a proper resource.
For example, medical advice provided on a sports news website. Even though the website is an authority in the sports world but, it lacks the authority to be considered a trusted source for the given information related to medicine.
Reputation
When it comes to authority, reputation counts for both sides your website and your company.
The reputation of your company is based on real-life customer experiences. Google looks at some external sources for authentic representations of your business.
These sources include some review-based websites like “Google My Business”, & “Yelp”.
The important thing to consider is that the number of reviews is also crucial here, along with the context of what is written.
Additionally, the credible, & detailed reviews are more potent than a customer who had a single unpleasant experience with a sales representative.
Apart from the reviews, Google also digs the other references about your business such as recommendations from trusted experts, awards, news articles, and any other credible information that is uncovered about your website.
The industries in which the experts are not clearly defined, the user engagement and popularity can be considered evidence of reputation.
Trust
Trust is meant by the integrity of your content, website and business. And the trust can be displayed on your website by having – “A secure website (HTTPs)”, “Easy Accessibility”, “Contact Information”, “Thorough about us page”, “Team Photos”, “Links from Credible Websites”, “Links pointing to authority websites”, & “A privacy notice or T&C”.
Creating trust is all about making your users feel safe at the end.
- With the prominently displayed contact information makes users trust you as they feel confident that they can speak with an actual person, whenever it is needed.
- Moreover, your “about page” will help the visitors know or understand who you are and what your business is all about.
- When you feature images of your team then, it helps the users feel safe by putting a face to your company.
So, these little things will add up and help your website to become a trusted resource.
Final Words
E-A-T SEO is a process that is an ongoing process and is constructed over time. E-A-T SEO isn’t something that you can quickly fix, create or establish.
The Success mantra here is, “Put your users first”.
When you place your users first then, you create credible, accurate and trustworthy information for the web pages or the blogs that are displayed in a safe environment.
And when you hold to that commitment of creating credible content then, you’ll find more coveted results from your content marketing and SEO efforts.
