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Everybody wants to be a master of something, even if it’s a master of flipping burgers. With Google serving up E-E-A-T acronyms for quality standards, we might just need your master burger-flipping skills. But what is E-E-A-T, why do we want it, and is it tasty?
Is better ranking on the menu?
Search engine ranking–if you own an online business with competition, search rankings are probably on your mind. They’re as important as the financial transactions they lead to. If you know the recipe for long-term ranking factors, you’re well on your way to more of those financial transactions.
Today isn’t one of those “just do this for better ranking” blog posts. As of the writing of this post, Google has never explicitly stated that E-E-A-T is a direct ranking factor.
The principles of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness are deeply engrained in Google’s search quality guidelines. E-E-A-T is a set of guidelines used by Google raters to assess the quality of web content. It isn’t technically a ranking factor like backlinks or keywords; you can’t really “optimize” for it. However, the qualities it represents are crucial for SEO success.
Google’s search algorithms will likely favor websites demonstrating higher levels of E-E-A-T. In other words, they are more likely to have better visibility and higher rankings in search results. Here’s how to embrace these guidelines and leverage them for your website’s success.
Understanding E-E-A-T
E-E-A-T emphasizes the need for websites to demonstrate deep knowledge and authority. Yet we also want to create content that shares tangible experience and builds unwavering trustworthiness. This holistic approach makes sure the website provides value that goes beyond the superficial. Instead, you address users’ needs with genuine expertise and reliability.
The Pillars of E-E-A-T
1. Expertise
Expertise reflects a high level of knowledge or skill in a specific area. Google values content creators who share verifiable expertise. Expertise comes in all types of forms and shapes. You can have a great deal of knowledge on hunting, sports, boating, mathematics, developing software, raising children etc. From parenting to plumbing, the list is endless.
2. Experience
Experience, the new addition to Google’s criteria, underscores the importance of practical, real-world application of knowledge. Your site should not only show what you know but also how you’ve applied that knowledge in real situations. Demonstrate experience through case studies, personal narratives, or showcasing the results of your work.
3. Authority
Gain authority by becoming recognized leaders or references in your field. This is less about what you claim you have authority in and more about how others perceive and recognize your expertise and contributions. Building authority involves consistent, quality content creation and engagement with your community. You need to establish a niche that resonates with your audience.
4. Trustworthiness
The foundation of any successful online presence, trustworthiness, creates a secure and reliable environment for your users. This includes everything from transparent authorship and sourcing to ensuring your website is safe and easy to navigate. Trust is difficult to gain and easy to lose, making this pillar crucial for long-term success. Your brand’s reputation, website testimonials, experience, notable awards, security, and social media footprint are several elements to consider.
How does Google evaluate E-E-A-T?
Understanding how search engines assess these factors is key to aligning your website. Let’s look at how Google evaluates experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
Expertise and Experience
Google looks for content depth, relevance, and the application of knowledge. This is analyzed through content quality, the author’s background, and real-world examples of expertise.
Search engines evaluate expertise in several ways, including reading level, content relevance, ad density, page speed, and language analysis factors. Keyword stuffing and vanilla content are also critical components of this evaluation. Keyword stuffing is so passé that it’s almost not worth mentioning, but it still happens. Vanilla content fails to stand out from content on other pages.
Authority
Factors include the quality and quantity of backlinks, the uniqueness and depth of content, and social media presence. Domain authority, reflecting your site’s overall strength, plays a significant role as well.
Google’s quality raters measure website authority by the quality and number of a page’s backlinks, quality and uniqueness of content, length of content, page optimization, loading speed, overall improvements for HTML, proof of a social media footprint, on page SEO, traffic and bounce rate (as well as other factors that they don’t mention).
Trustworthiness
Search engines use advanced algorithms to review the content and structure of a page to see how relevant and detailed it is about a specific topic. This process helps determine if a page should be included in the search index. These algorithms are particularly good at understanding language, how content is organized, and the depth of coverage on a topic.
Google’s algorithms evaluate site security (SSL certificates), privacy policies, clear content authorship, and the accuracy of the information provided. User experience metrics like bounce rates and engagement levels also contribute to this assessment.
The concepts of Expertise, Authority, and Trust (E-A-T) are indispensable for the integrity of your website. If you’re in law, finance, or healthcare, this is even more true. The stakes for accurate and reliable information are highest.
It’s important to remember that establishing trust with your audience is a challenging and continuous process. Trust is difficult to gain and easily lost, underscoring the importance of maintaining high-quality content and adhering to Google’s evolving guidelines to ensure your site’s success and credibility.
YMYL Pages
We’ve examined how Google evaluates websites based on the E-E-A-T framework. However, we can’t ignore a specific category of content that particularly benefits from high E-E-A-T standards. The topic of Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) pages is essential to understanding the full scope of E-E-A-T’s impact.
Understanding YMYL Pages
Pieces of content designated “YMYL” are defined by the potential impact they have on a person’s future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety. This broad category includes a range of content types, from financial advice, medical information, and legal guidance to shopping information that could influence significant purchases.
Due to their nature, YMYL pages are held to the highest standard by Google’s search quality raters guidelines. This is because errors or misleading information could adversely affect users’ lives.
The Intersection of E-E-A-T and YMYL Pages
The strict standards set for YMYL content emphasize the importance of sticking to Google’s E-E-A-T framework. When content can significantly affect a person’s health, financial stability, safety, or happiness, demonstrating robust expertise and real-world experience is imperative.
Medical professionals, legal experts, and financial advisors, among others, should focus on transparency. Qualifications and practical experience should be easy to verify. This commitment to showcasing credentials serves a dual purpose.
- It fortifies trust with the audience and
- ensures alignment with Google’s stringent quality expectations.
Establishing Authority in YMYL Content
The role of authority in YMYL content can’t be overstated. To be a dependable source of information in critical areas such as health or personal finance, your content has to be factually correct.
This involves rigorous research, peer review where applicable, and a steadfast commitment to updating content in line with the latest research and guidelines. The goal is to become a source of reliable information in your field, which will naturally increase your authority both online and offline.
Ensuring Trustworthiness in Sensitive Areas
Trustworthiness, while the last pillar discussed here, is by no means the least. The importance of YMYL content pushes us to create a place where information is both correct and safe. Use robust security measures, such as HTTPS, to protect user data and privacy.
Furthermore, transparency regarding authorship, sources, and the date of the latest update is essential. Clear, accessible disclaimers and acknowledgments of any potential biases or conflicts of interest also contribute significantly to a site’s trustworthiness.
The Profound Impact of E-E-A-T on YMYL Content
The implications of E-E-A-T are profound for YMYL pages. High standards of expertise, authority, and trustworthiness are foundational to the ethical responsibility of providing content that could influence critical decisions in people’s lives. By embedding these principles deeply into your content strategy, you contribute positively and responsibly to the well-being of your audience.
This conscientious approach to content creation underscores the inherent value and necessity of meeting and surpassing E-E-A-T criteria for YMYL pages, ensuring that the information provided is not just searchable, but also genuinely helpful and reliable.
For YMYL pages, the stakes are high, and Google’s scrutiny is intense. Websites that manage to meet the E-E-A-T criteria provide users with valuable resources that can positively influence important life decisions. Therefore, incorporating E-E-A-T into the foundation of YMYL content should be less about ranking and more about the responsibility to provide trustworthy, accurate, and helpful information to those who seek it.
Building a Website That Embodies E-E-A-T
Now that we understand the critical importance of E-E-A-T in today’s digital landscape, we can examine the practical steps for building a website with these crucial principles “baked in.”
First and foremost among these is demonstrating “Expertise and Experience.” This foundation sets the stage for a website that attracts and retains a loyal audience by offering authoritative and grounded content with real-world application. Let’s take a look.
Expertise and Experience
Demonstrate your expertise through comprehensive, well-researched content that covers your topics in depth. Enhance this by sharing personal experiences, case studies, and real-world applications of your knowledge. This not only enriches your content but also makes it more relatable and valuable to your audience.
Authority
Establishing authority requires a focused approach to content creation. Identify a niche that is broad enough to allow for extensive coverage yet narrow enough to establish you as a specialist. Engage with your community through comments, social media, and public forums to build rapport and authority simultaneously.
Trustworthiness
To foster trust, ensure your website’s security features are up to date, including SSL encryption. Be transparent about who is behind the content and the website; clear author bios and contact information can significantly enhance trust. Additionally, user testimonials, security badges, and affiliations with reputable organizations can bolster your credibility.
Meeting Google’s Guidelines: A Continuous Journey
Adhering to Google’s E-E-A-T standards is not a one-time task but an ongoing commitment to quality and relevance. Regularly update your content to reflect the latest information and trends in your field. Engage with SEO best practices to ensure your website is easily navigable, mobile-friendly, and optimized for search engines. This includes using structured data to help search engines understand your content and site structure better.
Additional Considerations for High E-E-A-T Scores
Web Architecture: A well-structured website with clear categories and an intuitive search function significantly contributes to user experience, reinforcing the ‘Experience’ aspect of E-E-A-T.
Content Quality: High-quality, engaging content is the backbone of E-E-A-T. It should be informative, well-written, and shareable, addressing the needs and questions of your audience.
Performance and Optimization: Ensure your site is responsive, loads quickly, and is optimized for mobile devices. A strong performance reinforces your website’s authority and trustworthiness by providing a seamless user experience.
Ongoing SEO Maintenance: Review and update your SEO strategy regularly, including keyword optimization, meta titles, descriptions, citations, internal linking, etc, etc. Pay attention to Google’s algorithm updates and adjust your strategy accordingly to maintain high E-E-A-T standards.
In Summation: Embracing E-E-A-T for Success
E-E-A-T represents a comprehensive framework for evaluating and enhancing the quality of your website in alignment with Google’s guidelines. By focusing on Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trustworthiness, you can create a website that not only ranks well but also genuinely serves and engages your audience. Remember, success in the digital landscape is about more than just following guidelines; it’s about creating meaningful, valuable content that resonates with users and stands the test of time.
If you need help building your brand’s trust, your site as an authority, or getting across your experience and expertise, contact Level343. We’ve been building brands on and offline for more than 20 years.
