E-A-T for SEO

E-A-T means Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

It’s part of Google’s algorithm and Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines.

E-A-T is important and a need to know guidelines for marketers to focus on.

This article includes:

• Google’s Search Quality Raters Guidelines
• Using Structured Data for E-A-T
• E-A-T & Link Building

So, to learn about E-A-T is, why it matters, and ranking better with E-A-T content.

Keep reading.

What Is E-A-T?

E-A-T is a guideline used by Google to determine if a content is valuable to readers and if it should rank high.

Google search quality evaluators pay attention to:

• Expertise of the content author
• Authority of the author, content and website
• Trustworthiness of the author, content and website

Basically, E-A-T shows a page is high-quality and helpful to users.

An example of Google’s expectionations of E-A-T news articles include:

• Written professionally
• Facts should be accurate
• Helps readers understand events better

Is E-A-T a Ranking Factor?

E-A-T is not a ranking factor, but can influence the rank of your content.

E-A-T is:

• Used by Google to decide if your content is high-quality
• Used by Google to decide how high your content should rank
• Part of Google’s algorithm

So remember, E-A-T can influence your content’s search ranking indirectly, whilst not being a ranking factor.

Why Is E-A-T Important for SEO?

To rank high in the SERPs you have to create high quality content.

So, E-A-T is important for SEO because it tells us what makes content high quality.

Even Google gives insight into what high-quality content is, which is ideal for content marketing and SEO people.

E-A-T guidelines for the type of content Google considers high-quality, should:

• Help readers
• Be written by an expert
• Be posted by an authority website
• Be trustworthy
• Be regularly updated

Content by someone with real-life experience is acceptable, even though it should be created by an expert.

Pages that get a lower E-A-T score include content that:

• Spread hate
• Cause harm
• Misinforms users
• Deceives users

E-A-T Checklist: 7 E-A-T Tips

Now you know:

• E-A-T is related to Google’s algorithm
• Why it matters
• You need to create high-quality content

Keep reading for tips on making your website an authority and trustworthy:

Who You Are?

E-A-T guidelines tell us Google wants to know who creates content and if the author or website has knowledge in the topic.

So, create an About Us page to tell your visitors about your team or your content creators.

Author pages help highlight your team’s:

• Expertise
• Authority
• Trustworthiness

Use Experts to Create Content

Google wants content from authors who have experience in the content topic.

So, hire experts in the field to create content Google trusts.

Examples of different ways you can do this include:

• Interview a scientist
• Hire an expert to guest post
• Work with a company to publish well-researched content

Clear Content Goal

Ask yourself the goal of your content:

• To inform
• To explain
• To convince
• To describe

Different ways your content can make it’s goal clear include:

• Title
• Heading
• Language that is straight to the point

For example, the title of this post tells you this content is about E-A-T for SEO and the headings tell you all about E-A-T.

So, make sure your content is:

• Straight to the point
• Clearly covers topics
• Goes in-depth.

Update Your Content

Content gets outdated quickly.

No matter the type of content you create:

• Tools are updated
• Websites go offline
• Google updates its algorithm

And, depending on your industry and content topic, the average lifespan of content is close to two years.

So, your SEO strategy needs to include regular content updates and keeping your content accurate.

Especially if your content ranks high, it’s important to update:

• Stats and figures
• Check for broken links

Link to Quality Sources

Using real data helps you be seen as an expert.

Different ways to show you are an expert and to reassure visitors on your points include:

• Linking to official sources
• Linking studies
• Linking research papers

Find studies by using trusted sources like NCBI and JSTOR.

Other sources by industry professionals that you can link to include:

• Tweets
• Papers
• Reports

Use More Than One Viewpoint

For content to be trustworthy, it shouldn’t only talk about one viewpoint or perspective.

So, making content covers topic problems and solutions from different perspectives and how each perspective can help the user.

Because not every person has the same type of problem and not every solution is suited to every person.

Benefits of explaining different viewpoints on a topic include:

• Building trust with your audience
• Establish yourself as an expert

Focus On Your Online Reputation

The trustworthiness of your website and its content can be influenced by your online reputation.

So, keep on top of your brand reputation by:

• Looking out for negative press
• Reply to negative reviews straightaway

Other ways to protect your brand name include:

• Claim your brand’s social profiles
• Ask your customers to leave your brand positive reviews

Remember, just make sure to keep up your brand’s good name.

Conclusion

Google makes algorithm changes from time to time.

And, it’s clear that Google’s E-A-T changes won’t negatively affect search rankings.

But, it’s part of Google’s guidelines that will help determine if your content is high quality.

Just use E-A-T guidelines to improve your content creation process and make content that’s more likely to rank high.

Let me know your suggestions in the comment section below.