If you have been exploring how to get your website’s content ranked on Google, then you have probably come across E-E-A-T in your research. E-E-A-T is an acronym for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, and is a framework that has been used by Google since 2014 to assess the quality of online content. The purpose of this framework is to ensure users receive reliable, high-quality and helpful information in response to their queries.
Despite Google claiming that E-E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor in their search algorithm, understanding and optimising for E-E-A-T has been shown to strongly correlate with SEO success.
So, if you want to give your website an SEO boost and watch your rankings climb, keep reading this blog for our expert advice on how to demonstrate experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness in your online content.
What Is E-E-A-T?
Experience (E):
This section of the framework refers to the extent in which the content creator has first-hand experience in the area being discussed. This section was only added to the framework in 2022 as Google realised that first-hand experience is critical to expertise and credibility for many topics. For example, are you more likely to trust a restaurant review from someone who has eaten at the restaurant or a “review” by somebody who has not?
How to Demonstrate Experience
To show Google that your site has experience, you will want to focus on producing content created by real people with actual first-hand experience on the topic. You can do this by directly referencing personal experiences or anecdotes in the content itself, or by including high-quality, personal author bios.
Expertise (E):
This section refers to the author’s level of expertise, skill or knowledge on a subject. Users are far more likely to appreciate and engage with content that is written by a qualified expert and demonstrates deep knowledge in specific field – this is why Google wants content that demonstrates expertise to be pushed to the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs).
How to Demonstrate Expertise
You can show expertise in your subject through producing in depth and accurate content that cites reputable sources and studies. You can also use your organisation’s “about us” section and author bios to showcase your years of experience, awards and qualifications.
Authoritativeness (A):
This section is concerned with the reputation and recognition of the content creator and the website as a reliable source of information on a specific topic. Creators and websites that are considered leading sources in an industry have high levels of authority, whereas sites that lack links or references from other reputable sources have less authority.
How to Demonstrate Authority
You can demonstrate that your site has authority by consistently publishing high-quality content and building a collection of high-quality backlinks. A high-quality backlink is an endorsement or mention from a relevant, authoritative and trustworthy website. These mentions from other respected sites can signal to search engines that your website is credible and valuable, thus solidifying your site’s reputation and improving your search engine rankings.
Trustworthiness (T):
Trustworthiness is often seen as the most critical component of E-E-A-T because even if your page appears experienced, expert-backed and authoritative, untrustworthy pages will always have a low E-E-A-T score. Factors like poor security, web design, user experience and lack of transparent source and author information can all impact your site’s trustworthiness.
How to Demonstrate Trustworthiness
You can demonstrate your site’s trustworthiness by being transparent about who is behind your content and providing clear customer service and contact information. This openness helps to assure customers that your business is a legitimate, committed service that is safe for them to use.
Showcasing and interacting with your user reviews and testimonials, whether negative or positive, can also help to build user trust in your website as it shows your company is responsive and open to feedback. Frequently check review sites and come up with strategies to address any concerns – this should help you sustain a positive and trustworthy reputation that Google is sure to applaud.
E-E-A-T is essential for building credibility in search rankings and is only expected to become more prevalent in upcoming Google updates.
If you’re finding optimising your site for E-E-A-T overwhelming and want some support, our SEO experts at Designer Websites can help! Use the buttons below to get in touch with us and learn about the SEO services we offer.
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