The Concept of E-A-T and Why it Matters to Google

You may or may not have heard the term E-A-T, but it plays an essential role in Google’s algorithm. And if you’re trying to get a website up and running, E-A-T should be on your radar.

The acronym stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These are concepts that may come across as purely subjective to some, but they are critical factorsin the Search Quality Rater guidelines used by Google.

Breaking Down E-A-T

Google uses thorough guidelines to track the quality of its user content and determine how to rank it. If you are knee-deep in the world of SEO, you might already be familiar with some of the best practices Google is looking for in websites.

E-A-T is a concept that has been around since 2014. It was incorporated into the Search Quality Rater guidelines to help content evaluators more thoroughly understand what is meant by “quality content”. That means when assessing website content, evaluators are looking for:

• The content creator’s level of expertise.
• How authoritative the content, website, and content creator are.
• How trustworthy the content, website, and content creator are.

Content that is high in E-A-T must read as if it is professionally written. That is, it must be easy and accessible for readers, as well as accurate and factual. Including these characteristics on a webpage will help to ensure your users get the best, most useful possible experience. 

The Search Quality Rater guidelines also consider the following to be of a similar amount of importance to E-A-T:

• Page purpose: there must be a clear purpose to each page that is beneficial to the audience.
• The quality and amount of the main content that is used. 
• What information there is about the website or the business running the website.
• What the reputation of the website or the business running the website has.

In the world of the internet, pretty much anybody can write about anything they like – and search engine users put a lot of stock in the information they get online. Google’s Search Quality Raters are there to ensure the legitimacy of the authors behind the content that ranks more highly.

Why E-A-T is important for SEO

It will probably come as no surprise that high-quality content goes hand in hand with quality SEO. Or, if the term SEO is totally foreign to you, jump over to our SEO page to learn more.

E-A-T and SEO are intrinsically linked because the E-A-T guidelines give content creators, website designers, and business owners a better idea of what exactly Google is looking for when they are evaluating content.

That means, when your website is reviewed by Google, their team is looking to see if you deliver on their guidelines. If your website content:

• Helps its audience
• Has a professional tone
• Is trustworthy
• Gets regular updates

Then you are in good standing to get a higher E-A-T rating. Conversely, any website content that could cause harm to readers or presents misleading information will receive a lower E-A-T rating. As Google strives to offer the safest, best quality, and most accurate search results possible, you can see how your E-A-T score can influence how your website performs when it comes to SEO.

Does that mean E-A-T is a ranking factor in SEO?

While E-A-T necessarily contributes to SEO, as explained above, it is not its own specific ranking factor. It is a guideline only, and Google uses it to assess how to rank content in its algorithm. This indirect influence can, therefore, have a powerful impact on your website performance if you leverage it well.

How to use E-A-T to your website’s advantage

Enhancing the quality of your website content is the best way to boost the E-A-T rating of your website. Let us take you through what that means in practical terms.

1. Prove that you can meet the E-A-T requirements

It’s not as scary a task as it may sound. All you have to do is show your website visitors who you are. Show off your credentials and prove that you are a legitimate source of information, that you know what you are talking about, and that you are the person to go to for your niche. 

When building your website, incorporating an About and/or Our Team page is a great way to ensure trust from your audience. 

2. Get help from professional content creators

There is a fine balance between ensuring you get written content that reads well and conveys that sense of expertise that is critical in any marketing strategy. Working with a company like Kiwi Website Design means you can get the quality content you need to be written for you, while you remain in control of how your business story is told.

3. Update your content

Hundreds of billions of gigabytes of data get added to the internet every day, which is part of why Google is constantly changing its algorithm and how its search works. Whatever online content was suitable a year ago might have become outdated since Google’s last software update. Because of this, it is best practice to keep adding content and refreshing the content on your website.

4. Keep it simple

Whether you need a long post like this one or a simple Contact page, a good rule of thumb is to keep your content as simple as possible. Avoiding meandering paragraphs and meaningless waffle will keep your readers engaged and on your page. 

5. Get more reviews

Earning and promoting online reviews is an excellent business strategy, and it comes in handy again when it comes to E-A-T. The more positive reviews you can get on trusted websites (like Google or Facebook), the more trustworthy your business will appear to Google. 

Make sure you respond to every review that you receive – regardless of its rating. Responding to any kind of feedback is a good sign of a trustworthy business.

Creating your best content

E-A-T and the Search Quality Rater guidelines are tools used by Google to ensure it provides its users with useful and valid content. Leveraging E-A-T when creating website content is a great way to boost your SEO strategy. 
To find out more, get in touch with our team at Kiwi Website Design today!