The idea behind Google’s E-E-A-T is quite simple. We all need to eat to live, and that notion extends to your website content, too. So, let’s dig in a little, shall we?
Often referred to as the “Medic” update, industry experts began to notice Google’s positive perception on high-quality content (formerly referred to as E-A-T.) The brand-new acronym first came to light when Google’s Search Quality Guidelines were leaked in 2022. Later on, when Google officially released details, they further emphasized how vital E-E-A-T is.
Here’s what the acronym stands for:
Welcoming the newest ‘E’ to Google’s content evaluation process, Experience, focuses on the personal or firsthand life experience on the topic at hand. With the significant rise of Helpful Content, Google has placed a significant amount of weight on the credibility and reliability of a webpage.
Providing users with anecdotes and personal experience of a topic or situation will not only be highly regarded by Google, but provides a sense of relatability with your audience.
Did you recently visit a National Park in the United States and want to write about it? How about experiencing a culture change in a different country? These examples of first-hand experiences are opportunities to provide users with a level of information as a subject-matter expert.
In this sense, expertise means that you need to illustrate your skills as the creator and publisher on your Main Content (MC) and make mention of that fact on your website. Establishing a high level of expertise is vital for medical, financial, and legal websites (aka YMYL websites), but less-so for sites that do not require credible sources. By remaining honest and producing valuable content, any site—regardless of its specific industry—can emphasize its expertise.
Demonstrating the authoritativeness of the MC’s creator is key. You can do this by encouraging your expert content creators to add their names and credentials to their pieces. This gives readers a better idea of where the information they are being given is coming from—and if it is reliable.
If the content you’re presenting is scientific or studied in nature, then it’s imperative to supply appropriate citations. However, no matter what type of content is presented, offering the reader a picture of the author, accompanied by a brief biography, does a great job of humanizing your brand and promoting transparency among your audience.
We understand that it can be tempting to create content purely for search purposes. However, prioritizing your audience is critical. It’s a common misconception that overusing keywords, or “keyword stuffing,” as Google calls it, works—but it doesn’t. Google weeds out content that only lives to generate clicks rather than giving actual value to readers.
Showing users that they can trust you and your content is essential for short-term and long-term credibility and trustworthiness alike. This idea is particularly important for eCommerce websites since they request payment information from customers. A user should never feel unsafe when on your site. To be viewed as a trustworthy source, your content should either help or teach users something that relates to your business. Practices such as the aforementioned keyword stuffing will get flagged, and you’ll end up losing customers.
Does creating content that follows E-E-A-T seem time-consuming? If you answered “yes,” then you’re right. Following Google E-E-A-T takes time, but it’s also rewarding. Of its searchable content, Google notes, “we will consider content to be low quality if it is created without adequate time, effort, expertise, or [skill].”
Your website is only as good as the “food” you put into it. So put your users first, utilize industry experts, and make your website visitors feel safe. If you follow these simple quality search rules, you’ll be that much closer to crafting engaging, useful, and accurate content. Using E-E-A-T to do all of this means you’re doing exactly what Google wants, and you’ll be regarded as an authoritative site. And in the world of Digital Marketing, having Google on your side is a major key for success.
Are you ready to embrace Google’s E-E-A-T? The digital marketing experts at Zero Gravity Marketing are here to help. Contact us today to find out how our team can create a comprehensive and effective SEO content marketing strategy for you.