In 2018, after the Google core algorithm update, there have loads of articles on E-A-T.
Google’s Garry Illyes said in an interview “Google does not have an internal E-A-T score. That’s why some sources later claimed E-A-T is becoming irrelevant.” He added that “increasing E-A-T is a good thing & it is E-A-T is conceptualized by several algorithms”
What is E-A-T?
E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness and this concept is clearly mentioned in Google’s Quality Raters’ Guidelines.
Expertise – It refers to the creator of the main content (MC) on the page. How knowledgeable is the site owner or main creator on the subject matter? Expertise is less concerned for the entertainment website, but it’s important for medical, legal, or financial websites. (Google needs high level and formal expertise)
Authoritativeness – It refers to reputation, you need to show that you are an authority of the creator of the main content (MC). It shows the “How credible is site publishing this content”. Quality conversation drives credibility. So, you’re not just an expert – you’ll be an authority too.
Trustworthiness – Expertise and Authority factors can boost your rankings, but prove your trustworthiness is really important. You need to address the users’ feedback if there is any complaint or concern. Because, Google is very clear in their guidelines, “Too many bad reviews” is the significance of low quality.
E-A-T & Y.M.Y.L
E-A-T closely relates to what Google calls “Y.M.Y.L” Pages. It means some type of page could potentially impact the future happiness, health, or wealth of the users. If the content of the YMYL page is presented inaccurately means that directly impacts the reader’s happiness, health, safety, or financial stability. In simple terms, content represents with bad advice or suggestions will affect people’s lives& livelihood.
Examples of YMYL Topics:
- News and current events
- Government, law, and civics-related topics
- Financial advice
- Shopping information
- Medical advice
Why it is E-A-T Important?
Because Google, not just only cares about delivering the most relevant information but also cared and wants to deliver the correct information. E-A-T (expertise, authority, and trust) determines the website’s value. Google looks to see that the users getting valuable information, good online experience, and content of the website meets the standards.
How can improve E-A-T?
We have established that E-A-T is an important part of Google’s ranking algorithm. It can be definitely improved upon and better demonstrate E-A-T to Google is a wise choice.
Let’s discuss some important points to improve E-A-T:
- Get Good Reviews – What people say about your brand/ product/ service online matters a lot. If most of the people who are reviewing your business online are complaining means that affect the assessment of the quality of your site.
- Get Mentions on Authoritative sites – In the aspect of Authority, Google is much better at recognizing the mentions across the web. Therefore, create content for authoritative & relevant websites & get back high-quality links are key factors.
- Keep the content fresh & up-to-date – If you have a website of (Y.M.Y.L) website, topics like financial & medical content need to be updated and maintained regularly.
- Be Trustworthy – Everything about your site should make users feel comfortable, safe, and valuable while they’re visiting. Rankings can drop if the site had issues with trust like loads of negative reviews, customers complaining about not getting timely support. Therefore,
- You need to address the customers timely & delight.
- Having a clear “Terms of Service / Terms of conditions” page.
- Clear mention on refund/ cancellation policy (If you’re accepting payment )
- If you’re selling products or service, need to mention clear descriptions and specifications (like, How to use?)
Bottom line
E-A-T is important & crucial for SEO. Remember that, Google’s standards are constantly evolving as same as user’s expectations. Following E-A-T as a framework in your digital strategy & taking a holistic approach towards SEO & Content marketing. It takes time to build & grow, but if you do this precise way, it will be hard to get a take-down from Google’s SERPs.