Google has more than 200 ranking factors. Trying to remember each one is enough to make anyone’s head spin.
Thankfully, you don’t have to memorize each of these factors to do well on Google. You just have to remember the acronym E-E-A-T.
Unpacking E-E-A-T SEO: What It Is And Why It Matters
You’ve likely already heard of the SEO term E-A-T. It’s been around for some time and stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
In 2022, Google added another E to the acronym. It stands for Experience. E-E-A-T, therefore, stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Why does it matter? When explaining E-E-A-T, Google stated that measuring content against this standard helps writers “conceptually align with the different signals used to rank content”.
Put simply, E-E-A-T is the standard you need to measure your writing against. A good article will showcase the writer’s first-hand experience and expertise. It will also be authoritative and generate trust.
If your content meets E-E-A-T standards, it will meet Google’s standards for quality content. If not, then it will fall short of Google’s requirements. E-E-A-T can spell the difference between a successful SEO strategy and a failed one.
The Core Elements of E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
Let’s look deeper into each of those core elements.
Experience
First-hand experience is a plus when creating many types of content.
Are you writing about real estate in a particular area? If so, your content will perform better if you have experience buying/selling real estate in the area in question.
Are you writing about a field of expertise, i.e., purchasing a phone or choosing a college? Be sure to share your first-hand experience. It will help your content rank higher than articles based solely on research.
Expertise
What is your expertise in a field? Do you have a degree or life experience? If so, talk about it in the article or the author’s bio.
Even more importantly, make sure your content reflects your level of expertise. Your information should be as detailed as possible. Organize it using topic clusters and pillar pages.
Authoritativeness
Authoritativeness means setting your site up as an industry leader.
Providing detailed content based on expertise is a good start. Effective internal linking shows that you can provide comprehensive information on the topic at hand.
At the same time, partnering with industry experts can help you stand out from the crowd. Writing guest posts for a high-ranking blog shows that you’re a trustworthy industry leader. Interviewing industry experts provides your site with content from established experts in your field.
Trustworthiness
To be trustworthy, your content must be 100% accurate. Statistics should be up-to-date. Sources should be relevant and authoritative.
Is something debatable, and you don’t have all the answers? Say so. Don’t pretend to know something you don’t.
Do you have old content that is no longer relevant or accurate? If so, update it or delete it. Don’t count on readers noticing the date on which the post was originally published.
Another aspect of building trustworthiness is making it easy for people to connect with you. Provide your address and phone number if you have a physical company. Create a contact page and provide an email address/phone number if you run a virtual business.
Measuring the Impact: How E-E-A-T Affects Your SEO Performance
E-E-A-T affects your SEO performance in almost every way imaginable.
Consumers will notice if your content is relevant, helpful, and accurate. They will spend time on your page, lowering your bounce rate. They will share your content on social media, increasing its visibility.
Experts will link to content meeting E-E-A-T guidelines. This will boost your site’s authority levels and, thus, its Google rank. Backlinks are currently one of Google’s most important ranking factors.
Success Stories: Brands That Nailed E-E-A-T SEO
Reddit’s monthly sessions went from 69 million per month to a whopping 200 million per month. Why?
Reddit’s users are real people who speak with first-hand experience. People find the answers they’re looking for on the conversation forums. Google has taken notice, and Reddit is reaping the benefits.
Medic Update saw a 300% increase in year-on-year revenue when it took three simple E-A-T-related steps.
The company eliminated poor content and created accurate, trustworthy content. It linked its content to authoritative sources, asked medical experts to review content, and then posted a “Content Medically Reviewed By” box on all its pages.
Future-Proofing Your SEO: Staying Ahead with E-E-A-T
Google has undergone multiple updates over the years. These have upended the way millions of companies use SEO to boost rankings.
Even so, Google’s end goal has always been the same. Its main aim is to provide users with accurate, helpful content.
Adhering to E-E-A-T guidelines isn’t just about boosting your site’s standing on Google in 2024. It’s about earning a permanent high placement on Google’s search engine.
Sites that adhere to E-E-A-T guidelines will attract consumers, earn likes, shares, and backlinks, generate sales, turn profits, and build brand loyalty.
The time and effort you put into applying E-E-A-T guidelines to your site will be well worth it.
Furthermore, you don’t have to do it all alone. WriterAccess offers access to vetted, experienced writers in multiple fields of expertise.
Our AI-powered platform makes it easy to find experts in any field. To start, open an account and provide information about the types of writers you need. Select one or more writers, provide detailed instructions, and trust our experts to get you across the finish line.
Are you ready to use Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines to build a wildly successful business? If so, check out our 14-day free trial period to see what WriterAccess can do for you.
