An SEO guide to understanding E-E-A-T

avatar
by Jacob Solomon Mar 13, 2023 News
An SEO guide to understanding E-E-A-T

Adding an extra "E" to the search quality standards of E-A-T ensures that the content is useful and relevant.

Expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness precede the original E-A-T concept.

E-A-T was already important. At SMX Next, Hyung-Jin Kim confirmed that this is true.

“E-A-T is a template for how we rate an individual site. We do it to every single query and every single result. It’s pervasive throughout every single thing we do.”

You need to demonstrate E-E-A-T in your content strategy to get noticed by the search engine.

What it means, why it matters, and how to use it to your advantage are some of the topics covered in this overview.

This article was published.

E-E-A-T: What does it mean for SEO and why is it important?

According to the guidelines of the search quality rater, trust is earned by showing experience, expertise and authoritativeness.

Venn Diagram demonstrates how E-E-A-T works. Experience, authority and expertise all cross over in the middle which is where trust is.

E-E-A-T is a ranking factor. In the real world, we trust sources who are qualified and prefer to get information from people who know what they're talking about.

If you want to find tax information, you'll want to see content produced by an accounting expert, that's according to the example provided by the search engine.

Since they have experience, expertise and authority on the subject, we trust what they have to say. We can be certain that we are getting accurate information.

To gain traction in the search results pages and get your site to the top spots, you need to demonstrate E-E-A-T.

Demonstrating E-E-A-T to Google

What does it mean to deliver what is needed to meet E-E-A-T standards and how do you prove it?

The good news is that the most conscientious website administrators and marketing teams are already working to develop E-E-A-T.

The guidelines for building web credibility were compiled by the lab.

  1. Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site.
  2. Show that there’s a real organization behind your site.
  3. Highlight the expertise in your organization and in the content and services you provide.
  4. Show that honest and trustworthy people stand behind your site.
  5. Make it easy to contact you.
  6. Design your site so it looks professional (or is appropriate for your purpose).
  7. Make your site easy to use – and useful.
  8. Update your site’s content often (at least show it’s been reviewed recently).
  9. Use restraint with any promotional content (e.g., ads, offers).
  10. Avoid errors of all types, no matter how small they seem.
– Stanford Web Credibility Research

I don't know what to say if the above doesn't scream "Be a human, care about your users and your website experience"

With the above guidelines in mind, let's break down E-E-A-T.

Experience

First-hand experiences on the topic you are writing about should be considered.

In a digital world, experience is important

Artificial intelligence can't show true experiences. It can make assumptions, but it won't be unique.

It is most likely that the addition of experience in the search quality raters guidelines was a result of the launch of the new chat gppt.

The difference between human and artificial intelligence written content is experience.

Sharing the faces behind your website is a great way to show your experience. The statement is in line with the guidelines of the web.

  • Show that there’s a real organization behind your site.
  • Highlight the expertise in your organization and in the content and services you provide.
  • Show that honest and trustworthy people stand behind your site.

It doesn't have to be hard to achieve this. Share your team's credentials on the About us page.

Before you spend your money on a product or service, think about what makes you feel safe.

Expertise

The writer's expertise is related to the amount of knowledge shown in your article.

According to the rater guidelines, an author's expertise or authoritativeness on a subject would count a lot.

An author's authority as an individual doesn't matter to E-A-T.

Look at this article. The author is unknown, yet a search for "Google E-A-T" brings "unknown's" article to the prime position at the top of the search results.

Screenshot from Google SERPs shows an article with an unknown author ranking in the top spot.

You can bet that this article is the best one to rank in the search results, and it has received a lot of clicks.

I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss it because author authority doesn't seem to influence the guidelines.

WordStream is believed to be a highly authoritative website. There is more on this in the tips section.

It can be helpful to show an author's expertise on a subject as the use of artificial intelligence increases.

Expertise will build confidence with the human reading your content.

  • The author’s name.
  • A descriptive bio containing:
    • Their relevant qualifications.
    • Links to their social media profiles.
  • A Person schema with relevant properties for certifications or professions.

If you build trust with your audience, they will engage in other positive engagements that will show the site is one to trust and rank.

The guidelines for search quality raters are clear.

“…which would you rather trust: home electrical rewiring advice from a skilled electrician or from an antique home enthusiast who has no knowledge of electrical wiring.” 

In the case of the WordStream article, it's possible that the site itself had enough authority to rank with an unknown writer.

The extent to which a content creator is considered a go-to source on the topic is considered by authoritativeness.

There are three ways in which authority can be shown.

  • Establishing a strong content architecture covering all aspects of a particular topic.
  • Earning backlinks from other authoritative sites.
  • Building a digital profile or personal brand as an expert in a particular topic.

Experience, expertise and authority go together. Expertise and experience are needed to be an authority on a topic.

How can you build authority using the internet?

The content architecture and authority are related.

It's a good idea to build authority in order to appease the internet giant.

Think about it that way...

You might consider them authoritative if you were to hire anseo consultant.

They are going to appear even more authoritative if they can tell you about the same things.

They are going to seem authoritative if they can do all of the above and prove their expertise through case studies.

The person with the most authority is more likely to be hired.

You can show authoritativeness with a solid content strategy.

Diagram showing topical cluster relating to the topic

Everything your potential buyer will want to know should be considered. There is a way to show E-E-A-T in every article.

The more high-quality content you have on your site, the more authoritative it will become.

Standford's web credibility guidelines support the idea of publishing content that is useful.

  • Make it easy to contact you.
  • Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site.
  • Design your site so it looks professional (or is appropriate for your purpose).
  • Make your site easy to use – and useful.
  • Update your site’s content often (at least show it’s been reviewed recently).
  • Use restraint with any promotional content (e.g., ads, offers).
  • Avoid errors of all types, no matter how small they seem.

All of these items will be achieved by helpful content that supports buyers.

There are backlinks from authoritative websites.

Backlinks are still an indicator of an authoritative site despite carrying less weight. This is a sign that you can be trusted.

The more authoritative your site is, the better it will be. It's important to note that authority is more about experience and expertise than it is about domain authority.

Search Engine Land is an authority in the field of search engine Optimisation. Search Engine Land is ranked on the first page. Search Engine Land can be found at the bottom of the search results.

Screenshot of Google SERPs showing Search Engine Land listed as an SEO source on Google.

There is a link from Search Engine Land to an article.

If there is an external link to a site that is relevant to the study or research, it will show that the linked site is trustworthy.

A digital or personal brand is being built.

In order to establish authority and expertise on a particular subject, you need to know who you are and what you do.

Sara has achieved this with success. According to the knowledge panel, she is a Canadian-based search engine consultant.

Her social links are shared by the panel.

Sara Taher's knowledge panel shows that she's recognized as an SEO consultant.

We can see that he is an authority on the subject of Search Engine Optimisation. It is unsurprising that Taher has articles that are number one in the search results.

Screenshot shows an article written by Sara Taher in Position 1 on Google.

Trustworthiness

Trust is developed by showing experience, expertise and authority.

The process of building E-E-A-T is a long one. When creating a content strategy, be sure to pay attention to the pillars.

Search marketers rely on daily newsletters.

Levels of E-E-A-T

Some sites have higher levels of E-E- A-T than others.

There is guidance on what E-E-A-T looks like at different levels within the guidelines.

The goal is to build E-E-A-T to the highest possible level but every website will need to move through the levels over time.

Most websites won't have low E-E-A-T if the content is helpful.

The websites with the lowest E-E-A-T are likely to be spammy. High levels of E-E-A-T will be a challenge.

Website owners need to build clusters that serve buyers at every step of their journey.

It's important to know what the different levels of E-E-A-T look like.

Lowest E-E-A-T

The lower the E-E-A-T, the more spammy the pages are. The lowest E-E-A-T pages don't meet an optimal experience.

The main content relates more to page experience than anything else.

The pages should be considered unreliable.

  • Inadequate information about the website or content creator for its purpose.
  • Lowest E-E-A-T or Lowest reputation.
  • Deceptive purpose, deceptive page design, or deceptive intent.
  • Deliberately obstructed or obscured MC.
  • Characteristics of scams, malicious downloads, or other harmful behavior.
  • Any webpage or website designed to manipulate people into actions that benefit the website or other organization while causing harm to self, others, or Specified Groups.

Lacking E-E-A-T

Even though a website has a positive reputation elsewhere, it can lack E-E-A-T on a subject. It was suggested that page relevancy is important.

It wouldn't make sense for a website to give away a tax form. It doesn't matter if the relevancy is low or not.

An appropriate level of E-E-A-T is missing from low-quality pages. Some examples are provided.

  • The content creator lacks adequate experience (e.g., a restaurant review written by someone who has never eaten at the restaurant). 
  • The content creator lacks adequate expertise (e.g., an article about how to skydive written by someone with no expertise in the subject).
  • The website or content creator is not an authoritative or trustworthy source for the page's topic (e.g., tax form downloads provided on a cooking website).
  • The page or website is not trustworthy for its purpose (e.g., a shopping page with minimal customer service information). 

If the page doesn't have appropriate E-E-A-T, the low rating should be used. A lack of E-E-A-T can't be overcome by a positive reputation or the type of website.

High level of E-E-A-T

Experience, expertise, authority and trust will be achieved by websites with high levels of E-E- A-T.

Screenshot sharing the experience, expertise, authority and trust required for high E-E-A-T websites.

High E-E-A-T websites are described as news or government sites, but also highly relevant videos and small business websites.

It is possible to achieve high levels of E-E-A-T. There is a chance every website has.

Very high level of E-E-A-T

The highest levels of E-E-A-T can be seen on websites.

High E-E-A-T pages will be home to high quality, well written articles with evidence of knowledge and expertise.

The documentation says that.

"The standards for Highest quality MC may be very different depending on the purpose, topic, and type of website. Here are some examples of Highest quality original content:

  • For news : Original reporting that provides information that would not otherwise have been known had the article not revealed it. Accurate, original, in-depth, and investigative reporting requires a high level of skill/talent and effort. Very high quality news content will include a description of primary sources and other original reporting referenced during the content creation process. Very high quality news content must be accurate and should meet professional journalistic standards.
  • For artistic content (videos, images, photography, writing, etc.): Unique and original content created by highly skilled and talented artists or content creators. Such artistic content requires a high level of skill/talent and effort. If the artistic content is related to a YMYL topic (e.g., artistic content with the purpose of informing or swaying opinion about YMYL topics), YMYL standards should apply.
  • For informational content: Original, accurate, comprehensive, clearly communicated, and should reflect expert consensus as appropriate. Expectations for different types of information may vary. For example, scientific papers have a different set of expectations than a social media post sharing information about a hobby such as stamp collecting. However, all types of very high quality informational content share common characteristics of accuracy and clarity of communication, in addition to meeting standards appropriate to the topic or field. The Highest rating may be justified for pages with very satisfying MC created with a very high level of effort, originality, talent, or skill." 

Asking if something feels right on your website is important when building a level of E-E- A-T.

You should meet E-E-A-T if you aim to be consistently useful.

SEO tips for achieving E-E-A-T

The most conscientious of us are already on the path to achieve high levels of E-E-A-T, but if you're still unconvinced or want a steer, here are some tips.

Consider page experience

They tend to build on each other. Page experience is still important even though we heard about it a while back.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has a calculator on their website. It was classified as having the highest E-E-A-T.

Screenshot from Google rater guidelines shows how page experience impacts E-E-A-T.

The page quality rating and explanation consider a lot of factors, including the reputation and expertise of medical topics and the general function of the page.

The E-E-A-T feeds into the page's function and the calculator's use.

Get technical

It's not much of a leap to think that the website's function is related to the page experiences.

It's important to keep your website clean and technical.

  • Reducing 404s which result in a poor user experience.
  • Reducing crawl rate so Googlebot can find all the good information on your site and not duplicate or missing pages and daisy-chained redirects. 
  • Adding alt text to your images, so all users have a positive experience.

Show your humans with an About us or Team page

For a reason, the new "E" is here.

Take all the points and tensions in the real world into account. What do your customers want to see to be sure they're comfortable with you?

I would want to know who they are, what their expertise is and what their credentials are if I hired a lawyer. You can put this on your website.

Lawyers can show their experience online in a way that is easy to understand.

Experience, education, professional involvement and awards are showcased on the team page of the law firm. A picture of who each team member is built by this.

Person page from BD&P Law shows experience best practice.

This information is helpful to someone who needs a lawyer.

If your industry values awards, you can create an awards page.

You wouldn't know everything you know if you didn't research and learn from other credible sources.

You shouldn't be afraid to link to the sites that helped you develop your content.

If you link to credible resources, your user will be able to read related content. The information you're sharing can be verified by the internet search engine.

Add or update content regularly

Keeping your site competitive requires adding new content as frequently as possible. This will let you share something with your audience and show you are active in business.

Existing content needs to be updated. Break news, product releases, and recurring events are some of the things that some queries demand.

The updated pieces of content will be prioritized by the internet search engine. I wouldn't sleep for a site that wasn't within the above categories.

At the turn of the new year, a joke circulates in the community that we need to update our website from "best dancing shoes to buy in 2022" to "best dancing shoes to buy in 2023"

I don't believe this update will pass the E-E-A-T checks. It's best to take your time to update the content. What hasn't changed? People need to know other things.

An argument could be made that no content is evergreen. It will need a little tweaking to hold the most recent information.

Build topical clusters

It's important to showcase expertise, even though the importance of the clusters has been mentioned.

It's not possible to prove expertise with a single website. Maybe you can if it's a book. I don't think your users want 60,000 words on a single page.

If you have articles about a topic, link them together.

You don't need to be very clever to build authority.

Links of relevant pieces of content are useful for your audience. The user might want to look at a related website.

Include different content types

Words on a page are notContent is more than that. It's a good idea to create on top of the typical post.

  • Videos.
  • Podcasts.
  • Webinars. 
  • Other types of short- or long-form content.

Use a video to your advantage if you can.

Try for a Wikipedia page

The process of the website is robust. It's not easy to get a page on the internet.

It will help sites earn knowledge graphs in the search results, which is a good indicator of how much the internet is watched.

Engage experts

You can include quotes from experts or have experts write the article if you want to add content to your site.

An article written by someone who knows what they're talking about is going to be more compelling than one written by someone who doesn't.

There is a high E-E-A-T post on parenting. An expert on the subject of parenting issues wrote it.

Screenshot from rater guidelines shows Google's focus on expert authors contributing to E-E-A-T.

Building your brand and showcasing your content on other sites can help you develop expertise on a topic.

Encourage reviews

Proof of expertise is provided by reviews. This can only benefit your website if your customers are happy and you can show it in the data or entities associated with your website.

Final thoughts on E-E-A-T

There is no way to identify a high E-E- A-T website. A lot of factors are looked at by the search engine.

It's a simple and effective way to gauge content quality.

Treat your web users the same way you would treat your offline customers.

You should treat your website the same way you would a store. You should be able to achieve some decent levels of E-E-A-T if you keep it clean.

Building trust and providing value are ensured by this.

The guest author's opinions are not necessarily those of the search engine. There are staff authors here.