How E-E-A-T Will Benefit Your Local SEO

E-E-A-T is an important concept regarding website content. When done well, it can improve your website’s ranking by showing Google that you are an expert in your field in your local area.

If you noticed significant changes in website traffic and rankings or paid attention to website analytics over the past year, you may be experiencing some fluctuations. Part of the reason may have to do with E-A-T and now E-E-A-T.

You’ve may have heard about the E-A-T concept in your quest for answers. You may not know what E-A-T is or why it matters to SEO. Understanding what E-E-A-T means and how you can leverage this knowledge to optimize your content can significantly improve your online rankings and drive traffic to your most important web pages. Let’s look at what E-A-T is and what the new, additional E- represents.

E-E-A-T = Quality Content

Essentially E-E-A-T boils down to whether you are offering quality content on your website. There have been many spammy websites. Way too many. They provide garbage information and/or misleading claims. Google decided that for businesses that provide serious advice, the quality has to be much higher to curb the toxic influence of these spammy websites.

Google has a Quality Rater team, which is a third-party worker who makes sure that Google’s algorithms are aligned. They are distributed around the world and have been specially trained to assess the search results. They are “spot-checkers”, who make sure that Google’s advanced algorithms work correctly. Google algorithms sometimes receive updates that alter the process of ranking and processing results. These “updates”, are also known as “penalties” because of their effect on organic traffic and ranking.

What’s E-E-A-T, exactly?

Originally, the acroynm was just E-A-T. Yet, in December, 2022, Google included the additional E for “Experience” and so now it’s E-E-A-T.

E-E-A-T refers to a complicated analysis that the search algorithm performs. It takes into consideration 4 major factors in order to determine search ranking:

Expertise

A page’s content is more likely to rank higher if its author is an expert in that field. It was especially evident on sites related to medical/healthcare that had content written by individuals with no experience. This has affected websites offering advice across a range of industries.

Authority

The author or publication is more respected than content. A publication or author might have a large social media following and/or might be a winner of awards, or have similar fame. You might’ve been wondering why Google keeps showing “award winning” alongside the names of authors on Google and now you know why.

Trustworthiness

Google is constantly on the lookout for “disinformation” to prevent it from spreading through its products. Google works with “malicious agents” to stop disinformation spreading. Content is assessed for accuracy and consensus. Sites are rated higher if they have been deemed secure and adhere to the required privacy and security precautions.

Experience

The new addition refers to Google’s update that show that the author is speaking from experience. It’s one thing to recite facts and data but quite a different matter to discuss first-person experience in the subject matter. Consequently, the algorithm is apparently set to reward content that demonstrates first-person knowledge regarding the subject matter.

What Is The Best Way To Attain Expertise?

Your site should reflect both the overall expertise and individual expertise of the authors to be in the top position possible. A biography should also be included to highlight the relevant experience of each author in the field. It doesn’t have to be difficult. This can be as simple as stating the author’s years of experience in the subject or listing the areas of research that the author studied (relating the educational background to the expertise). If the expert who reviewed the article did not write it but reviewed it for you, please indicate that and also include your relative expertise or credentials in this field.

What Is The Best Way to Attain Authority?

Consider how your site or publication can be identified as a popular professional in the field. One way is to use the power of numbers, facts and data.

“His email newsletter are read by_____ people each month.”

“Her clinic receives __ patient’s annually.”

Their firm ranks among the best in North America.

You can also show authority by showing honors and awards of an author or organization. Include information about your special designations, awards, speeches, etc.. Essentially, anything that distinguishes you in your field is a great way to show authority in your field.

What Is The Best Way To Build Trustworthiness?

Your site should also demonstrate that it is adequately protecting all visitors’ data. Your privacy policy should be visible to all visitors on your website so they can see exactly what is happening with their data.

Consider the potential reviews your business might have received on Google and other sites. Although your business may only have two or three reviews on Google, if you get one negative review from Google, it will impact the overall ranking of your reviews.

To increase your website presence, encourage customers and clients to leave reviews for each visit. If possible, work together with professionals to ensure that your site is cross-referenced across the web.

What Is The Best Way To Show Experience?

Show your experience through case studies, your portfolio, before and after images, interviews, interviews with your clients. Showing experience is not only good for E-E-A-T but it’s a high converting factor.

If you are a periodontist and work on beautifying smiles, showing before and after images is an exceptional way to show your experience.

If you are a personal injury attorney, showing videos of client interviews extolling your wonderful legal accomplishments on their behalf is not only great for SEO but will substantially increase your conversions because of how persuasive this type of content will be to prospective clients.

If your content needs to be more confidential, say like a therapist or accounting, then show your case studies that show your accomplishments in providing the kind of services that your typical client is seeking.

E-A-T: Who Should Care? You Should If You Are YMYL

E-E-A-T is the YMYL rule. YMYL stands for Your Money Or Your Life. These are websites and businesses as well as their content that provide advice and services that can affect someone’s health or wealth (or both!).

Section 2.3 of Google’s Search Quality Rating Guides states that YMYL Content covers subjects that can potentially affect a person’s happiness, safety, and financial stability.

Bottom line: In order to be ranked well in Google searches, it is important to demonstrate your expertise, authority and trust in your field AND to provide content in a way that creates a favorable user experience. This is especially true if you are in a YMYL sector like medicine, law, brokering, etc.