![What is Google’s EAT & Why Does it Matter? [2023 Guide]](https://outburstmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GOOGLE-E-A-T.png)
In this post, I will go over Google’s guidelines for E-A-T, which they use to determine content search rankings.
Here I will give a comprehensive breakdown, suggestions, and best practices regarding Google’s EAT SEO.
Let’s jump in.
What is Google EAT?
Google’s E-A-T stands for “Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness.”
This acronym is short for the method Google uses to determine whether content on the web is valuable to its readers. Google then ranks the content accordingly to the topic.
The goal of Google E-A-T is to give users the greatest experience possible.
To give some history, Google added EAT to its search quality guidelines in 2014. Since then, it has been an integral part of Ranking well on Google.
Expertise
Your website needs to show extensive knowledge on a particular topic. Google does not want to display websites that contain inaccurate information.
The E-A-T hypothesis tries to protect users from irrelevant and poor search results while maintaining Google’s position as the leading global search engine.
Expert Authors can also increase E-A-T. Authors gain this notability over time by consistently showing their expertise and experience in a niche or topic.
Google wants to provide the searcher with the best, most relevant information possible to ensure they receive what they are looking for.
High-Quality Content is everything.
Authority
Authoritativeness is established over time.
You need to be a good source of reliable information.
Author Pages with a background to your experience are great for demonstrating industry authority and expertise.
Reviews & Testimonials can also show Authoritativeness.
Interviewing industry experts with your content can be another great way to show authority.
Trustworthiness
It’s essential that visitors believe your website is trustworthy. This takes time and strategy.
In order to gain Google’s Trust in their web browser, there are certain components that should be present on your site to show Google you are a safe and legitimate place for users.
A great way to build this trust with the user is to explain who you are and what you are about.
- Example: About Page
Security of your Website
Ensuring your website is a secure destination for users is critical for Google to trust you and push your content to searchers.
Having customer-friendly features on your site, such as:
- Secure Domains (HTTPS)
- Physical Business Locations
- Contact Pages
- Return and Refund Policies
- Terms & Conditions
- Privacy Policy
- Data Transparency
What is YMYL?
YMYL stands for “your money, your life.”
This abbreviation represents any website that provides services or products that could impact a user’s quality of life, health, or finances.
When dealing with these topics, you must ensure that all content on your website serves to help users rather than hurt or mislead them.
Content Examples Include:
- Politics or Laws
- Personal Health
- Business & Finance
- College
- Housing
As a general rule of thumb, anything involving significant decisions in a person’s life complies with the YMYL google guidelines.
IS EAT a Ranking Factor?
The Google algorithm gods do not classify E-A-T as a single ranking factor.
Nonetheless, Google’s SEO E-A-T is a significant component of numerous Google search algorithms.
So it would be best to consider this when posting content and striving to get material ranked.
Why E-A-T is Important for SEO
A High E-A-T score gains more visibility for your content, leading to more traffic and sales.
Without E-A-T, google users could have difficulty finding the solutions and content they need, which could lead to consumers using other search providers.
The type of information being presented may have an impact on how vital EAT is.
Google categorizes important information into groupings such as YMYL (your money or your life). Every website created on a subject linked to their grouping should thus have a high level of EAT.
E-A-T SEO Checklist
Google’s recommendations state that excellent website material should be:
- Clear & concise content
- You want your content to be easily understandable.
- Help users as they find what they’re looking for in an easy-to-read way.
- Avoid any fluff in your content that sounds redundant or unnecessary. This may confuse the reader.
- Created by a reputable author
- You can achieve this by being a proven subject matter expert in your field.
- You are creating a plethora of valuable content around the same subject for your targeted audience.
- Published on a reputable website
- Posting on more acclaimed websites does contribute to higher E-A-T scores.
- So it’s recommended that you establish your website as a well-known, dependable destination for your topic.
- Continually be relevant & updated
- With ever-changing industry trends and information, accurate data is essential to maintaining a high-quality E-A-T score.
- Collaborate with industry experts
- Working with reputable professionals in the field to provide more expertise and insights through research and interviews can drastically increase your SEO content score.
- Quality linking to additional sources
- Including relevant and valuable links inherently increases your credibility and SEO scores.
- Before speaking with a sales representative, 47% of consumers watched three to five pieces of material. (Demand Gen Report)
FAQ
Do Other Pages Get Affected by Low Google E-A-T Content?
If one page of your website has low E-A-T content, that does not necessarily guarantee that the entire page will have low E-A-T.
On the other hand, low E-A-T pages might affect the overall authority of your website.
Google loves to see consistently high-quality content throughout your entire website.
Does author reputation change ranking?
The simple answer to this question is No.
Author authority does not directly affect your content ranking.
John Mueller from Google has officially said that the author’s reputation is not included in webpage results by the search engine.
Although the Quality Rater team at Google is told to consider the author’s reputation when assessing a web page, Google’s algorithms do not take this directive into consideration.
How does content expertise change ranking?
Google does recommend you list the author’s real name and bio on their relevant posts. This can technically contribute to a higher ranking score if the author has extensive expertise in the particular topic.
This practice indirectly leads to higher SEO quality scores by establishing a trustworthy rapport with its users.
Where can I Learn More about EAT?
You can learn more about the details of Google’s EAT algorithm listed in Google Quality Rater Guideline.
Final Thoughts
E-A-T, or “Expertise, Authoritativeness & Trustworthiness,” is just one of the many protocols Google has in place to ensure good user experience.
This is one of the reasons why Google dominates its industry and runs the modern world practically.
Trust and quality are everything to consumers. Without them, all bets are off for longevity and growth. Google understands this.
While Google’s E-A-T standards are not direct ranking criteria, adhering to them can considerably improve your website’s quality and raise your content’s visibility in search results.
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