Google E-E-A-T: What It Is And How to Create Good Content
You’ve probably invested a lot of time creating content for your website, but can’t seem to rank for certain topics. Meanwhile, other websites are surpassing yours in Google’s search results.
While many factors contribute to how well content ranks, a key factor has been and will always be the quality of the copy on your website. And in a world where more people are generating content with AI tools, Google is really cracking down to make sure that copy is good, and that the search results it serves up to people are relevant and meet standards.
So, how do you define “quality?” Let’s look at a little (or, not so little) thing called E-E-A-T.
What is E-E-A-T and What Does It Mean for My Website?
We think it sounds like a trendy restaurant name, but it’s also an acronym for the framework that Google uses to assess the quality and credibility of your content and website in relation to the topic. It stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust.
E-E-A-T is important for SEO and has been a crucial factor in what happens to websites when Google rolls out its core algorithm updates. These updates, which occur several times a year, are Google’s way of ensuring searchers always get the most helpful and reliable results.
Now that we’ve explained what E-E-A-T means for SEO, let’s break down how to create good content using each of its principles.
Experience
We all know that anyone can post anything online. Sadly, we’ve become accustomed to weeding through the garbage to find the good stuff. Google doesn’t want us to have to do that, which is why it’s so important for your content to reflect real-world experience.
The About page of your website is a great place to talk about your experience and dive into company history. Talk about your people, too, especially if you have employees who have been with the company for a long time. Include testimonials and reviews on product or service pages to show the types of customers you’ve worked with and all the good things they have to say about your business.
Expertise
Google prioritizes content from websites that demonstrate topical knowledge. Use industry-specific language and provide valuable insights instead of filling your pages with “fluffy” content that doesn’t say much. Consider the top questions customers ask and use specific examples to show how you solve those problems. For blog posts, include a brief author bio with their credentials and how long they’ve been in the industry.
Authoritativeness
Many people and businesses want to be considered experts and thought leaders in their industry, but this doesn’t come without genuine effort. Building a blog is one effective way to demonstrate authority. Choose topics relevant to your industry and that appeal to your target customer. You can also use a blog or resources section of your website to highlight videos, employee spotlights, and other content that helps build your brand.
Backlinks from reputable sites are another SEO tactic used to demonstrate authority. If you manufacture products, ask your partners and distributors to link back to your site. Submitting articles to industry publications, participating in panel discussions or podcasts, and attending industry events are all other ways to earn backlinks to your site and show that you are a leader in your industry.
Trust
Everything discussed above helps establish trust between you and website visitors. But good content isn’t the only factor to consider. Trust also relates to providing a safe and secure online experience. You never want people to click on your site and see the dreaded “not secure” message appear on their screen. Make sure your technical support provider installs a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate on your server and conducts regular checks to improve your website’s performance and security.
This might seem like a lot but when you think about it, the concept is quite simple: write good, people-first content that incorporates SEO best practices. We know that people are busy and it can be tempting to take shortcuts when it comes to copy for your website. But if you take the time to do things right, the ROI is well worth the time invested.
Want to learn more about Google E-E-A-T? We’re loving this video on the topic by Lily Ray of Path Interactive!
Build Your Brand with Better Content
Evolve Systems has a team of content strategists who follow Google E-E-A-T and copywriting best practices to produce branded content that converts. Let’s start the conversation and discover ways to make your website content shine!
