Lisa Blackburn /
SEO & PPC Specialist
In the ever-evolving world of SEO, there's one acronym you need to be keeping your eye firmly on: E-E-A-T, standing for Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. E-E-A-T has become a cornerstone in Google's search quality guidelines, but what does it actually mean, and why is it important to your SEO strategy? Let's find out.
What is E-E-A-T?
E-E-A-T is a quality metric used by Google to evaluate the content of websites for search engine ranking purposes. It's intended to filter out low-quality content and promote content that's relevant and useful to its users. We've broken down what each part of the acronym represents below!
Expertise
Expertise refers to the depth of knowledge in a particular area. It's not just about having credentials (though they can help) - it's about showcasing that you genuinely know your niche. For instance, a chef writing about culinary techniques or a certified financial planner discussing investment strategies will both demonstrate expertise in their respective fields.
Experience
Experience sounds like it's related to expertise, but it actually focuses on the website user's experience (UX). A website offering valuable content but with slow load times or confusing navigation fails to provide a good experience - after all, what good is quality content if it's too much of a hassle to view it? By improving your website's UX, you can make sure your site is mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and offers valuable content in a user-friendly manner.
Authoritativeness
Being an expert is one thing, but being recognised as an authority in your field is another kettle of fish. Authoritativeness is built over time through consistent content quality, earning quality backlinks, and establishing your brand as a thought leader. Consider brands like HubSpot in inbound marketing or Moz in SEO - their consistent, high-quality content has positioned them as top dogs in their niches, and their SERP rankings reflect that.
Trustworthiness
In today's digital world, trust is paramount. Websites need to prove they're secure (think HTTPS), transparent in their dealings, and consistent in their content delivery. Reviews and clear privacy policies can also boost a site's trustworthiness.
E-E-A-T and Google's algorithms
E-E-A-T isn't just a buzzword - it plays a critical role in how Google ranks websites. This is especially true for "Your Money or Your Life" (YMYL) content, which can sway a decision regarding someone's health, finances, or safety. E-E-A-T was first introduced in 2014, but it left out the 'E' for Experience. The August 2018 "Medic" update was the first one to really shine a spotlight on E-A-T, and it penalised YMYL websites that didn't follow the guidelines. In December 2022, the "Helpful content" update added Experience as an extra guideline and affected countless websites across different sectors. All these Google algorithm updates have made E-E-A-T something you can't ignore when creating a modern SEO strategy.
How to implement E-E-A-T in your SEO strategy
Ready to improve your website's E-E-A-T? Here are some quick wins:
Write quality content
Check your content is well-researched, accurate, and offers real value to readers. Avoid plagarism and always link back to any sources you reference.
Carry out regular audits
Regularly review and update your content to keep it relevant and accurate. Is that blog article you wrote three years ago still relevant? If not, what changes can be made to the blog to make it up to date?
Improve user experience
Invest in improving page speed, mobile optimisation, and intuitive navigation. Improving these key metrics will also improve your conversion rates.
Build authority
Engage in guest posting, earn quality backlinks from relevant websites, and produce consistent content to establish authority.
Boost trust
Implement HTTPS, write up a clear privacy policy, and highlight reviews and testimonials from existing clients.
How to measure E-E-A-T success
So, how do you know if your E-E-A-T efforts are paying off? Tools like Google Analytics can offer insights into user behaviour, while SEO platforms like SEMrush or Ahrefs can help monitor backlinks and keyword rankings. You should also keep an eye on organic traffic, engagement rates, and user metrics to gauge your E-E-A-T effectiveness.
E-E-A-T is here to stay
E-E-A-T isn't just another acronym to remember; it's the foundational element of modern SEO. By focusing on Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, your websites will rank better on Google and provide genuine value to your audience - a real win-win.
Talk to b4b's SEO experts
Looking to turbocharge your business's SEO strategy? b4b's content team have years of experience writing sharp, engaging content that plays by the E-E-A-T rules. They'll team up with our SEO experts to create killer strategies that send your website's rankings through the roof. Give us a shout to get started!
