What is EEAT?
Key takeaways:
1. EEAT is a concept introduced by Google to evaluate in their search ranking systems if content is helpful and relevant
2. EEAT evaluates experience expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness of content creators.
3. Experience is a critical factor that Google evaluate first-hand, life experience on the topic at hand.
4. EEAT also considers the overall reputation of a website or brand, including its history and track record.
5. YMYL pages require a higher level of EEAT due to their potential impact on users’ well-being.
6. Optimizing your website using EEAT guidelines can lead to higher rankings and more traffic.
What is E-E-A-T and Why is it Important for Your Website?
Google updated its search quality rater guidelines that included this concept, to learn more about these updates and how they can impact your content strategy, check out the official blog post on Google Developers.
The EEAT system is particularly important in the field of digital marketing and SEO, as it has a significant impact on search engine rankings. As Google continues to prioritize high-quality content, it is more important than ever for content creators to ensure their content meets the standards of the EEAT system.
Expertise refers to the level of knowledge and expertise that the author or creator of the content has in a particular area. This could include qualifications, experience, or other relevant credentials.
Authoritativeness refers to the authority or reputation of both the author and the website on which the content is published. This can be determined by factors such as the number of backlinks, social media shares, and overall online presence.
Trustworthiness refers to the reliability and accuracy of the information presented in the content. This includes factors such as the use of credible sources, accurate data, and fact-checking.
According to a study conducted by SEMrush in 2021, the top three factors that contribute to high EEAT scores are the quality of the content, the authority of the website, and the expertise of the author. The study also found that high EEAT scores are strongly correlated with high rankings in Google search results.
Apparently now Google’s EAT, and likely now EEAT is applied to every single query as Hyung-Jin Kim is quoted as saying “”We do it to every single query and every single result, so it is actually pretty pervasive throughout everything we do.”
Overall, the EEAT system is designed to promote high-quality content that is both informative and accurate. By focusing on expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, Google is helping to ensure that users can rely on the information they find online, and that content creators are incentivized to produce high-quality content that meets these standards. SEO professionals and digital marketers.
Let’s dive deeper into what E-E-A-T stands for and why it is crucial for your website.
Experience: Why User Experience Matters
In December 2022, to enhance our evaluation of outcomes in Google’s algorithms, E-A-T is incorporated the factor of Experience. This related to having first-hand, life experience with the content being presented to the user. Example is someone is writing about weight loss, they have experience in this field as a dietitian or personal trainer, they will have more real world experience than people in unrelated industries. Google is evaluating that a medical expert has written a medical article, as that will show experience.
A question to understand this further is “Is the content reflective of having been created with a certain level of expertise, such as through personal usage of a product, physical visits to a location, or detailing individual experiences?”
In certain cases, the most valuable content originates from individuals who possess direct, real-life familiarity with the subject matter at hand.
Expertise: The Importance of Knowledge and Skill
Expertise is crucial factor that Google considers when it comes to search result rankings. High-quality content demands relevant knowledge and skill in the area of discussion. Google is committed to delivering dependable, informative, and accurate information to its users, necessitating a strong level of expertise in content creation.
Authoritativeness: Credibility of the Content
Authoritativeness is an aspect of EEAT that Google considers when it comes to content and the site it’s hosted on. Credibility is established via the quality of the content, the site’s reputation, external links and citations, and the content creator’s qualifications.
Trustworthiness: Overall Trustworthiness of the Content and the Website
Trustworthiness is the element that contributes to the credibility of content and the site in general. Trustworthiness is determined by factors such as the accuracy of the information, transparency around the content’s creation and sources, site security, and the user experience it provides.
“Your Money or Your Life” or YMYL Pages
E-E-A-T is closely linked to Google’s “Your Money or Your Life (YMYL)” pages, which havea significant impact on the searcher’s well-being. YMYL pages are those that deal with topics such as health, finance, and safety. Because the information presented on these pages can significantly impact the user’s life, Google is particularly concerned with ensuring that the content is of the highest quality possible. The E-A-T framework, therefore, plays a crucial role in determining the ranking of YMYL pages.
Backlinks still play a role in EEAT
So, how can you build high-quality backlinks that enhance your website’s E-E-A-T?
Ultimately, building high-quality backlinks is a critical component of optimizing your website for Google’s E-E-A-T framework. By focusing on creating high-quality content and engaging in ethical link building practices, you can enhance your website’s credibility, authority, and overall search engine rankings.
Having powerful and highly regarded website such as the New York Times, Forbes, etc link to yours will only serve to hit all elements of EEAT.
Relevance plays a role, having a medical blog, link to your medical article will act as a vote of endorsement that your content and website is trustworthy enough to link out too.
Several years ago when asked, Gary Illyes stated that EAT was “largely based on links and mentions on authoratative sites”, I believe this still reigns true today as it’s a catch all factor:
I asked Gary about E-A-T. He said it’s largely based on links and mentions on authoritative sites. i.e. if the Washington post mentions you, that’s good.
— Dr. Marie Haynes (@Marie_Haynes) February 21, 2018
He recommended reading the sections in the QRG on E-A-T as it outlines things well.@methode #Pubcon
In Summary
In conclusion, the EEAT framework are crucial for website owners and digital marketers to understand. By focusing on user experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, you can improve the credibility of your content and website, which can lead to higher rankings and increased traffic.
With Google’s continued emphasis on user experience and high-quality content, it’s essential to prioritize these factors in your digital marketing strategy so I’ve created an EEAT checklist to use to check off your EEAT health!
