E-E-A-T, also called Double E-A-T, is the short form for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google considers a variety of factors and indicators when determining the legitimacy of an author, website owner, or material. With the advent of generative AI such as ChatGPT and other tools, churning quick and unresearched content is on the rise. Misinformation fills headlines. Google, therefore, trains its systems to distinguish and reward those high-class, expert-eye, factually correct works of art. This is where we see E-E-A-T come into play.
It’s an improvement of the earlier term, E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), with an addition of Experience, which was introduced by Google in 2022. Each component of E-E-A-T plays a different role:
1.Experience
The extra letter signals a heightened emphasis on Experience. Do writers have first-hand or real-life experience using the product/service they write about? Content created by authors with abundant personal experience tends to be reliable and effectively accomplish their objectives. For example, a how-to blog written by someone who’s actually used a gadget they are describing will score higher in this category.
2.Expertise
Expertise goes beyond the knowledge you show off. It’s about how you’ve used that know-how in real life to give your audience something valuable. It means proving you have deep understanding and abilities in your field. Let’s say you’re looking for good medical advice. You wouldn’t want to trust just any source. Instead, you’d prefer to read info you can rely on written by a doctor who knows their stuff.
3.Authoritativeness
Some of the direct signals Google checks for Authoritativeness evaluation are the number of inbound links from your industry leaders, whether from influential or important publications or relevant websites. High-authority websites often carry backlinks from other reputable sites.
4.Trustworthiness
Trust is a very important factor for users when they are surfing content and shopping online. Fake news is a massive problem, and phishing attacks are increasingly becoming common. To tackle this, Google places a lot of emphasis on trustworthiness. When creating content, businesses must be honest with their content, be factually correct, and give sources, not mask content or use black-hat techniques to rank higher.
Why is E-E-A-T important for SEO?
Google’s ultimate objective is to rank material that is relevant, accurate, and of high quality. And this is what E-E-A-T is for. Here is the reason why it matters for SEO:
- Better rankings: All sites that do well on E-E-A-T are able to perform better in search rankings. Google prefers websites showing actual experiences and expert opinions.
- Better user experience: High E-E-A-T typically leads to better user experience since it is customised to cater to user needs. Engaged users tend to spend much time on your website, leading to a reduced bounce rate and increased conversions.
- Reliability within highly competitive industries: For highly competitive industries like healthcare, finance, and pharma, E-E-A-T becomes even more vital because of the possible serious repercussions of wrong information.
What you need to know to boost your E-E-A-T
E-E-A-T is basically a set of signals Google uses to review your business, thus there are no guidebooks to help you add up the numbers. It guarantees that users see material that matches their purpose and gives them confidence that the information they get is correct.
Here are some things you can do to improve E-E-A-T:
- i) Creating relevant and keyword-rich content
- ii) Building high-quality backlinks
iii) Updating content regularly
- iv) Adding positive reviews and case studies
- v) Collaborating with industry experts/ top voices
In conclusion, to create quality content as prescribed by Google and earn user’s trust, it’s essential that E-E-A-T framework is employed. Under Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, the credibility of your website can be improved, which leads to the ranking of your pages higher and providing immediate value to your audience. Regular updates, quality content, and white hat practices are the solutions to be at par with the rapidly evolving pace of the SEO industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is E-E-A-T in SEO?
E-E-A-T means Experience Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google uses this framework to assess content quality. It checks if content creators have real-world experience, know-how, and credibility in their fields.
Why is E-E-A-T important for SEO?
E-E-A-T is important for SEO because it helps you create quality content that performs well in Google results.
What elements should I include on a lead generation landing page?
Every six months, perform a comprehensive evaluation of the functioning and design of your website, looking for broken links and update any outdated content.
What’s the Difference Between E-E-A-T and E-A-T?
The difference between E-A-T and E-E-A-T is the introduction of an additional “E” known as “Experience” into the concept. This inclusion was added in December 2022.
