What is E-E-A-T and it's History ?
On August 1st, 2018, Google implemented a Core Update to its algorithm, significantly impacting the rankings of numerous websites, including many prominent brands.
Once the update’s effects became clear, SEO professionals observed a substantial shift favouring content that demonstrated higher levels of expertise, authority, and trust, known as E-A-T at that time.
The additional E for experience, was added in late 2022 to fully flesh out the concept of ‘experience’ to include first-hand experience, thus completing the E-E-A-T acronym which now stand for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.
1. What is Experience ?
Experience refers to a high level of skill or knowledge in a specific subject or field, resulting from a combination of education, training, and experience. It is typically associated with a deep understanding of the subject, enabling one to make informed judgments, solve problems, and provide expert advice.
1.1 How to build and demonstrate Experience ?
Demonstrate that your content is produced by individuals with direct, first-hand experience on the subject. You can achieve this by including author bios, featuring “behind the scenes” content, or directly incorporating personal experiences within the content itself.
2. What is Expertise ?
Expertise in Google’s E-E-A-T model ensures that the content is created by someone who is knowledgeable and skilled in their field, providing users with reliable and valuable information.
2.1 How to build and demonstrate Expertise ?
Demonstrate your subject matter expertise through the depth and accuracy of your content and author credentials and by citing reputable sources and studies. Actively engage with your audience through comments, blogs and cover all the information related to topics and the various angles related to them.
3. What is Authoritativeness & How to Build It ?
Authoritativeness refers to how much authority a content creator or site holds. It means to what extent you’re a go-to source for knowledge on a subject.
Boost your brand’s authority by consistently publishing top-notch content, getting featured on respected sites, and building a strong reputation within your industry.
For Example : ESPN has an enormous authority within sports. Any of the articles on this site has a strong content architecture, author profiles suggesting the expertise in content and specific topics and a positive reputation built over time.
4. What is Trustworthiness & How to Build It ?
According to Google, trust is the cornerstone of everything. Trustworthiness in the context of E-E-A-T refers to the perceived reliability and integrity of a website, content, or author. It involves convincing users and search engines that the information provided is honest, accurate, and dependable
To build it, be transparent about who’s behind your content, offer clear contact and customer service details, provide fact checked content, display testimonials, maintain a positive reputation, and stick to ethical content practices.
5. Top 5 ways to improve E-E-A-T
When it comes to ranking your website, the quality of your content is just as crucial as technical setup, link building, and keyword optimisation. Ensuring your site meets Google’s criteria can significantly boost your chances of appearing higher in SERPs, driving more organic traffic your way.
However, some ways where you can improve the overall E-E-A-T Score are :
- Create the Author Pages with description stating the topic expertise, author images, social media handles.
- Provide clear contacts and address on About Us page.
- Link your content with Authoritative Sources and present the facts on the table.
- Build your online reputation by creating Wikipedia Pages.
- Get links from high value sites to build domain authority.
