“You are what you eat.” You’ve probably heard this expression before, but when people say it, they’re usually talking about how the food we consume can affect our overall well-being. So too is true for websites–incessantly scrolling through social media or browsing blogs might be hazardous to your health!
It turns out that what your website “eats” plays a significant influence as well!
I’m referring, of course, to EAT, which is a component of Google’s new search rules. If you want to develop content that Google would appreciate, you must adhere to the EAT!
EAT is an acronym that stands for three crucial characteristics that Google considers while assessing your website:
- Expertise
- Authority
- Trustworthiness
Business owners who want to increase site traffic in the future will have to take Google’s EAT rules into consideration.
Are you unsure about how to go about it? Don’t be concerned. We’ve got your back, just like we do with everything else related to SEO. Below, we’ll take a closer look at each of the three aspects that Google considers within EAT.
What is EAT?
EAT is one of the criteria that Google can use to determine the quality of a website. So, let’s break down what they’re looking for in each category and explain what they’re searching for.
1. Expertise in a certain field
A dentist is hardly the type of person who would change his or her own oil. We are all aware that expertise is important, and this is true even on the internet.
When assessing your site, Google wants to see that you are an expert on the topics that you write about. They will look at various factors, such as whether or not you have written for other high-quality sites, if you have any awards or certifications, and how long you have been in business.
It’s also important to demonstrate your expertise through the content that you write. Avoid using buzzwords and always make sure to back up any claims you make with evidence or research.
As a result, Google looks for ways to evaluate the competence of a website’s author in order to determine whether or not they are a good match for the types of topics being searched for.
That means that Google prefers to see evidence that you are, in fact, an expert in your industry (don’t worry, we’ll discuss how to demonstrate this further down).
2. Authority goes one step further than skill in its field.
Consider the following scenario: you’ve been covertly baking cupcakes for the past 20 years, and you’ve refined your recipe to perfection. You will almost likely have some cupcake-making expertise (lucky you!).
Having said that, if no one had ever tried your cupcakes, you would not be considered an authority in the cupcake world. No one would be looking to you for guidance or recipes in this situation.
Likewise, websites fall into this category. If your website contains a large amount of high-quality information, this is a plus. On the other hand, Google is looking for techniques to identify whether or not other people truly appreciate that content.
Some of the ways Google does this are by looking at how often your content is shared on social media, whether or not other websites link to yours, and if people stay on your site after landing there from a search.
A website’s level of authority is often determined by how well-known and respected it is within its industry.
3. Trust a.k.a. Reputation for dependability
As you’ve probably already realized, it’s critical that Google regards you and your website as trustworthy. That is, people will reward content that they think is honest, truthful, and true in its presentation.
Some of the ways that Google measures trustworthiness are through a website’s security (for example, HTTPS encryption), its historical data (if it has been around for a while or not), and reviews from other websites.
It’s essential to build trust with your audience by being transparent and always delivering on your promises.
Google wants to see that you are an expert on the topics that you write about. They will look at various factors, such as whether or not you have written for other high-quality sites if you have any awards or certifications, and how long you have been in business.
It’s also important to demonstrate your expertise through the content that you write.
We’ll go over how to increase your EAT in more detail below.
Please keep in mind that EAT is especially crucial for websites that deal with topics such as your health, finances, safety.. etc. Known as YMML (‘your money and your life,’) these are the areas where getting the appropriate results is critical, with the stakes sometimes being life or death for the individual involved.
As a result, Google is far more critical of YMML sites than it is of other sites.
When you work with clients, you should make it a point to follow each and every best practice to the letter of the law.
In search engine marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of getting organic (free) traffic from the search results pages. You want visitors who are searching for terms related to your business to be able to find your website as soon as they enter their information.
If your company does not appear high up in the organic search results, potential customers will not even be aware that you exist, and they will instead choose a competitor.
What is the significance of EAT for SEO?
First and foremost, you must understand Google’s objectives in order to comprehend how Google SEO works.
Remember (and believe it or not, Google is not alone in this regard). There are a variety of other search engines available.
Interestingly, Google is not always the most popular search engine. In fact, in some parts of the world (although it’s shrinking), Bing still dominates, and other search engines such as DuckDuckGo are gaining in popularity all the time.
However, with such a dominant market share, your goal should be to rank as highly as possible on Google because that is what over 90 percent of consumers use to search for products and services online:
The best results for whatever keyword someone is searching for must be continuously displayed on Google’s search results page in order to achieve this goal. They want to make certain that the search results they provide to their users are of good quality and that they answer their users’ questions.
Because if they don’t continue to deliver positive results, people will stop utilizing them.
And it is in this area of ‘high-quality material’ that EAT comes into play.
Fortunately for business owners, EAT aligns with components of your brand that should already be prominent in your marketing materials.
When you follow best practices in your SEO and content marketing campaigns, such as high-quality copywriting with accurate research, relevant images, rich media, and a variety of formats to engage your users, you are demonstrating EAT.
Google also values the relationships that you have with other websites and blogs, so when you collaborate on guest posts or share
In order to be successful in any commercial effort, you must establish yourself as a reliable and authoritative authority. In other words, the more you are able to develop excellent content that both your audience and Google will like, the better your website will perform.
How to Increase the Credibility and Authority of Your Website
So, what is the best way to develop content that Google will appreciate? When creating content for your website, keep the EAT in mind, and use it to guide your marketing and branding decisions.
Consider the following suggestions to help you increase your EAT rating:
- Conduct thorough keyword research to ensure that you are offering exactly the type of content that your target audience is looking for.
- Be active on social media, interact with other influencers, and produce guest pieces on other websites to help you establish yourself as a quality author.
- Incorporate customer reviews and testimonials into your website’s design.
- Make certain that your company information is clear and easy to discover, and that it includes your company history, team profiles, and a superb reputation.
- Create a page for getting in touch.
- Include connections on your site to other authorities (such as the authority site we linked to previously in this section) as well as internal links that will assist Google in understanding the structure of your site’s content.
- Make an effort to ensure that your website is free of grammar errors, broken links, and factual inaccuracies.
At the end of the day, you want to make it crystal clear who you are and what your business is all about, as well as why you are the actual expert in your sector.
And, as we’ve said before (and how many times do we have to say it? ), content is still king, and it always will be king!
Generate High-Quality Content
One of the most effective ways to ensure that you are following all of these procedures is to ensure that you are consistently publishing high-quality content on your blog.
This content must be well-written, sourced from reputable and authoritative sources, timely and relevant to your target audience, and expertly edited for grammar and spelling.
It is also important to consider the length of your posts; while it may be tempting to keep things short and sweet, this can often make it more difficult for Google’s algorithm to understand the context of your content.
To ensure that you are creating high-quality content, consider working with an experienced marketing team or freelance writer who can help you develop and refine your ideas into well-written, engaging articles. Additionally, make sure that you stay up-to-date on trends in SEO and content marketing so that you can adapt your strategy as necessary.
As the owner of a website, it is essential to remember that credibility and authority are crucial factors in ensuring that you engage your target audience, earn the trust of potential customers, and boost your search engine rankings. By following best practices in SEO and content marketing—particularly by creating high-quality and engaging content—you can help to establish your website as a credible and authoritative source in your industry.
At the end of the day, study and hard work are required to create a strong SEO website. Keeping up with Google’s best practices is a full-time job in and of itself.
You shouldn’t expect to become a household name overnight, but partnering with a digital marketing agency like ours can help you ensure that you’re continually putting out material that Google will find valuable.
I wish you continued success in your business.
