With countless websites and articles competing for visibility, how does Google evaluate if content is credible, relevant, and of high quality? The answer lies in Google E-E-A-T, a framework created by the search engine itself and provided in their Quality Rater Guidelines.
By understanding the E-E-A-T SEO signals and demonstrating them for Google, the search engine will see your content as authoritative and relevant for users.
Many questions might be coming to your head right now: “What does E-E-A-T stand for?”, “How does it impact SEO?”, “What are these guidelines?”. 🤔
We are going to answer these questions and much more, including how you can optimize your pages for E-E-A-T with advanced SEO tools.
What Does Google E-E-A-T Mean?
E-E-A-T is an acronym for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness and is a framework that Google’s human reviewers use to assess content quality.
This framework is defined in Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines (SQRG)—the handbook that human reviewers (known as Quality Raters) use to provide feedback on search results.
Google’s goal with that is to deliver search results that have strong E-E-A-T, protecting users from harm and giving them the best possible experience. Essentially, Google E-E-A-T is broken down like this:
Experience
Google added the first E (Experience) to E-A-T in 2022, emphasizing first-hand experience in content creation.
Quality raters look for evidence that creators have directly experienced what they’re discussing, such as actually using products they review or visiting places they describe.
Businesses can demonstrate experience through verified customer reviews, documented product testing, and original photos or videos of visits to locations. This helps establish credibility over simply rewriting information from other sources.
Expertise
Google Quality Raters assess expertise levels based on content’s potential impact on readers’ lives.
For YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics like health, law, or finance, formal credentials like licenses and degrees are essential. However, expertise isn’t limited to academic qualifications.
In non-YMYL fields, practical knowledge and demonstrated skills matter. For example, a quilting shop owner can prove expertise through instructional videos, while DIY bloggers can show expertise through documented projects and results.
Authoritativeness
Authoritativeness refers to your reputation as a reliable source. It differs from expertise as it relies on external recognition through quality backlinks from reputable websites.
While expertise proves you’re knowledgeable in your field, authority shows others recognize and validate this expertise. Tools like Site Explorer measure this through metrics such as Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA).
For example, a finance website company gaining links from high-DA sites like USA Today (DA 92) demonstrates strong authority.
However, building authority isn’t just about impressing Google–Quality Raters thoroughly analyze your content and brand reputation to assess how trustworthy you appear to real users. We’ll explore specific techniques for building this authority later in this article.
Trustworthiness
Trust stands as the most crucial component of E-E-A-T, according to Google’s guidelines. Even highly experienced and authoritative content will be considered low-quality if it lacks trustworthiness.
Trust is primarily demonstrated through accurate, accessible, and verifiable information. For instance, comprehensive contact pages with multiple support options help establish legitimacy.
Without clear ways for customers to reach a business and verify its authenticity, experience and expertise become meaningless—a major SEO mistake for businesses.
How Does E-E-A-T Affect SEO?
E-E-A-T isn’t a direct ranking factor in Google’s algorithm, but rather a framework Google uses to evaluate content quality. While we can’t definitively say how E-E-A-T affects rankings, we know it aligns with Google’s vision of valuable search results. 📈
Think of E-E-A-T as a quality compass rather than a ranking formula. When you demonstrate:
- Genuine experience
- Clear expertise
- Established authority
- Consistent trustworthiness
You’re naturally creating content that matches what Google considers high-quality. Whether these elements influence rankings directly or indirectly, following E-E-A-T principles is simply good practice for creating relevant content.
Is E-E-A-T More Relevant for YMYL Websites?
While E-E-A-T matters for all content, it’s particularly vital for YMYL topics, which deal with health, finance, or safety. 🦺
Google applies stricter quality standards to these pages compared to those about casual subjects like entertainment.
For example, medical advice from a qualified physician carries more weight than similar content from non-professionals. This approach ensures users receive reliable information from experienced experts when it matters most.
Expert Strategies to Demonstrate E-E-A-T to Google
As much as we want it to be, E-E-A-T is more nuanced than a checklist of definitions and action items.
Also, building and demonstrating E-E-A-T doesn’t look the same for any two businesses or niches. But there are some expert strategies any industry should apply.
1. Understand the Levels of E-E-A-T in the SQRG
Google’s SQRG has clear instructions on different levels of E-E-A-T, ranging from low to high.
Understanding and achieving higher levels is relevant because you will know how quality raters are going to evaluate your content and change it to achieve a better level.
Lowest E-E-A-T
At the lowest level, content is essentially unusable due to severe lack of credibility, possibly containing incorrect information could harm users. Content with an extremely negative reputation falls into this category.
Lacking E-E-A-T
This content shows clear deficiencies in E-E-A-T. Examples include reviews from people without firsthand experience or technical advice from unqualified sources. Even a good reputation can’t compensate for these fundamental gaps.
High Level of E-E-A-T
Content demonstrates trustworthiness and valuable experience. This might include authentic user generated content and discussions where people share genuine firsthand experiences, ranging from professional expertise to personal product reviews.
Very High Level of E-E-A-T
It represents the pinnacle of quality. These sources are considered the definitive authorities in their field. This could be due to exceptional experience, unmatched expertise, or being universally recognized as the most trusted source on a particular topic.
These are the sources others turn to for the most reliable information.
2. Create Helpful Content That Matters
Google added the second “E” for experience shortly after the 2022 Helpful Content Update (HCU) rollout.
This update marked a significant shift in content evaluation approach and highlighted the increasing importance of first-hand knowledge in content creation.
The update emphasizes a people-first approach to content creation, where publishers should prioritize creating valuable content while incorporating SEO best practices as a secondary consideration.
The relationship between HCU and E-E-A-T is synergistic – following E-E-A-T guidelines helps build a strong site-wide foundation of quality content that aligns with HCU requirements.
To enhance your content beyond Google’s guidelines and truly achieve high rankings, we recommend:
- Target Audience Analysis: Use tools to identify your audience’s interests and questions.
- Thorough Research: Conduct in-depth research to ensure accuracy and depth.
- Unique Content: Offer fresh perspectives or information not readily available elsewhere.
- Improved Readability: Use formatting techniques to make content easy to scan and engage with.
- Practical Insights: Include actionable tips to add value for your readers.
3. Building Your Brand Authority for Competitive Edge
Enhancing your website’s credibility and visibility can be achieved through a strategic approach to link-building. 🔗
High-quality backlinks from authoritative sources not only boost your technical standing but also enhance your reputation among readers. These links effectively transfer a portion of the linking site’s authority and brand recognition to your platform.
While focusing on securing backlinks to your content is crucial for Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines, don’t overlook the value of links to your authors’ pages. Seek out websites with dedicated biography sections and arrange for backlinks to your authors’ profiles.
Here are some tips to build a strong backlink profile:
- Contribute guest posts to respected industry websites.
- Form content partnerships with influential figures or authoritative sites.
- Develop link-worthy resources like comprehensive guides or original research.
- Identify and replace broken links on other websites with your relevant content.
- Regularly assess and maintain the quality of your backlink profile.
4. Partner With Experts to Ensure Content Accuracy
Readers crave authentic insights from experienced voices. This is particularly crucial for your YMYL content, where you need to build a strong trust.
Google’s guidelines emphasize the importance of transparency regarding content creation. Every page should clearly indicate who’s responsible for the website and the specific content. This transparency helps readers assess the credibility of the information they’re consuming.
Some tips to establish author credibility are:
- Provide detailed author bios with each piece of content with their job title and area of expertise, educational background, and notable publications or features.
- Showcase social proof through professional profile links.
- Offer contact information for reader engagement.
- Implement author schema to aid search engine indexing.
5. Optimize Page Experience for Smooth Navigation
Navigation is key. That’s why SEO user experience (UX) is essential to focus on how users interact with and perceive your website.
This optimization enhances content accessibility and engagement, encouraging users to stay longer and return frequently. The symbiotic relationship between content and user experience is crucial for building trust and authority in the eyes of both users and search engines.
Some key aspects to elevate your page experience are:
- Website Design: Create a visually appealing and professional layout that reflects your brand identity and instills confidence in visitors.
- Intuitive Navigation: Implement a user-friendly menu structure and consistent navigation elements to help visitors easily find the information they seek.
- Page Load Speed: Optimize images, minimize HTTP requests, and leverage browser caching to ensure swift loading times across all devices.
- Accessibility: Make your content inclusive by providing alternatives for multimedia content.
- Mobile Responsiveness: Develop a responsive design that adapts seamlessly to various screen sizes, providing an optimal experience across all devices.
- Strategic Interlinking: Connect related content through relevant internal links, creating a cohesive network of information that enhances user engagement and establishes topical authority.
6. Update Content Regularly to Maintain Your Credibility
Stale information can quickly erode your credibility—especially in fast-paced industries—and an authority on a subject wouldn’t allow their content to become outdated.
Some relevant tips to ensure your content remains relevant and trustworthy are:
- Regular Content Audits: Implement a systematic review process for all your content.
- Proactive Updates: Stay abreast of industry developments and promptly reflect these changes in your content.
- Comprehensive Revisions: Don’t just make minor edits, but thoroughly revise the content to ensure it aligns with current knowledge and trends.
- Transparency in Updates: Clearly display the last review or update date on each piece of content.
- Reader Engagement: Encourage readers to provide feedback or alert you to potential outdated information.
To minimize your work, strive for an evergreen approach that requires minimal updates when creating new content. ⚙️
How can SEO Tools Help Your E-E-A-T SEO Strategy?
Search Atlas, an all-in-one suite of SEO tools, can be a powerful ally in developing and implementing an effective E-E-A-T SEO strategy.
This comprehensive SEO toolkit enables a holistic approach to SEO by facilitating rapid creation of high-quality content, building authority for both search engines and users, identifying and resolving technical issues, and enhancing user experience.
OTTO is the pioneering AI SEO assistant that, unlike tools offering mere recommendations, deploys improvements directly.
It analyzes SERP results, your website structure, GSC, GBP and Knowledge Graph data to create the best recommendations for not only technical and on-page fixes, but also to optimize your content and generate topical maps for your E-E-A-T strategy.
By automating many of your SEO efforts, you can focus on expert partnerships and content creation.
Search Atlas Popular Features
- Keyword Research and Content Planning: Identify high-value keywords, discover user intent, and find content gaps to showcase expertise.
- Competitor Analysis: Analyze top-performing content, identify authoritative sources, and benchmark against industry leaders.
- On-Page SEO Optimization: Implement schema markup, optimize meta tags, and improve internal linking to emphasize E-E-A-T signals.
- Backlink Analysis: Identify quality websites for backlinks, monitor backlink profile, and find guest posting opportunities.
- Authority Building: Leverage press release syndication to the instant distribution of press releases to a network of thousands of journalists and media outlets.
- Content Audit and Optimization: Identify outdated content, analyze performance, and suggest improvements aligned with E-E-A-T guidelines.
- SERP Analysis: Understand E-E-A-T signals in search results and identify well-performing content types for E-E-A-T-focused queries.
- Site Structure Optimization: Improve site architecture to highlight expertise and enhance user experience.
- Performance Tracking: Monitor rankings, track visibility improvements, and measure the impact of E-E-A-T optimization efforts.
Search Atlas Pricing
All plans include all of the listed features.
| Starter plan | Growth plan | Pro plan | Enterprise | |
| Price: | $99 monthly | $199 monthly | $399 monthly | Custom |
| Free OTTO Activation | 1 | 1 | 3 | Custom |
| User Seats | 2 | 3 | 5 | Custom |
| GSC Sites | 5 | 15 | 100 | Custom |
| Regular AI Quota | 100 | 250 | Unlimited | Custom |
Arm Yourself With All Necessary Tools for Your Google E-E-A-T Strategy
To effectively implement E-E-A-T strategies, you need to equip yourself with advanced tools to streamline your efforts and provide valuable insights. 💡
By leveraging the right resources, you can significantly enhance your website’s authority and user trust.
Search Atlas is designed to help you boost your E-E-A-T signals. Start your free trial and try it for yourself!
