What is E-A-T? Everything you Need to Know

When we talk about digital marketing, it is not a hidden fact that SEO plays a really important role. Google’s algorithm is designed in such a way that it judges which content is trustworthy and of good quality. Most people don’t know that Google hires a team of experts who check whether this algorithm is working properly or not. To do so, they randomly search for something on Google, just like the way regular people do.

These experts called quality raters are given a list of topics to search on Google. The set of principles used by these quality raters is called “E-A-T”: Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. The importance of E-A-T for SEO services in the USA was realized in 2019 when Google updated the guidelines for search quality rating.

E-A-T Explained

Google uses EAT to access every piece of content that it checks upon. These principles are –

• Expertise: The author writing content should be an expert. Quality raters have a duty to check out this expertise by looking if the author is experienced or not with respect to the topic he is writing on.

• Authority: The person writing a particular content should be either well-known in the industry or on that particular topic. But that does not mean that the person should mandatorily have 100,000 followers. It can mean that the publication or writer has won awards in the industry which makes them authoritative.

• Trustworthiness: Quality raters look for proof that the content published on the website can be completely trusted. They examine trustworthiness by checking out the website as a complete package. Their focus is on security updates, privacy policies, and editorial policies.

Recommended Blog: Your Ultimate SEO Guide for 2020

High E-A-T: Google’s Principles

The search quality rating guidelines by Google give users specific examples of websites that have a high E-A-T along with telling us why they have a high E-A-T. Websites that are ranked by Google as high E-A-T can be divided into three categories –

• Self-Reference: The particular website is completely about itself.

• High Reputation: The particular publication is well-known.

• User Experience: The publication allows every user to do what they have come to do.

On the reverse side, when a website has a bad E-A-T, you would see these signs –

• Lack of Professionalism: The website content is written poorly and has a lot of types.

• Obvious Inaccuracy: The website clearly shows that the content posted is inaccurate.

• Lack of Expertise: The website does not prove that the author is in any way experienced on the topic he is writing.

Ways to Improve E-A-T

Improving E-A-T is not that simple. It takes a lot of steps to the improvement of quality of the content posted on the website. Here are a few steps to follow when you want to improve the E-A-T of your website –

• SEO Optimization of Author and About Pages: These pages are really important for every website as they help google understand the authority and expertise. These pages should include why that particular company is an expert in the industry. If you have won any accolades or awards, remember to mention them.

• Making the “Contact Us” Option Obvious: When we discuss the trustworthiness of a particular website, contacting a particular website should be really simple. From Google’s point of view, if your website is restricting visitors to contact, that means you might be hiding something, Transparency is the key.

• Creation of Privacy Policy: Again, talking about trustworthiness, every website on the internet must have a privacy policy. If you are accepting online payments or using remarketing tools, a privacy policy is required. It helps Google build trust in your company. This is because a privacy policy tells the users how are going to collect and use their data.

• Creation of Editorial Guidelines: If you are writing or publishing content, editorial guidelines should be laid out. They improve trustworthiness by showcasing that your process of creating and editing is well-defined.

E-A-T has become an essential part of SEO services in USA outsourcing companies like Foreignerds. If you are hiring a digital marketing company for your brand building and promotion, make sure that its expertise, authority, and trustworthiness are up to the mark.