How To Apply E-E-A-T to Your Site & Boost On-Page SEO

How To Apply E-E-A-T to Your Site & Boost On-Page SEO

E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness) has been the cornerstone of Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines for years, and recently, Google added a new “E” to the mix- Experience.

With the rise of AI-generated content, E-E-A-T is navigating the age of ChatGPT and other AI tools.

E-E-A-T is an evolution of the original E-A-T concept, and Google has introduced E-A-T for evaluating web content’s overall quality and credibility. It has become a key component of Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, which human raters use for assessing search results.

For many topics, including “Your Money or Your Life” topics, where the content can affect a person’s health, financial stability, safety, or well-being, Google recognized first-hand experience is essential to expertise and credibility. By expanding to E-E-A-T, Google is indicating that it values the credentials, reputation, and direct, real-world experience with the topic. It is crucial to note that E-E-A-T is a guideline used by human quality eaters to assess the overall quality of search results.

Prioritizing E-E-A-T, Google aims to surface the most reliable, trustworthy, and valuable content for any query.

How to Demonstrate E-E-A-T For Your Brand

To demonstrate a high level of E-E-A-T, brands and content creators focus on each of the four components, which are Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness

• Experience 

Content creation by people with direct, first-hand experience with the topic, which could be through author bios, “behind the scenes” content, or by directly referencing personal experiences within the content itself.

• Expertise

Demonstrating your subject matter expertise through the depth and accuracy of your content and author credentials, and by citing reputable sources and studies.  

• Authoritativeness

Building the brand’s authority by consistently publishing high-quality content, earning coverage and mentions from other respected sites.

• Trustworthiness

Transparency over content source, providing clear contact and customer service information, maintaining a positive reputation, followed by ethical content practices.

E-E-A-T in the Age of Generative AI

Automating content creation with generative AI is a promising solution for resource-strapped businesses and teams. When it comes to SEO, cost-savings don’t matter as much as content quality.

As Google’s search algorithms place greater weight on helpful content, gauging the value of AI-driven content from an SEO standpoint is critical.

Google’s template is used for assessing search quality, experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, or E-E-A-T, to evaluate and improve AI-generated content.

The concept of E-E-A-T applies to three areas:

• Website as a whole
• Content on the page in question
• Author or the entity behind the content

Google has clarified that using AI isn’t inherently against guidelines, but content must be evaluated for accuracy, usefulness, and compliance with other quality guidelines.

Marie Haynes, a respected expert on E-E-A-T and search quality, noted that Google seems increasingly focused on rewarding original, high-quality content while devaluing generic or low-quality AI-generated content.

Recent developments, such as Google’s March 2024 Core Update, resulted in the deindexing of hundreds of websites, many of which are found to contain significant amounts of AI-generated content. this update is focusing on evaluating AI content for “originality”, suggesting that search engines are actively combating the rise of low-quality, generic AI content that doesn’t meet E-E-A-T standards.

Thus, the use of AI is only for assisting and enhancing human-created content, not replacing it entirely.

Examples of Websites Demonstrating E-E-A-T

1. Dogster
2. GadgetMates
3. Homesteading Family

E-E-A-T is a Sustainable, Long-Term Approach to SEO

Evolution of E-A-T to E-E-A-T signifying an increasing focus on first-hand experience in evaluating content quality.

Key Points:

• E-E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor
• First-hand experience is particularly critical for YMYL topics, but valuable for any content niche
• Demonstrate E-E-A-T through author expertise
• When using AI tools, ensure that human experts review and enhance the content
• Studying examples of high E-E-A-T websites, inspiring your own content strategy

Improving Your Website’s E-E-A-T

Some of the best practices to follow while creating new content

1. Identify your authors with a Byline and Bio

Identify All Your Content Contributors

You should highlight the biographical details of every person who creates content for you – whether that’s blog posts, articles, or question-and-answer pages.

Is the author of your content a recognized expert in your field? Then you definitely want to highlight that.

Some essential elements of a good bio page include Full name, Headshot, Title/position, A detailed bio, and Contact information.

2. Make Your Content Info Easy to Find

Remember, E-E-A-T evaluates your website as a whole. The easiest solution is to make sure you link to your About Us and Contact Us pages in either your main or footer navigation.

3. Remove or Improve Your Low-Quality Content

If you have content that is no longer useful or is just so terrible that it’s not worth the time investment to update or improve it, then pruning that content is one quick way to improve your E-E-A-T.

4. Create a Positive Brand Reputation

High-quality thought leadership content is good for winning, keeping, and growing a business. It will also help you build authority in your niche and help Google trust you.

What’s Good For The User

Doing everything outlined in Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines means creating informative, useful, high-quality content that your audience wants and helping them in accomplishing a task.

Anything good for users is good for helping you be visible in Google and driving the traffic and conversions you really want.