Whenever we want information, we usually turn to Google first, which is why this popular search engine receives about 40,000 questions per second!
To give satisfactory answers, Google must be very mindful of the quality of the content it allows within the search results. That’s where Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines come in.
The E.A.T. Google concept is a crucial aspect of those Guidelines in recent years. It means Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — the recipe for a high-ranking website.
Stick with us to discover more about E.A.T. and why it matters.
So, what is E.A.T. exactly?
According to the Guidelines, the author's expertise is significant, and Google has an excellent reason for that. For a post on a website to get a high ranking amongst the search results, it has to be created by a person with high knowledge in the particular field.
For example, a text teaching you about the execution of a will written by a Family Law expert like a law professor or a lawyer will most likely rank high. On the other hand, a text with the same topic that a layman wrote will rank much lower.
You should be aware that black hat activities that disparage the expertise of your content creators will harm your website’s reputation and lower your site’s ranking. That’s why you also need negative SEO monitoring.
Unlike the Expertise factor, where only the content creator’s expertise matters, Google raters assess both the author’s and the website’s to determine authoritativeness. To rate your authority, the Google researchers will dive into your reputation, history, and use of independent sources.
However, not all people and websites hold authority for all topics. To add to our previous example, a family lawyer has authority over family law content. Still, their thoughts and claims about medicine would get a very low ranking from the raters.
Your website won’t get a high ranking by the raters if its content isn’t accurate, legitimate, and transparent. Those are the three elements they look for when evaluating your website for trustworthiness. So, you should always ensure your content is accurate and cite dependable sources.
You should also ensure that your website has contact information for readers, including an email address and a phone number.
The E.A.T. SEO concept is essential because it determines your website’s value. The raters use this concept to determine whether you’re providing quality and trustworthy content or not. They are almost like representatives of potential readers, and their job is to positively rate the content readers want to consume, share, and recommend.
The E.A.T. concept is certainly more critical for topics in the YMYL (your money, your life) category, such as medicine, finance, and law. However, that doesn’t mean E.A.T. has no application in non-YMYL topics.
Verifying that your website answers all of the E.A.T. requirements while performing SEO audits can be overwhelming. It can also be potentially detrimental to the success of your website, which is why you should turn to an expert.
We are SEO Defend — a company with experience, expertise, and proven professionalism in providing SEO services.
Contact us today, and we’ll take care of the rest!
