With so many articles published online every day, it can get very difficult to sort out which ones are actually credible and useful to the reader. This is one of the reasons why Google constantly updates its algorithms so that it can better serve high quality content and protect its searchers from low-quality content that can potentially miss the search intent of the user or even worse, be harmful to the user.
This is especially true if the content is related to what Google labels as YMYL (Your Money, or Your Life), which are essentially topics that can impact the reader’s happiness, health or wealth; meaning that if these topics were to contain false information, they can cause detrimental effects to the reader’s wellbeing.
As if that wasn’t enough Google wants to take their precautions even further and implement another layer to their content quality-checking by favoring websites with content that displays a high level of E-A-T or expertise, authority and trustworthiness. Creating quality content with this framework in mind will help not only your website’s credibility but also improve its SEO to gain more visitor to your website.
Expertise
Think about the last time you read an article. How engaging was the content to you, and how easy was it for you to digest the content? These factors are possible because the authors were experts in their fields. And if you’re an expert at something, by definition you’re able to deliver or describe that content in a way that will engage the readers. As content creators, an effective way to get you thinking about the readers is by checking yourself as you write.
First, find out what your audience is searching for and then exceed their needs, which all begins with keyword research.
Second, you need to think about the searcher’s intent, behind the keyword that you are writing for.
Additionally, it would also help if you understood the context in which the searchers are inquiring about the product or service they’re looking for, in other words, their customer journey. This insight can go a long way to make more informed and precise content for your business or client.
Authority
The next level up after you’ve gained insight as an expert, is to become the authority of the content you publish. Authority in this context is when other experts or influencers are citing your writing, your content, and mentioning your name – when discussing about the topic that you’ve published. That’s when you know you’ve become not just the expert, but also the authority of your content.
Trustworthiness
The last letter in the acronym stands for Trust, and this is what can really determine your ranking on Google. Essentially, the more trustworthy your content is, the more credible your source becomes, which correlates positively with your ranking on Google. In general, as business you want to cultivate trust whenever you can.
Positive reviews on online platforms such as TripAdvisor, Facebook or Google My Business will really help you build credibility. If you’re selling products or services, make sure to include clear policies regarding refunds and returns. If your website happens to be sharing knowledge, make sure to include relevant citations, numbers or sources when creating a quality content. All these little things can go a long way to secure a solid ranking on Google.
Google is doing everyone a favor by implementing this E-A-T, saving us time and from potentially fraudulent information on the internet.
Moreover, as business owners and content creators, it is in the best interest of our goals to start implementing this framework in our digital marketing. Not only are we securing our ranking on Google, but we also provide our audience with curated, intelligent content that will increase our credibility and improve our SEO.
Looking for a hand to create quality content for your website?
Google's mission is to 'organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful'. Each component of E-A-T serves to help Google run their mission properly and protect users from false information that can potentially have a negative impact.
Talk to our team of creative experts at Island Media Management, and we’ll evaluate your digital footprint, awareness and solutions that will foster growth to your business. What We Do Works.
