Google E-A-T – you may have come across the buzzword of the SEO world for some time now. But do you know how it is important for SEO? What is YMYL and how it is connected with E-A-T? How does it influence ranking?
If you are clueless about these, you are missing out on a lot. But no worry as we got you covered! Today, we will walk you through a complete overview of Google E-A-T. We will answer some frequently asked questions about E-A-T to clear all your doubts.
Google E-A-T: An FAQ
# What is E-A-T?
E-A-T is an acronym for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
- Expertise
Google stresses that the author of the content should be an expert in the topic. Does the person have adequate expertise about the topic to justify it properly? It matters!
Also, possessing knowledge is one thing and communicating is another. The author needs to know the best way to deliver information to the audience and enlighten them.
- The first step is to find out the search terms with which people are looking for something. Then analyze the intent behind the term and focus on addressing and answering their concern in the content. Satisfying search intent and thereby enhancing user experience is one of the main objectives of Google. Therefore, if you want to succeed with content marketing and SEO, search intent should be a crucial element of your approach. As you can understand, it’s time to move away from keyword-stuffed content to useful content creation.
- Content should not be filled with jargons and the readers should be able to understand it. Is your text easily digestible? Does it answer all the potential queries related to a topic? Find an answer to these and you will understand what Google expects.
- Internal linking can be a part of it. Let us clarify with an example. Suppose, you are reading a blog on why do you need to invest in dynamic website design. While reading, a question related to the cost of dynamic web design may come up to your mind and an interlinked blog on the factors impacting dynamic website design cost may interest you to check it out.
- Authoritativeness
Authoritativeness is connected to the earlier point. Is the content free from factual errors? Does it provide a substantial value? Is it a comprehensive description of the topic at hand?
Further, when other experts cite your content as a source of information, Google considers you to be an authority in the vertical. Here are some aspects Google pays attention to while judging your authoritativeness.
- Backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites
- No link but just mentions in the news or an authoritative website – you can use mention.com to find out where your site or content is mentioned.
- Having a Wikipedia page for your brand or the people in your company
- Your content is widely shared across social media
- Your site’s domain authority
- If more and more people are searching for your brand name, with or without a keyword – suppose your brand name is XYZ and you offer leather accessories. If lots of people search for XYZ leather accessories for men, Google values yours as an authoritative site.
- Trustworthiness
The website on which the content is placed should be trustworthy. Inbound link profile, site security, credentials and reviews play a crucial role here.
- Make sure to pay attention to your online reputation management. Negative reviews about your company will impact your site rank on Google.
- Depending on your business niche, positive reviews on trusted platforms like Trustpilot, Google My Business, Trip Advisor, Facebook, bbb.org, Clutch, etc. are going to be really helpful.
- Cite external sources or include author biography to prove the authenticity of your content.
In short, the visitors should be able to trust the website as well as the piece of content. These days, Google seeks to provide the best possible user experience, so the usability of content is the first thing that it pays the most attention to.
As you can understand, SEO is no more an isolated practice to drive organic traffic to your site. It takes other components of digital marketing services into account including social media optimization, online reputation management, etc.
# What is YMYL Page?
Before getting into the relation between E-A-T and YMYL pages, we first need to outline what a YMYL page is. According to Google, there are some topics or pages that have the potential to impact a person’s safety, health, happiness, financial stability, etc. These pages are called Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) pages. Here are the examples of YMYL topics
- Civics, government and law
- News and current events
- Health and safety
- Finance
- Shopping
- Other (topics related to aspects like housing information, choosing a college, finding a job, etc.)
# What is the Relation between E-A-T and YMYL?
This is what Google has to say about YMYL pages in its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines:
“We have very high Page Quality rating standards for YMYL pages because low-quality YMYL pages could potentially negatively impact a person’s happiness, health, financial stability, or safety.”
As you can well understand, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness are extremely crucial for such topics. In fact, YMYL pages require the highest E-A-T possible.
# Why is E-A-T Crucial for SEO?
With E-A-T, Google assesses the quality and value of a site. A high E-A-T page outranks a low E-A-T page. Therefore, it is basically a comparative metric for evaluating your site against your competitors. And the result is reflected in the Search Engine Result Page (SERP). For a long time now, Google has underlined that a great user experience is a determinant for good rankings and E-A-T is the component to ensure that.
That’s why the experts of SEO services pay minute attention to improving each aspect related to a website and content in order to lift your rank on the search engine. It’s no more about keyword research and writing keyword-stuffed content.
If you want your YMYL site to rank high, it should have a high E-A-T score. Users should find the content informative and authentic to learn and share.
# Does E-A-T Apply to Ecommerce Sites?
Yes, E-A-T does apply to eCommerce websites. In fact, it falls under the YMYL category as outlined by Google. A trusted eCommerce site should have product buying guides, reviews, customer support policy, detailed product descriptions and high-resolution images, FAQ pages, video demos, a safe checkout process, etc.
Product comparisons or blogs integrated into your eCommerce website can also improve E-A-T since these offer relevant and useful information.
# What are Off-Page Trust Signals that Influence E-A-T?
Some of the off-page trust-evoking factors include press coverage, conference, guest posts, testimonials, speaking engagements, etc. Steer clear of soliciting reviews, spammy links or other black hat SEO practices. Invest in your branding so as to build a niche audience and reputation in the market. These contribute to enhancing the E-A-T score.
Google highlights:
“Popularity, user engagement, and user reviews can be considered evidence of reputation.”
Therefore, monitor the channels and forums where your audience can interact with you or leave reviews. Practices like responding to reviews and offering great customer service are also held in great esteem.
Closing Thoughts
In a world where content is the king, E-A-T focuses on high-quality, user-focused and informative content to deliver the best possible user experience. And this is going to last for a long time. Therefore, pay attention to this if you want to achieve an optimal result from search engine optimization in today’s competitive landscape.
