Has your organic traffic taken a nosedive or maybe a significant dip? These changes are happening for a reason.
Google tweaks its search algorithm all the time. Updates vary from being small and make only a small difference in search rankings. Others are major in which case with the E.A.T. update, which caused some previously top-ranked sites to lose more than 50% of their organic traffic overnight.
Yowza.
Familiar with Google’s methods? Then it’s known that they hardly ever comment on updates or share relevant information about them. That means that marketers and SEOs have to guess what’s going on.
Turns out that this latest update can be summed up with three letters: EAT, but it can be difficult. So, what do they mean?
What Does E.A.T. Stand For?
Google’s E.A.T. algorithm has been given that name because of the three key things it prioritizes:
- Expertise. How knowledgeable are you (or any contributing writers to your site) about the subject matter related to your business?
- Authoritativeness. How credible is your business in your industry or niche?
- Trustworthiness. Can readers trust the content you publish and trust you with their business?
Those three factors – expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness – are things that loom large for consumers. Since Google prioritizes sites that are useful to searchers, it’s really not a surprise that they would find a way to reward sites that demonstrate them.
The trick is knowing what things Google’s looking at and what can be done to improve results. Chasing organic traffic was already difficult. In fact, only about 9% of content gets any organic traffic from Google.
How to Demonstrate Expertise
The best way to demonstrate someone’s expertise is to update and optimize one’s author biography and About Us pages. These pages provide an opportunity to let readers (and Google) know who you are and why you’re an expert.
Having a biography page for every contributor to a blog is something everyone should do, and the byline should link to the bio. The bio should include:
- Education and degrees
- Work experience
- Professional certifications and accomplishments
In addition to formal awards and things of that nature, it’s also a good idea to share information about social following if applicable. Anything that demonstrates that people turn to your authors for advice and information will help with Google.
The same thing goes for About Us pages. These pages can still explain the usual things like how and why a business was started. In addition, make sure to mention:
- The experts you’ve hired to be part of your team
- Any industry awards or recognition your company has received
- Anything that sets your business apart from your competitors
Using important keywords and linking to authoritative sources will help highlight expertise.
How to Demonstrate Authoritativeness
The next element of E.A.T. is authority. Here are the most important things you can do to signal authoritativeness to Google.
- Build backlinks to your site. Every SEO knows that backlinks are essential. When authority sites link back to your site, it tells Google that your site is an authority source of information in your industry or niche.
- Offer your services as an authority and do what you can to increase your visibility online. If you write a guest blog or speak at a conference, those things can add to your authority.
- Be a thought leader. Authority doesn’t come from following what others do. If you want to be seen as an authority, you must offer opinions and analysis without worrying about what other people are doing.
Establishing an authority figure will help in earning a high place on Google’s SERP.
How to Demonstrate Trustworthiness
It’s a common saying that trust needs to be earned. The ideas of trust being earned applies to marketing as much as it does to anything else. In other words, trust isn’t something a simple wish can put into place. There must be a reason provided why something or someone is trustworthy.
Reputation management plays a big role in trust. When people review a company on sites like Yelp or Google My Business, what do they say? What is the best way to handle negative reviews? Are there quality testimonials on the site? Each of these things plays a role in establishing a reputation online.
The same is true of social mentions. It’s essential to keep track of when and how businesses are mentioned on social media.
Finally, Trust can be built by having proper security on a site. That means installing a security certificate and using encryption to protect important data.
Other Quick Fixes for E.A.T.
In addition to the material listed above, there are some other important steps that can be taken to make the most of Google’s latest update.
- Evaluate your traffic and delete or redirect pages with low E.A.T. ratings.
- Moderate user-generated content and be careful to label it accordingly, so it’s not mistaken as being representative of you or your company.
- Make sure to present a consistent brand across all platforms. That may mean updating your social media profiles, re-writing content on your website, and re-doing paper marketing materials as well.
- Create E.A.T.-friendly images, such as infographics and charts, to support the information on your website.
When the point is reached to reworking or adding content, keep in mind that Google still prioritizes content that’s written for people, not machines. This isn’t about gaming the system or fooling Google. Rather honoring the things that they have identified as important while also providing readers with useful, valuable, and actionable content.
You are what you E.A.T.
It’s natural to be nervous about a major update like E.A.T., but the big takeaway is that E.A.T. is a huge opportunity for local businesses to build their brands and provide their customers with the best possible content while also building trust and authority. In other words, E.A.T. updates can help attract new customers and make existing customers give more appreciate and in a whole new way.