If you’re trying to build a recognizable brand, reach a wider audience, and tailor your content for SEO, it’s essential to pay attention to how search engines work and learn what types of content is likely to receive better rankings.
One behind-the-scenes aspect of SEO you should be aware of is Google’s EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) guidelines, which are used to determine the quality of web content.
Keep reading to learn more about EEAT’s role in creating and evaluating search engine algorithms and how to leverage these guidelines to improve your content.
What Are Search Quality Rater Guidelines?
As the world’s leading search engine, Google employs thousands of people to manually review web content and rate it based on the Search Quality Rater Guidelines, which are used to determine a page’s quality and whether it meets the needs of users.
Google compares this rating data to a feedback card you get at a restaurant. It helps them know if their system is working correctly and whether adjustments are needed.
With the help of machine learning systems, Google takes this feedback and uses it to determine whether their search algorithms are providing quality results. From there, they may change how search rankings are determined and what types of content are favored.
What Does EEAT Stand For?
One of these guidelines is known as EEAT, which stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Regardless of whether or not you’re specifically aiming to comply with Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, these principles are excellent tools for developing web content that’s helpful, engaging, and user-centered.
Experience
“Experience” refers to how much real-world, first-hand experience the author of a piece of content has with the given subject matter. For example, content with a high “experience” rating may include:
- A restaurant review written by someone who actually attended the restaurant
- An article ranking various movies written by someone who has seen all of the movies mentioned
- A personal blog post in which the author shares their individual experience with a certain challenge
- Reviews and testimonials from people who have purchased and used a product
- A behind-the-scenes look at how an artist creates their work
Google values authentic, real-world insights over generic content. It’s also important to note that AI doesn’t have any authority or life experience, which means it cannot create content that complies with this guideline. Because of this, Google uses “experience” ratings to differentiate content written by real humans from that generated by AI.
Expertise
“Expertise” refers to the author’s level of knowledge or skill in the subject area. It’s especially important when dealing with “Your Money, Your Life” (YMYL) content, which can impact people’s health, finances, safety, and happiness. Expertise can be demonstrated through research-backed writing, detailed explanations, and sharing the author’s qualifications.
Authoritativeness
“Authoritativeness” measures how much authority an author or site holds, along with their recognition from other reputable sources in the industry. A site is considered authoritative if it’s mentioned in trusted publications, has backlinks from respected sites, and is affiliated with other reputable organizations.
Trustworthiness
“Trustworthiness” is the most important aspect of EEAT and encompasses aspects of the other three categories. Trustworthy sites are safe, accurate, honest, transparent, and reliable. They have clear privacy policies, secure payment options, HTTPS security, credible sources, and reliable customer service.
How EEAT Affects SEO & Rankings
EEAT and the Search Quality Rater Guidelines do not directly affect search engine rankings, which means you can’t optimize for them specifically. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t indirectly boost your rankings by aligning your content with Google’s definition of quality.
Google puts it this way: “If you understand how raters learn to assess good content, that might help you improve your own content. In turn, you might perhaps do better in Search.”
How Businesses Can Apply EEAT Principles
If you’re looking for ways to demonstrate EEAT principles, here are some things you can do:
Follow Content Creation Best Practices
Include author names and credentials in your content, along with real-life examples, case studies, and personal stories. Use high-quality images (not stock photos), videos, and original research.
Build External Authority
Earn quality backlinks from relevant industry sites and consider collaborating with industry experts for co-branded content. Encourage positive customer reviews and testimonials and add them to your site.
Enhance Website Trust Signals
Secure your site — HTTPS instead of HTTP. Make all your business’s contact info and relevant details easy to find. Content should be accurate and regularly updated.
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At Performance Driven Marketing, we have helped countless businesses boost their rankings with our expertise in content strategy, SEO, and branding. Our data-driven approach has proven to create real results — in fact, we guarantee it. Schedule a free strategy session with us today to learn more about how we can help to take your business to the next level.
