What is EAT or E.A.T.?
EAT or E-A-T became the buzzword when it was first published in 2013 in the Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines which is a 168 page document used for rating the quality of Google’s search results and also to help the webmasters better understand what Google actually looks for in a webpage.
E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trust , which are the three elements that Google considers when determining how much trust to put in a brand or website. Google strives to provide the greatest possible experience for its consumers (search engine users), so it only promotes websites that it fully trusts. Ream more about EAT below.
Importance of EAT / E-A-T
E-A-T determines the worth of a website. When judging how well a site or page provides what they require, quality raters keep E-A-T in mind. They want to know if they’re having a nice online experience and if the information provided is of upmost quality. The site receives a high degree of E-A-T if the raters believe that a user would feel comfortable reading, sharing, and recommending the information.
Consider E-A-T as the reason why users would choose your website to that of your competitors. E-A-T could influence how Google perceives — and ultimately ranks — your website.
“Your Money or Your Life” or YMYL
E-A-T pages are similar to Google’s “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) pages. Medical advice, legal advice, financial advice, and other similar issues are covered on YMYL sites. Anything that has the potential to affect a user’s health, or prosperity in a positive or negative way. Here are several examples:
- A legal information which provides legal advice.
- A medical information page which lists the symptoms of a rare and life threatening disease.
- A financial information page which explains how to increase your credit score.
All these are important information which affects people’s well being and hence Google make sure that genuine and useful information is provided to the users at the right time and right place for a seamless experience with the help of E-A-T.
How EAT / E-A-T is evaluated?
Now, let us discuss how E-A-T is evaluated as they are evaluated independently keeping in mind many criteria’s.
- Expertise
Expertise is defined as a high level of knowledge or skill in a specific field. It is primarily assessed at the content level, rather than at the website or organizational level. Google is searching for content written by an expert in the field. For YMYL themes, this refers to the content creator’s formal knowledge, credentials, and education.
- Authority
It’s all about reputation, especially among other industry experts and influencers. Simply put, authority is defined as when people regard an individual or a website as the go-to source of knowledge on a particular subject. To assess authority, raters look on the internet for information about a website’s or an individual’s reputation.
- Trust
The validity, transparency, and accuracy of the website and its information are all factors in establishing trust. When evaluating trustworthiness, raters check for a number of criteria, including whether the website says who is responsible for the published content. Because YMYL websites demand a high level of trust, they typically require detailed information regarding who is accountable for the site’s content.
Ways to improve EAT / E-A-T
- Build more links
E-A-T is mostly based on links and mentions from reputable sites though it is not mentioned in Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines. But, still it is advisable that you build high quality links from authoritative sites because Google really understands which links count.
- Keep your content up to date
If you’re discussing YMYL topics like medical or financial advice, you’ll need to keep your content updated to demonstrate E-A-Financial advice, legal counsel, tax advice, and other high E-A-T services should come from reputable sources and be maintained and updated on a regular basis. Medical advice or information that is of high E-A-T quality should be written or produced in a professional manner and should be edited, reviewed, and updated on a regular basis.
- Check the facts of your content
According to Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines, news stories must be factually correct in order to show a high degree of E-A-T. High E-A-T news articles should be written with journalistic rigour and contain factually correct information. So, checking your facts before publishing your content is important.
- Get more reviews
Quality Raters are instructed by Google to use internet reviews as a source of business reputation information, which is related to trust and authority. So, try and get reviews from qualified sources as it helps in E-A-T.
- Experts hiring
Experts are abundant in all fields, so why not hire one to write for your website?
If you’re going to discuss YMYL subjects, this is pretty much a must. For YMYL issues like as medical, financial, or legal advice, formal competence is required.
So, E-A-T is vital for SEO, and you should attempt to enhance it, especially if you discuss YMYL issues. It is simple, it just needs some time and efforts.
Read more about career in Digital Marketing and Personality development.
