Google’s E-A-T criteria are an essential component of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). In the world of search engine optimization the Google EAT criteria(Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) have become essential to guarantee optimum visibility on search engines.
Compliance with these criteria can significantly improve a site’s positioning in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page), thereby increasing its organic traffic.
These criteria are essential to ensure the quality and relevance of the content offered to Internet users. In this article, we explore the different aspects of the Google EAT criteria and give you concrete advice on how to integrate them into your SEO strategy.
What is Google EAT?
The acronym E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. These three key elements of Google EAT can be translated asExpertise,Authority and Reliability. These criteria are used by Google to evaluate the quality of a website, its content and determine its ranking in search results.
These criteria were introduced following several updates to Google’s algorithms, notably with the introduction of the YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) concept, which concerns pages dealing with sensitive subjects such as health, finance or legal. The main objective is to offer users reliable and relevant information from experts in their field.
What’s the difference with Google EEAT?
Some people wonder what the difference is with Google EEAT. In 2022, Google added an additional criterion to the first three, Experience, to improve the quality of results. TheE-E-A-T (or “Double E-A-T”) is added to the instructions given by research results evaluators. Does the web content presented indicate a certain level of experience? Take, for example, the actual use of a consumer product such as shampoo, or a visit to a tourist attraction? In some contexts, the most relevant content for a web user might be that produced by someone with actual experience on the subject. Source
What are the E-A-T criteria?
Demonstrate your expertise
To establish your expertise with Google, it’s essential to create rich, comprehensive content that reflects your skills and knowledge in your field of activity. Make sure you offer accurate, up-to-date information, based on reliable, recognized sources.
It’s also good practice to share your personal or professional opinion to illustrate your point and show that you’re an expert in the field concerned. Don’t hesitate to include case studies, testimonials or concrete examples to reinforce the credibility of your content.
Establishing your Authority
A website’s authority is measured primarily by the quality and relevance of its backlinks. To increase your site’s authority, it’s essential to obtain links from reliable websites that are relevant to your topic.
The netlinking and internal linking are two key strategies for developing your site’s authority. Consider establishing partnerships with influential players in your sector, taking part in industry events and conferences, and creating quality content that can be relayed on social networks or other specialized sites.
Enhancing reliability
To ensure the reliability of your content, it is imperative that you provide verifiable information and avoid misleading or erroneous information. This includes systematically citing your sources, making sure they are recognized and relevant.
Transparency is also a key factor in building user confidence. Be sure to clearly mention the authors and their expertise, as well as the date of publication or update of your articles.
Improve overall site quality by complying with Google E-A-T guidelines
In addition to the EAT criteria, Google takes other factors into account when assessing the quality of a website. These includeuser experience, page loading speed, site security and ease of navigation. A website audit can help you identify errors and areas for improvement…
To optimize these aspects, we recommend working on site architecture, internal linking and general ergonomics. You should also install an SSL certificate to secure the exchange of personal and banking data, and adopt a transparent privacy policy that complies with legal requirements.
How can you integrate Google’s E-A-T criteria into your SEO strategy?
Produce quality content: Expertise is a key factor in Google’s EAT criteria. So it’s crucial that your content is accurate, up-to-date and thorough. This demonstrates your expertise and helps establish your authority. For example, if you’re writing an article on how to use a product, share your personal experience of using that product to show that you have a working knowledge of the subject.
Valuing content authors: If the content is written by someone who is an expert in his or her field, be sure to mention this. This can include detailed biographies, links to professional social networking profiles, and other evidence of relevant qualifications or experience.
Get good reviews: Positive reviews can help build your online reputation and reinforce your authority. Encourage your satisfied customers to leave reviews and testimonials.
Proof of experience: You can also use tangible proof of your usage, such as certifications, diplomas, previous publications, customer testimonials, etc.
Sharing experience: Share anecdotes or concrete examples from your own experience to demonstrate your expertise and build your readers’ confidence. For example, if you’re writing about a specific place, share your personal experience of visiting that place.
Reassure Internet users by displaying legal elements: legal notices, General Terms and Conditions of Sale, General Terms and Conditions of Services, GDPR policy, secure payment methods, company details, contact information. Obtain legal advice.
Regular content updates: Make sure your content is regularly updated to show that you’re keeping up with the latest trends and developments in your field.
Work on the site’s UX: website design, web page architecture for showcase and e-commerce sites. Building an SEO content strategy is essential.
Improve or remove low-quality content: Low-quality content can have a negative impact on your EAT score. It is therefore preferable to remove or improve it.
Ensuring your site’s security: Trust is another important Google EAT criterion. Make sure your site uses HTTPS protocol to protect user information, and that your contact details and privacy policies are clearly visible.
Develop quality backlinks : Backlinks from respected sites can reinforce your authority in the eyes of Google3. In short, Google’s E-A-T criteria are an important SEO consideration. By working to improve these aspects of your website, you can increase your ranking in Google’s search results.
Delegate the optimization of your website to an SEO agency like Altosor Communication
What content does Google EAT apply to?
All content published online is subject to Google’s Expertise, Authority and Trust criteria. However, certain types of content are particularly affected by these criteria. According to Google guidelines, this includes pages that fall into the “YMYL” (Your Money or Your Life) category.
YMYL pages are those that could potentially impact a person’s happiness, health, financial stability or security. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Medical or health information.
- Financial or investment-related information.
- Legal information.
- News and news reports.
- Information about science.
- Information on groups of people (e.g. information on race, religion, gender, etc.).
- Advice or information on major purchases, such as a house or a car.
Google’s aim is to ensure that these types of content, which can have a major impact on people’s lives, come from reliable, authoritative sources. Therefore, if you publish this type of content, it is particularly important to respect the criteria Expertise, Authority, Trust.
Who are the Quality raters?
Google Quality Raters are third-party evaluators located around the world who help Google improve the relevance of its search results. These evaluators use a set of guidelines, known as“Quality Rater Guidelines“, to assess the quality of web pages and provide feedback to Google. Source
These guidelines, which run to over 170 pages, provide detailed instructions on how to assess website quality. They cover mainly page quality (PQ), but also other aspects such as expertise, authority and trust (EAT) and user experience.
Google regularly updates these guidelines. The latest update has added an additional criterion to the EAT: experience. This update underlines the importance of hands-on experience when creating content.
Quality Raters use these guidelines to evaluate a variety of grading projects. Their feedback helps Google to understand how users perceive the quality and relevance of its search engine.
How does Google measure a web page’s E.A.T. score?
Google doesn’t have a specific “E.A.T. score” for each web page. However, it does use signals to assess a page’s Expertise, Authority and Trust (EAT) as part of its ranking algorithm. It’s worth noting that Google doesn’t disclose all the details of its ranking algorithm, so this information is based on SEO experts’ interpretation of what Google has shared publicly. It’s hard to say whether there’s an E.A.T. score, or whether it’s not publicly revealed. This encourages webmasters to constantly improve the content of their websites. However, it is possible to deduce from a page’s position in the SERPs the level of trust attributed by Google to a web page.
Google EAT – Essential criteria for your SEO ranking
Google EAT criteria are now essential for optimal SEO. By following these tips and integrating Expertise, Authority, Reliability (and Experience) into your content strategy, you’ll significantly increase your chances of appearing on the first page of search results, and thus increase your visibility with web users. So don’t wait any longer and put these principles into practice to boost your Google ranking!