In 2020, people are more reliant on the digital space. Businesses can use this opportunity to develop websites and improve traffic with digital marketing. Search engines and social media platforms are critical players in this digital age, and it’s essential to utilize them. If you want to increase your viewership and reach, you should deploy the necessary strategies and plans.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an excellent technique to gain organic and legitimate traffic into your website. Annelle Digital will give you an in-depth explanation of the Google EAT update and how this affects content marketing effects.

What is EAT?

EAT is the abbreviation for three words that determine high ranking content, and it’s a part of the Google Search Quality Rating Guidelines. The list has included processes and procedures to come out at the top of the search engine results page (SERP) and EAT is specifically listed as one of the most important factors when selecting an overall Page Quality Rating.

Page Quality Rating

To summarize, EAT signifies:

  • Expertise – defines the knowledgeability of the site owner on the specific subject matter discussed.
  • Authoritativeness – speaks about the credentials of the site owner regarding the topic.
  • Trustworthiness – talks about the character and credibility of the author and the website as a whole.

Before going into detail, let’s discuss the meaning of the EAT update and its contribution to search engine optimization practices. 

Here are the factors in a broader perspective: 

Expertise 

To establish expertise, you should identify the author of your Top Ranking Articles through bylines and biographies. Well-researched and high-quality outbound links gain a better reputation, primarily when the articles are written by someone specializing in the field.

In simple terms, Expertise refers to the author’s reputation and specialization.

Authoritativeness

Search engines value what other experts in the field say about a particular website. They encourage human rating and critiquing to know which sites are offering the most important and useful information. Recommendations, awards, and positive feedback can go a long way.

Reviews and comments can serve as support for a site’s prominence. In general terms, Authoritativeness refers to the organization’s reputation as a whole.

Trustworthiness

In essence, Trustworthiness doesn’t just refer to your website’s credibility but the integrity that it can be trusted with user sensitive information. You should utilize essential security tools and best practices, such as using HTTPS and SSL certificates.

Overall, the primary purpose is to ensure that users and raters know where they are getting their information. Search engines prioritize medical articles from hospitals, doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, instead of those that originate from bloggers with no medical background.

EAT and Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) sites

The EAT quality standards primarily affect YMYL websites. YMYL means Your Money or Your Life, and these websites offer health or medical information to impact your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. These pages provide impactful advice on major life decisions such as home and vehicle purchases, parenting, etc.

YMYL are sites that solicit personal information (driver’s license numbers, bank account numbers, personal identification numbers, etc.) that may contribute to identity fraud. They are involved in monetary transactions and receive details like bank account numbers and debit or credit information.

Here is a rundown of YMYL topics Google gave in section 2.3:

 

YMYL excerpt from Google Search Quality Rating Guideline

Content Strategy that’s Ready for EAT 

Now that you have a good grip on what EAT means for search engine optimization, it’s time to build your website’s strategy. Annelle Digital can help jumpstart your website, but we have furnished a guide if you wanted to prepare things for your brand.

Here are some of the SEO steps to improve your content strategy:

1. Craft quality content based on expertise

Improve your content strategy by deploying high-quality articles and developing a niche. Plan your articles and website content carefully and methodically for better EAT compliance. You can create your content strategy according to the most searched subjects within a particular topic. 

If you’re not an expert in a particular field, you can hire freelance professionals who can write about them. 

2. Include contact information

Contact information such as phone numbers, email addresses, and office locations can enhance reputation. This will assure the search engine crawlers that you or your company is legitimate. Ensure that the address is also connected to a Google Business address to enhance your reach within the local community. 

3. Develop a reputation

You can develop a reputation by having other blogs and websites link to your content. If you own a medical website, gaining the support or recommendation from other medical websites will go a long way in securing your position in the digital medical industry.

Aside from that, it would help if you built your website’s About Us page to give users more information about who you are and why they should believe your expertise. Create a Google Business page to gain more traction and localized legitimacy within your area.

4. Consistently update the website

Websites that include financial, legal, medical, and other YMYL matters need up-to-date information. There could be updated medical terms or breakthroughs, so make sure to refresh your articles from time to time or add new articles to support or improve the older ones.

5. Identify the author for each article

You should include a byline that mentions the authors and their credentials to boost your website’s expertise. The users and raters should be able to identify the writers and their specialization. Create a summary or biography for your author so that the crawlers can get a glimpse of the expertise.

6. Link to and from other websites

One of the best ways to develop credibility is by reaching out to websites within the same niche or specialty. The more high-quality websites link to your site, the better your ranking will fair. This kind of practice develops your brand’s trustworthiness and reputation. 

Moving Forward

Content marketing is a must-have for a successful website. It’s essential to arm yourself with the right information to make strategic decisions. There are steps that only true professionals take. If you want to increase your organic reach, you can ask Annelle Digital for a bespoke content campaign to suit your needs and budget.