E-A-T: The Secret Ingredients for SEO Success

When you think about SEO, what comes to mind? Numbers on a computer with charts and graphs? Endless keyword research for content marketing? Something else?

You are not wrong if those are your ideas about SEO. But the ultimate idea is that at its root, SEO, at least as it is today, boils down to just the three factors that we’d be discussing in this article:

• Expertise
• Authoritativeness
• Trustworthiness

Where do these ideas come from, you might wonder. After all, several SEO blogs come up with different fads and novelties from time to time that seem to work for a while until Google releases an algorithm update that neutralizes that tactic. Read on to learn more.

Why EAT?

If you don’t know, EAT comes from Google itself. Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines is a document through which real people evaluate Google’s algorithm in delivering search results. And in this document, there are heavy references to these three factors.

So, there is no doubt that Google takes them seriously, and you should too!

Because all of Google’s products are hinged on Search, the company goes to great lengths to ensure that its Search tool always delivers credible results to queries. This is performed mostly by its ‘almighty’ algorithm, with human raters and analysts supporting it.

Human beings might have learned how to get their websites featured on the first page of SERPs, but Google’s algorithm is now so advanced that such is almost impossible if your site’s content does not meet the minimum baseline for quality.

Does EAT Matter?

To clarify, EAT is not a ranking factor used by Google’s algorithm. However, human raters hired by Google use EAT to evaluate the quality of pages in Google search results. Google then uses this data to enhance its algorithm.

So, what does EAT mean, and why does it matter? EAT matters because pages are evaluated based on the following:

1. The expertise of the author of the content. It’s quite easy to tell a page written by a knowledgeable person apart from one put together by someone who has not interacted with the field.
2. Authoritativeness of the author, the webpage, and the overall website. There’s a reason why Wikipedia shows up for almost anything you search. The website has authoritativeness over the years, and search engines are rewarding that.
3. Trustworthiness of the web page. This depends on various factors. A website may be popular and authoritative on certain topics, but a particular web page might contain misinformation.
4. Recently, there has been another ‘E’ added to make EEAT. The other ‘E’ refers to the first-hand experience of the author. However, this could also be easily categorized under expertise.

As you can see, EAT is not just about that single blog post or article you have published. It encompasses your entire SEO strategy and even considers your own standing as an author in whatever field you have chosen.

YMYL Content and EAT Factors

You might have also heard that EAT does not affect all kinds of websites similarly. For instance, searching for updates about the cryptocurrency you just purchased and searching for the perfect fruit bread recipe are equally requests for information.

However, the former entry has higher stakes. It is far more important that an expert produces the information you get about your investments and that it is credible and reliable.

Such websites that cover topics related to financial investments (and financial advice in general), health and physical well-being, personal and societal safety, etc., feel the most impact of EAT ratings and have higher standards applied to them.

Those are called YMYL or ‘Your Money or Your Life’ topics. As you can see, YMYL content can often cause immediate and direct harm to a person or persons if the content is inaccurate.

Does this mean that websites that cover other topics are spared and that the standards are thrown out the window for those? Certainly not! Regardless of the topic, pages that promote harmfully misleading information with a deceptive purpose or are spammy still get assigned the lowest quality ratings.

Optimizing for EAT Factors

It would have been much easier to pin certain tactics and strategies that apply to each section of the EAT requirements. However, when combined, these qualities look more like a Venn diagram with overlapping features than neatly separated boxes.

So, different signals are applied to different websites based on their purpose. However, below are some general guidelines to follow to ensure that EAT is not neglected:

• If your website covers YMYL topics, be sure you are an expert in that topic or hire experts to handle it. Use the Eye10 Industry Checker to find the leaders in your niche and identify what makes them stand out.

• YMYL topic or not, ensure that the content you publish is of the highest quality. That means it must be original and deliver a specific value to users.
• Be transparent about how you represent yourself and your company. Your author bio section and website ‘about us page must contain factual and non-exaggerated information.
• Always use credible sources. When referencing external pages, link to primary sources of information and authoritative websites. The Eye10 Backlink Monitor tool helps you to monitor your backlinks.

• Maintain a positive brand reputation and always deal with negative feedback professionally.
• Implement good website security practices. If you run an e-commerce website, ensure that payment links are secure and functional.
• Avoid spammy practices such as purchasing backlinks and so on. Besides losing ranking, your website may get penalized and de-indexed. Analyze your backlinks occasionally using the Eye10 Backlink Checker to ensure you’re still on the right track.

Conclusion

Everyone wants to rank high on Google, making many SEO professionals focus on beating the algorithm. Instead, Google wants you to focus on winning the trust of your audience by putting out high-quality and credible content.

Just like EAT is all-encompassing, when it comes to SEO, you need an all-encompassing tool as well. And Eye10 is the answer. All are managed from one subscription, with tools covering competitor research, keyword planning, link building, rank checking, industry analysis, and more. You can’t go wrong.

For only $3, try Eye10 SEO tools today and use real-time results, data insights, and exportable reports to enhance your SEO strategy.