What is Google’s EEAT?
Google’s EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It’s a set of criteria used by Google to assess the quality and reliability of content on the web. Here’s a breakdown of each component:
1. Experience: This refers to the firsthand or practical experience the content creator has regarding the subject matter. It evaluates whether the creator has real-world knowledge and insights about the topic.
2. Expertise: This measures the depth of knowledge the content creator has in the relevant field. It assesses the qualifications, credentials, and background of the creator to ensure they are truly knowledgeable.
3. Authoritativeness: This criterion looks at the reputation of the content creator or the website as a whole. It considers how well-regarded the creator or site is within the industry and whether others in the field recognize them as a reliable source of information.
4. Trustworthiness: This evaluates how dependable and credible the content is. It examines whether the information is accurate, honest, and free from bias, and whether the site maintains high standards for privacy and security.
Google uses these factors to ensure that high-quality, reliable, and informative content ranks higher in search results, providing users with trustworthy information.
Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
Google’s EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) framework is not a ranking factor but a component of its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. While this framework has existed for a decade, this year Google added an extra E for ‘Experience’.
This is significant as AI cannot generate real-world experience like people can. This gives human content marketers an advantage and cements the importance of having experts write or inform content.
As you develop your content strategy, think about how to weave in proof that the writer or person running your website has Expertise, first-hand Experience, Authority, and Trust, so they deserve to be listened to.
Make a checklist of all the EEAT signals that matter to your business and grid it like a scorecard. Look at what your competitors are doing to build trust and authority. Then grade yourself against all the things your competitors are doing and figure out how to improve.
Creating High EEAT Content
Google’s EEAT is all about creating content that demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—which is essential for several reasons:
1. Improved Search Rankings: Google prioritizes high-quality content that meets EEAT standards. By creating content that excels in these areas, you increase the likelihood of ranking higher in search results, leading to more visibility and traffic.
2. Enhanced Credibility and Trust: Content that showcases experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness builds credibility with your audience. When readers find your content reliable and informative, they are more likely to trust your brand and return for future information or services.
3. Better User Experience: High EEAT content typically offers more accurate, detailed, and useful information. This improves the overall user experience, as visitors find what they are looking for quickly and easily, leading to higher satisfaction and engagement.
4. Increased Engagement and Retention: Trustworthy and authoritative content is more likely to be shared and recommended by users. This can lead to higher engagement rates, longer on-site durations, and improved user retention, as well as increased social sharing and backlinks.
5. Compliance with Google’s Guidelines: Adhering to Google’s EEAT criteria ensures compliance with their quality guidelines. This reduces the risk of penalties and maintains the integrity and reputation of your website in the eyes of both users and search engines.
6. Competitive Advantage: In a crowded digital landscape, high EEAT content can set you apart from competitors. Demonstrating superior knowledge and reliability in your field can attract a larger and more loyal audience, giving you a competitive edge.
7. Long-Term Success: Content that meets EEAT standards is more likely to stand the test of time. As Google continues to refine its algorithms, content that adheres to these principles will likely remain relevant and maintain its rankings, contributing to long-term SEO success.
Google’s Search Generative Engine (SGE)
EEAT is all the more relevant in 2024 because Google’s SGE will finally come of age, and transform the search experience with generative AI. The goal is to provide more relevant and comprehensive information to users based on questions. SGE also provides relevant links and has a conversational mode where users can follow up with more questions – in essence, have a conversation with Google.
These new ‘AI snapshots’ or snippets will significantly impact search results. From a traffic standpoint, we expect this could lower clickthrough rates for websites positioned below these snapshots, which is concerning in relation to SEO.
Proactively monitor your presence in AI snapshots. Once the Search Generative Experience (SGE) fully rolls out, it will be crucial to use the available tools to analyze the data and understand its impact.
