In 2022, Google made a significant update to its search algorithm. They introduced Google E-E-A-T.

Before then, Google E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness) already existed. But on December 15, 2022, Google added an extra “E” to the acronym. This new “E” stands for Experience.

Even though the new ‘E’ is a minor update, this change can affect your website content and ranking on SERPs. As such, updating your content strategy to meet this new demand is vital.

Without further ado, let’s get right into it.

What is Google E-E-A-T?

The concept of Google E-E-A-T came about because of how crowded the internet has become. There are millions of published content on the internet already, and new ones are still being added daily.

However, it became clear that only some content on the internet is valuable to users. This contradicts Google’s vision as they want to ensure users get the best experience. As a result, they introduced the E-E-A-T in their Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines.

Simply put, Google E-E-A-T is a set of content rules that determines how Google’s algorithm decides what content to show. E-E-A-T is an acronym for Experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness.

Experience simply has to do with the first-hand experiences the author or other members of the content creation team has had when it comes to that particular topic. This means that Google requires the content creator to have had first-hand or life experience of the topic.

Expertise involves the expertise of the content creator of the topic in question. Authoritativeness, as the name implies, refers to the authority of the main content creator. This also affects the website on which the content is published.

Trustworthiness refers to the trustworthiness of the main content creator, the content itself, and its published website.

The experience factor affects the rest of the letters in the acronym. Without it, your content’s overall authoritativeness and expertise on the subject matter are questionable. And this means your brand may not be seen as authentic or trustworthy.

Google considers these characteristics when assessing sites. Quality raters provide feedback to Google about the quality of its results. Google then uses the data from these quality raters to inform future algorithm updates.

These updates rate sites and determine which ones should rank higher than others.

Now, how can you incorporate Google E-E-A-T into your content strategy?

How To Create Content that Meets Google E-E-A-T Standards

Here are some important tips to help you adapt your content to meet Google E-E-A-T standards:

#1. Know Your Target Audience

First, you must know your users/target audience and what they’re looking for. Before you create any content, ensure that your content has the solution for users who are:

  • Looking for information
  • Looking to buy a product from you
  • Looking for a particular website
  • Checking out different products to see one they can buy soon
  • Looking for where to buy a product, get a particular service, etc.

Once you understand your target audience’s intent, you can create content that meets their needs. By using the information you have, you can create content that’s appropriate for them.

You can Google your keyword or use other keyword research tools to find search intents related to your keyword.

#2. Use Reviews

This tip is especially useful if you’re into e-commerce. Reviews are one of the best ways to provide first-hand Experience and feedback on a product or service. It could be your review of a product you have used or reviews gotten directly from customers.

Reviews can help you convert users. That’s because they make a person confident about purchasing a product or opting for a service.

If you provide a product or service, get all the reviews you can. And then use them to your advantage.

#3. Include Author’s Bios in Your Posts

One way to ensure that you provide people-first content is by providing the author’s bio of your posts. This is because users want to know who authored your content and why they should trust them.

You can also include bylines that lead to further information about your posts’ author(s). Give information about their background and the areas they write about.

That way, you can show that your content is user-focused instead of content created to manipulate search engine rankings.

#4. Audit Your Content and/or Site

Auditing your site is a good way to discover what’s working and what’s not. When you audit your site, you will identify content that needs to be reviewed to meet current search demands or SEO standards.

Once you find those, update them to incorporate experiences and show your expertise. So don’t just create factual and useful content; also ensure that you update them regularly.

Bottom Line

Following Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines will not overly impact your SEO and content marketing strategy. Instead, it will help you create useful content that’s audience-focused and authentic.

When your content is authentic and valuable, it will attract an audience genuinely interested in what you offer. It will also help you to stand out among the competition.

By implementing Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines into your content, you will be putting yourself out as an expert with first-hand Experience in your target market. That way, you can show, not just tell your audience, what you can do.

Also, Google’s algorithm will determine that your content is authoritative enough to rank higher in search results. This will eventually help you get the desired traffic and lead to conversions.