If you’re in the world of SEO then EAT is probably another three-letter acronym you’ve probably heard of. But even if you’re familiar with EAT’s Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness concept, the ever-changing landscape of how search engines rank content merits a new look. If EAT and SEO are totally foreign, no worries either. Here, we’ll look at the latest developments in SEO content writing and show you easy ways to implement EAT concepts in your own strategy to garner great results.
Why is EAT Important for SEO?
As we looked at, EAT stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. Google came up with the EAT concept in its ratings guide for how it grades content on sites around 2018 and has been a mainstay in SEO strategy ever since. The concept lies in the fact that today’s audience is more savvy than ever before. Your audience has the ability to quickly compare options across multiple platforms very quickly. Therefore, to make search results as relevant as possible, Google developed the EAT metric and ingrained it into its algorithm.
At its core, EAT seeks to establish content as being of a superior quality, relative to all the other pages out there. The more content meets the guidelines of EAT, generally the higher its relevance and therefore rankings.
Expertise in Content Writing
Expertise looks at the content creator. Does this entity hold subject matter expertise in the matter at hand? For example, if we’re looking for how to perform a certain auto repair, you generally wouldn’t give a lot of credence to an article written by a veterinarian. Building expertise takes time and focus. Focus on your brand’s value proposition i.e. when I buy the product/service from you, instead of your competitors, I get (fill in the blank), because…
Successful businesses already hold mountains of expertise within their space. The key is harnessing that expertise and expressing it online. Your content strategy should work in tandem with highlighting what expertise your company holds, how you’re differentiated from the competition, and the value you bring to the table.
Writing Web Content with Authority
Next up the “A” for authority. Google is expecting the content to be well-written, factual, and convey knowledge in a way that gives people a better understanding of the subject matter at hand. Authority writing truly showcases the expertise we’re working hard to convey and it’s hard to fake.
Writing with expertise is content that’s been written by experts (well duh). But this really is harder said than done. Why? Because most subject matter experts aren’t the ones in charge of marketing and most marketers aren’t the actual subject matter experts. If you work in marketing, you’ve no doubt faced the line “why do we even have marketing, us SMEs do all the work anyway” or something along those lines. While we aren’t intending this article to showcase the vitality of marketing or put those SMEs in their place, we do need to highlight the need to bridge the gap.
Now, many marketers walk this line well but even if relations are cordial there can still be a disconnect. Your team needs to look and sound like they know what they are talking about and write with actual, factual authority. One of the best ways to do this is the Bizwrite-patented “spaghetti on the wall method”. Your content writers use their own intrinsic knowledge to fill the content order as far as they absolutely can in a draft form.
Once the spaghetti’s on the wall, your SME can review and fill in any missing technical aspects. That way, you efficiently respect the billable man hours of your SME and allow your marketers the chance to quickly glean that invaluable intrinsic knowledge which lends credibility and authority to the content du jour. You can check out our A to Z Guide to Business Blogging to dig deeper into this topic.
Trustworthy Content is Everything
You absolutely want your content to be above board. It’s crucial for your brand and Google places a huge emphasis on factual content because their own reputation is at stake. With the T of the EAT model, you need to make sure your content has been fact checked. Start with finding your own authoritative content research from expert sources. When looking for sources either to cite or link, always look to well-known and well-respected sources in that specific space.
For example, if we’re writing content for a law firm, we will go specifically to the laws and statutes put out by that location’s governing body. Look for .gov, .us, .edu sites in addition to solid sources like the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, etc. When you sprinkle in facts and figures and cite quality sources, it gives credence to the writing and shows you did your homework. This also demonstrates relevance within your industry, which is critical with how fast news becomes stale these days.
Making Your Website More EAT-Able
EAT concepts are definitely both a micro and macro topic of discussion. On the micro side, we’re looking at individual posts. As we’ve covered above, each post should inform and educate with all the SEO bells and whistles (keyword integration, formatted for web reading, etc.). But on the macro-side, EAT needs to apply to the website as a whole. This holistic view is what’s going to establish the site as being one of authority in the first place and help to maintain that freshness that Google continually seeks.
Here’s how that can look for site-wide EAT-ability:
- Clearly articulate who you are and what you do. Using long form content guidelines (a topic of debate but most SEO sources agree around 1500 words plus) dedicate an entire page to explaining what your site is all about. The About Us page is an obvious place to start but unfortunately is one of most underutilized pages we come across. Fill out this page in its entirety with the rich keywords someone trying to find your product or service would be looking for. FAQs are a fantastic way to add a lot of content in an easily-digestible manner. Put yourself in the shoes of your customer and think what would make you go with your offering over someone else. Demonstrate your expertise, and therefore your value, over and over again.
- Don’t skimp on authority. We have all read that horrible online page that’s clearly written by someone who has no idea what they’re talking about. Unfortunately, a lot of agencies out there pay really low rates for freelance writers who often have no experience whatsoever in the field. While a writer can be successful if they can research and write with authority, the combo is rare. Instead, seek out a content writing service that has demonstrable experience writing in your industry and give them a test drive. If they knock it out of the park, you’ve found a great long term partner. Also like we covered above, make sure to link to highly credible sources and you’ll build your own credibility by association.
- All content should be mindful. With any post, web page, FAQ, or other content, the purpose needs to be clearly thought out ahead of time. Visualize what is trying to be accomplished, where are we leading readers, and to what end we’ll get them there. You need SEO elements like headlines, bullet points, CTAs, etc. that provide a great user experience and a clear journey. No piece of prose should ever be out there just to fill a void. Make it purposeful and it will yield better results.
- Fresh content tastes better for EATing. You need to be on the backend of your site checking for things like broken links, outdated information, and opportunities to “recycle” old content. You already put in the work to get the content completed and on the site, don’t neglect it like your summer flower garden. Make sure you’re updating content to maintain relevance, it will perform better and minimize the risk of actually detracting from the site’s credibility. And if you don’t want to pay for a site audit, there are plenty of free options. We don’t get a dime for saying so but SEMrush does indeed provide a wonderful site audit that can spot bad links and other issues and it’s completely free.
Let’s Get Writing
Now that you’ve mastered the EAT concept, time to get cracking. Don’t know where to start? Bizwrite can help get you there. Our team of content writers does nothing but write high quality content that gets results. Check out our content shop to put in a quick order or contact our team to discuss your next project.
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