E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) and people-first content are super important to do well on Google. E-E-A-T shows how much you know and how reliable you are. Why does Google really care about E-E-A-T?
Google really cares about E-E-A-T because it decides how well a website shows up in search results. According to Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines for search quality evaluators 2024, E-E-A-T is very important for ranking content.
Making content that focuses on people is a great way to show good E-E-A-T. This means thinking about what the audience wants instead of just trying to sell stuff.
By doing research to understand what people are looking for, businesses can create helpful and easy-to-understand content. This not only helps to build trust and show expertise but also makes customers stick around longer. This practice is great for E-E-A-T and search rankings.
So, here we’ll discuss both of these points in detail. We’ll find out what E-E-A-T is and why it is important. Besides this, we’ll explore people-first content and how to create it.
What Are E-E-A-T?
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—four crucial factors that Google uses to evaluate the quality of web content. These four elements play a major role in determining a website's search engine rankings and credibility.
1. Experience
This refers to the website's or content creator's overall experience with a certain topic. Google values websites that show a deep understanding of the topic they cover, which often comes from practical, real-world experience.
For example
A health website created by experienced doctors with strong qualifications would rank higher than a website made by someone lacking the right background.
2. Expertise
Expertise means how much a person knows and what skills they have. Content creators and website owners should have a good level of expertise. Google prefers to show content from people who are experts in their field, have proper training, and have recognized qualifications.
For example
A finance blog written by certified financial advisors, economists, or professionals with advanced degrees and certifications in the field.
3. Authoritativeness
Authoritativeness is determined by the website's reputation, credibility, and the quality of its content. Factors that contribute to authoritativeness include links from high-quality websites, positive user reviews, and a well-established brand name.
For example
Highly authoritative sources often mention reliable sources. These sources are seen as trustworthy by experts because they are well-known online.
4. Trustworthiness
Being trustworthy means being clear, accurate, and responsible. Websites become more trustworthy to Google when they show who the authors are, explain their rules for editing, and explain how they check facts.
Trustworthy websites also make sure to keep users' information safe, give credit to where they got their information, and show where they got it from. Using a Reword generator can help you rewrite content. It keeps content clear and accurate without copying, which is important for building trust with search engines and users.
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Importance of E-E-A-T
E-E-A-T is super important today because Google really cares about these things when deciding which websites and content to show in search results. However, according to Dr. Marie Haynes at Moz 2019, you must follow guidelines of Google E-E-A-T in order to rank well.
If your website or content shows strong E-E-A-T, there are chances that it'll rank higher. When a website ranks, it gets more visitors and seems trustworthy to your audience.
E-E-A-T helps Google find good, reliable information that helps people. It makes sure search results show content from trusted sources with real knowledge, rather than stuff that's not so good or even harmful.
By working on E-E-A-T, businesses can make themselves more visible online, earn the trust of their audience, and do better with their digital marketing.
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What is people-first content?
People-first content is a way of creating content that cares about what the audience wants more than just selling stuff. It's about doing research to find out what people are worried about, what they want to know, and what they're trying to achieve. Then, we make content that helps them with that stuff in an easy-to-understand way.
Instead of just trying to sell things, we focus on giving value to the audience. As per Hubspot's Content Trends Report (2023), 94% of content marketers say making content for the audience is more important.
People-first content tries to build trust and relationships by giving people what they're looking for. This content often looks like helpful guides and answers to common questions, all made with the audience in mind.
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How do you create people-first content?
Creating people-first content involves putting your audience's needs at the top of your content strategy. Here's how to do it:
- Conduct thorough audience research, including surveys, interviews, and analytics, to identify their background, interests, pain points, and needs. Create detailed buyer profiles to better understand and target your ideal audience.
- Provide content that offers genuine value by solving problems, answering questions, and addressing concerns relevant to your audience. Ensure your content is up-to-date, accurate, and aligns with their interests and needs.
- Use a friendly, conversational tone that resonates with your audience. Incorporate storytelling, examples, and a relatable tone. Encourage interaction and engagement through calls-to-action and by actively responding to comments and feedback.
- Design a clean, intuitive, and user-friendly website or platform with a focus on mobile responsiveness. Enhance the experience with visuals, multimedia, and interactive elements that complement and strengthen your content.
- Be transparent about your brand, authors, and content creation process. Disclose sponsored content, affiliate links, and advertising clearly. Build trust by providing accurate, well-researched, and unbiased information.
- Develop a community by encouraging discussions, social sharing, and user-generated content. Respond quickly and professionally to comments and feedback to build stronger relationships.
- Regularly analyze audience feedback, content performance, and industry trends. Revise your content strategy using insights from data. Stay flexible and ready to change according to what your audience wants.
- Ensure your content is accessible to people, even if they have disabilities. Use captions and words that include everyone and show different points of view. Make different kinds of content for different ways of learning.
Final remarks
E-E-A-T and people-first content are crucial to any business that wants to do well online. When you focus on E-E-A-T, it boosts your search rankings and helps build trust with your audience.
Making people-first means you really understand what they need and that you're committed to giving them value. By always giving them content that's relevant, interesting, and easy to understand, businesses can make loyal visitors and do well online.