If you’ve been following the latest news in the digital marketing world, then you’ve likely heard about Google’s newest algorithm update—E.E.A.T., or Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This update is a major shift for content creators and website owners alike and can have a significant impact on your current website performance and traffic if not managed properly. In this blog post, we will break down what E.E.A.T stands for, how it works, and what you should do (and not do) to make the most of this update.
According to SearchEngineLand, Google has updated its search quality raters guidelines for the second time in 2022, only four and a half months since its last update in July 2022. This revised document has some substantial changes to E-A-T, by adding an extra E to E-A-T for “experience.” The document is now about nine-pages longer, adding up to 176 pages up from 167 pages in the previous version.
What is E.E.A.T.?
The acronym EEAT stands for “Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. ”, but what does that all mean? The idea behind this algorithm is to prioritise websites with quality content created by experts in their fields so that users are getting only the best information available when they search using Google’s engine. To measure these qualities of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (known as EAT), Google relies heavily on user experience metrics such as page loading times, broken links, mobile friendliness of a website design, security features like SSL certificates etc.. In other words, pages with high scores on these metrics will be given priority over those with lower scores when they appear in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Demonstrating first-hand experience is more important than ever for Google Search rankings. Updates to the search quality rater guidelines list the criteria Google looks for. Google is upgrading the concept of E-A-T with an additional ‘E’ for experience. Google’s search quality rater guidelines have been updated accordingly, with insight into how the company instructs quality raters to evaluate a content creator’s expertise.
Now to better assess search results, E-A-T is gaining an E: experience. Does content also demonstrate that it was produced with some degree of experience, such as with actual use of a product, having actually visited a place or communicating what a person experienced? There are some situations where really what you value most is content produced by someone who has first-hand, life experience on the topic at hand.
For example, if you're looking for information on how to correctly fill out your tax returns, that's probably a situation where you want to see content produced by an expert in the field of accounting. But if you're looking for reviews of a tax preparation software, you might be looking for a different kind of information—maybe it's a forum discussion from people who have experience with different services.
E-E-A-T — or "Double-E-A-T," if you prefer, is now part of the updated search rater guidelines Google released in December 2022. You'll also see clearer guidance throughout the guidelines underscoring the importance of content created to be original and helpful for people, and explaining that helpful information can come in a variety of different formats and from a range of sources.
Search Rater Guidelines: What You Need to Know
This new set of guidelines is designed to make sure that Google search engine results are as accurate and relevant as possible. Some key requirements for content creators are having deep knowledge about their subject matter, only creating authoritative content backed with evidence and research, earning trust through professional behavior, and providing solutions to users’ needs. It is now more important than ever for those who create digital content to make sure they adhere to Google’s guidelines in order have their work seen by Google users around the world.
1. Google's Search Rater Guidelines are constantly changing
Google's Search Rater Guidelines are a set of rules that determine how Google's search algorithms work. The guidelines are constantly changing, and content creators need to stay up-to-date on the latest changes in order to ensure that their content is visible to Google users.
2. The guidelines are designed to help Google assess the quality of webpages
The Search Rater Guidelines are designed to help Google assess the quality of webpages. Content creators should therefore aim to create high-quality content that is relevant and useful to Google users.
3. The guidelines focus on three main areas: relevance, usefulness, and presentation
The Search Rater Guidelines focus on three main areas: relevance, usefulness, and presentation. Content creators should therefore ensure that their content is relevant to the topic at hand, useful to readers, and well-presented.
4. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating high-quality content
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating high-quality content. Content creators should therefore experiment with different formats and strategies in order to find what works best for their particular niche and audience.
5. Following the Search Rater Guidelines can help content creators improve their search engine ranking
Following the Search Rater Guidelines can help content creators improve their search engine ranking. This, in turn, can lead to more traffic and exposure for their content.