Google E-E-A-T Strategies for Small Business Success

Did you know that 9 out of 10 business owners aren’t E-E-A-Ting? That’s right—they’re not optimizing their sites according to Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines. After selling my SEO agency, I want to clear things up. Why does this matter? Simply put: E-E-A-T equals higher rankings, more leads, and more money.

Let’s break it down. The concept of E-E-A-T, which stands for Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, was introduced in Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines back in 2014. These guidelines help a group of people known as “Quality Raters” evaluate search results. They also provide insights to Google’s algorithm to identify quality and relevant content.

E-E-A-T is a key part of these guidelines. As a business owner, it’s vital to understand this. If your website lacks these qualities, it’s less likely to rank high on Google. And we all know higher rankings mean more money. Prioritizing E-E-A-T not only boosts your rankings but also positions you as a leader in your field.

While E-E-A-T sounds great as an acronym, I prefer to start with Trustworthiness. The best way to establish Trustworthiness with Google is by showing Expertise, Experience, and Authoritativeness. There are simple fixes you can make on your site today that will have a lasting impact. Here’s a checklist to get you started.

I believe Google is shifting towards ranking people, not just content. This means they want content written by experts. Consider this: would you rather read a football article by John Elway or an unknown writer?

You don’t have to be a celebrity to get your content to rank. Here’s how to do it: write about topics in your niche. The more content you produce, the more you create topical relevance and authority.

Experience, in Google’s terms, means direct involvement with the topic. This is your chance to stand out from AI-driven content, which can’t show real experience. When writing, incorporate practical insights. For videos, create content and then summarize it into articles.

The top-ranking websites usually share common features. They have clear expertise, experience, and authoritativeness. What’s more, they often have backlinks. Backlinks are links from one website to another and act as endorsements. The more quality backlinks you have, the higher your content will rank. Guest blogging is a great link-building strategy.

If you want to dive deeper into link building, there are thousands of articles online. I’ll also be dedicating a future post to this topic, so stay tuned.

In conclusion, Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines guide you in creating high-quality content that resonates with your audience. If you continue to produce great content, Google will reward you with more leads. That’s all for now! Let’s go!