The digital landscape has grown increasingly competitive over the years and businesses are always looking for great ways to increase their social authority as well as attract more visitors to their site. To maximize our search rankings and improve our SEO, it's crucial to understand the factors that influence your website's visibility. One such crucial factor is Google’s new Double E-A-T – a concept that Google uses to evaluate the quality of content. Modified in December of 2022, it is a major change with direct implications for your digital marketing programs.
What you don’t know WILL hurt you
The change in Google’s algorithm in December of 2022 was a direct result of the introduction of ChatGPT one month earlier. Google knew that the release of ChatGPT and similar AI systems would result in a flood of AI-generated blogs, articles, and web pages. These would, in turn, impact search engine results and where your website would rank for the keywords used in these AI-generated articles. And this impact would be substantial.
The problem they faced was that AI-generated articles don’t really represent who you are. The content doesn’t show your expertise on the topic or the experiences you have had. It also doesn’t adequately show the authority you have developed on the topic. To address these issues, Google changed its algorithm in significant ways.
Google used the ability of AI systems to read, listen to, and video content placed on your website. In the past, Google would use keyword or tag tables to determine the topics contained in the content. With the new AI’s capabilities, they now process each content item and, by “reading” it, they can determine the keywords associated with the content. As a result, you need to ensure your new and existing content contains all the important keywords.
Google moves to Double E-A-T
To determine the “humanness” of your content and ensure its authenticity, Google changed its ranking criteria from E-A-T to Double E-A-T. Double E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is a set of criteria that Google uses to determine the quality of a webpage when deciding how to rank content on its search results pages. It's a crucial element in Google's Quality Rater Guidelines, a guide given to human evaluators to train the Google algorithm to assess the quality and keywords associated with each of your web pages. This, in turn, determines where you will rank in organic search.
The result is dramatic and is impacting companies today. In discussing the changes in its “core algorithm”, Google’s developers explained “Google's automated ranking systems are designed to present helpful, reliable information that's primarily created to benefit people, not to gain search engine rankings, in the top Search results.” They are looking to see if your content meets the Double E-A-T criteria and is genuinely helping others in a “human” way.
The result is clear. If you want to optimize SEO, rank high on the keywords you want to develop and establish your topic authority, you need to understand and begin using the Double E-A-T criteria in Google’s new algorithm. To help you, I want to look at each element in Double E-A-T, show you what Google is searching for [in their words], and then provide you some marketing tips to help you maximize your SEO impact and the authenticity of your content.
Experience
Experience in the Double EAT system is the extent to which the content creator has the necessary first-hand or life experience for the topic. It is one of the criteria that Google uses to evaluate the quality and trustworthiness of web content. Experience can be demonstrated by:
1. Provide evidence such as visuals, audio, or other links of your own experience with the product, service, or topic, to support your expertise and reinforce the authenticity of your review.
2. Provide a narrative with photos that show how you used or interacted with the product, service, or topic, and what benefits or challenges you encountered.
3. Showing off logos or icons that represent your skills, achievements, certifications, or affiliations related to the topic.
4. Sharing information with charts or infographics that illustrate your data, insights, or results on the topic.
5. Using smart typography that highlights your key points, quotes, or testimonials on the topic.
Demonstrating your experience in your web content can improve your E-E-A-T score and rank higher on Google’s search results page. This can help you attract more traffic, generate more leads, and increase your conversions.
In my experiences working with non-profits and startups, this criterion is where storytelling is an important skill to have. For every content item you create, you need to relate stories and examples to illustrate key points in the topic. If possible, include a quote from your client about the topic being discussed. The more you can show the audience you have “first-hand” experience with the topic, the stronger your experience score.
Expertise
In the Double EAT system, Expertise is the level of knowledge and skill that the content creator has on the topic. It is one of the criteria that Google uses to evaluate the quality and trustworthiness of web content. Expertise can be demonstrated by:
1. Providing clear and accurate information on the topic, using relevant keywords, headings, and subheadings.
2. Provide an author biography and byline with your blog post, explaining your qualifications, credentials, and experience on the topic.
3. Providing helpful, relevant answers to the questions that your audience may have on the topic, providing high-quality content that is well-written, well-structured, well-researched, and well-edited.
4. Showing that you have done your research by citing expert sources, providing references, and linking to authoritative websites.
5. Asking for feedback from your audience and updating your content based on their suggestions and comments.
6. Keeping your content up to date with the latest information and trends on the topic.
By demonstrating your expertise in your web content, you can improve your E-A-T score and rank higher on Google’s search results page.
In my Northwestern classes, I discuss the importance of links and backlinks. When you are writing a blog, consider asking one or two experts to provide a quote on your blog. When you add their quote, create 3 backlinks. One to their LinkedIn page or Bio page, one to their company’s website, and one to the article or video they are referencing. In addition, use tools like ChatGPT or Google Keywords to identify the best keywords for EVERY content element you are creating. All of these increase your expertise and, ultimately, your Google search score resulting in more traffic to your site!
Authoritativeness
Authoritativeness in the Double EAT system is the reputation and credibility that the content creator, the content itself, and the website have among the relevant audience. It is one of the criteria that Google uses to evaluate the quality and trustworthiness of web content. Authoritativeness can be demonstrated by:
1. Building authority with lots of original, high-quality pages on a particular topic. The more content you have on a specific topic, the more likely you are to be seen as an expert and a reliable source by Google and your users.
2. Getting others to refer to you by earning backlinks from authoritative websites. Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your pages. They signal to Google that your content is valuable and trustworthy, and they can boost your rankings and traffic.
3. Showing official affiliations with recognized organizations, institutions, or entities that are relevant to your topic. For example, you can display logos, badges, certificates, or memberships that prove your credentials and qualifications.
4. Using Schema markup to add structured data to your pages. Schema markup is a code that helps Google understand what your content is about and displays rich snippets in the search results. Rich snippets can enhance your visibility and click-through rate, and they can also show your authoritativeness by displaying information such as ratings, reviews, awards, or author bios.
By demonstrating your authoritativeness in your web content, you can improve your E-A-T score and rank higher on Google’s search results page.
In my experiences, this criterion underscores the importance of developing a network of experts and using them in developing your content. Backlinks to authoritative sources, expert quotes, and getting others to refer to you all enhance your authority scores. You need to be sure your website notes your affiliations and you use these sources where possible to build your authority.
Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness in the Double EAT system is the accuracy, honesty, and transparency of the content creator, the content itself, and the website. It is one of the criteria that Google uses to evaluate the quality and trustworthiness of web content. Trustworthiness can be demonstrated by:
2. Providing a useful set of frequently asked questions (FAQ) and answers.
3. Providing links to outside sources and materials.
4. Ensuring the site is frequently linked to by other credible sites.
5. Disclosing the sources, affiliations, and motives of the content creator, the content itself, and the website.
6. Protecting user privacy and security by using secure protocols, encryption, and authentication.
7. Providing information about the website that relates to the context in which it was created and used.
8. Getting others to refer to you by earning backlinks from authoritative websites.
9. Using Schema markup to add structured data to your pages.
By demonstrating your trustworthiness in your web content, you can improve your E-A-T score and rank higher on Google’s search results page. This can help you attract more traffic, generate more leads, and increase your conversions.
In my Northwestern digital marketing classes, I emphasize the importance of focusing on keywords, structuring your content for easy “consumption” with heading and bullet points, creating internal links using Topic Hubs, using experts for external backlinks, and creating FAQs. This last point is called Help Content in Google’s Hero – Hub – Help strategy that I teach. EVERY one of your content offerings should be developed to add to your company’s authority.
The New Google Page Ranking Algorithm in Action
Let's take an example to understand how E-A-T can influence your website's rankings.
Imagine you run a fitness blog, providing tips and guides on workout routines. Your content, while useful, is created based on your personal experiences and knowledge acquired from various sources. Now, consider a competing blog run by a certified fitness trainer who uses their professional knowledge and experience to create content.
According to Google's E-A-T guidelines, the fitness trainer's blog has more expertise, experience, and authoritativeness, and therefore, it's likely to rank higher in search results for fitness-related queries.
Implementing Double E-A-T in Your Strategy
Understanding Double E-A-T is one thing, but how do you incorporate it into your SEO strategy? Here are three actionable steps to get you started:
Demonstrate your Experience – Your target audiences want to know you have the skills and experiences to help them succeed. Show them examples and relevant stories. It makes your skills real and believable. Show Your Expertise: Highlight your qualifications, certifications, and experience related to your field. Add a bio to each blog post showcasing your credentials. If you're not an expert, consider hiring or collaborating with experts to create content. Build Your Authoritativeness: Create high-quality, accurate content consistently. Encourage other authoritative websites to link to your content. Guest posting, social media engagement, and collaborations can help you achieve this. Establish Trust: Ensure your website is secure (HTTPS) and user-friendly. Have clear and easily accessible privacy policies and disclaimers. Make sure any claims you make are substantiated and be transparent about your business and content creators.
Conclusion
In an era where information is abundant, the E-E-A-T principle serves as a guideline for providing reliable, trustworthy, and high-quality information to users. By understanding and implementing E-E-A-T in your SEO strategy, you're not just improving your chances of ranking better on Google; you're also enhancing the overall credibility of your brand.
Join the ChatGPT Content Revolution Today!
To join this innovative, proven online course, click HERE to see the course in detail and enroll in the program. The regular cost of the course is $215. But if you enroll before April 1, 2024 and use the promo code “contentintro” at registration, the price will be lowered to $175. Today, digital marketing is accelerating because of these new AI systems. Learn how to apply them to your organization and join the ChatGPT Content Revolution!
Randy Hlavac
CEO Marketing Synergy