If you are like many business owners, you’ve probably talked with digital marketing agencies about how to rank higher on Google and attract new customers to your business.

Unfortunately, if you have talked to more than one digital marketing agency, you may be feeling very confused and just a bit overwhelmed when it comes to attracting more customers through search engine optimization (SEO).

Who can you trust when agencies talk over your head and make you feel they are more concerned about their profits than they are about doing a great job for you?

Worse still, you may have spoken with some digital agencies who are contradicting one another, and they make it feel more overwhelming than it has to be while at the same time making promises that seem too good to be true without substantiation.

Today, I’m going to strip away the complexity and offer a simple, timeless principle for you to understand what Google is looking for and how to position your business for success with Google’s organic rankings.

I’m going to share with you what Google says is their search quality guidelines without the jargon and technical language that can leave one confused and frustrated, and at the end of the article, we have a list of resources available to you for continued research.

The next time someone throws a bunch of jargon and technical things at you, you can determine through E.A.T. if they really know what they are doing and if they are willing to do the work to help your company grow for a fair price.

Google Wants You to E.A.T. Your SEO

One of the biggest challenges you will be faced with as a business owner is how to make the complex simpler. Fortunately, Google is trying to help legitimate companies with good standard practices rank higher in their search engine.

E.A.T. is the foundation of your search experience with Google. If you don’t get this right, you are making it harder than it has to be on your business.

Note to self… each one goes in order and builds one on top of the other.

Be Sure to watch the short videos below for practical advice on they build on each other.

Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness

Here is how simple it really is to understand:

1. Create content within your expertise.
2. Earn authority through other’s endorsements
3. Always exhibit truthful and ethical behavior

Over the years, some search engine optimization (SEO) specialists and digital marketing agencies have employed bad practices through spamming keywords to try and get business websites to show up at the top of page one.

Who doesn’t want that?

If you can do that it’s easy money.

Why is E.A.T. Important to Google SEO and Best Business Practice?

Up until 2010, many of the SEO practices were so spammy that there was no value whatsoever to those who clicked through to visit a website. It was a sad attempt to scam Google. It hurt the person searching, the business they clicked to, and Google who offered the useless content.

However, Google caught up to their spammy practices.

Google’s E.A.T. is important for two reasons:

1. It determines your site’s value.
2. Quality raters reference it.

E.A.T. is the digital currency of Google and ultimately is a good barometer of the value you are offering your customers regardless of if you are online or offline. It will help you directly and indirectly create best marketing and sales practices for your business.

E.A.T. is all about creating value-driven content that Google rewards because your content either solves a problem, meets a need, or fulfills a desire. Isn’t that why you’re ultimately in business (aside from making money)?

Let’s break down E.A.T. step-by-step and then I will offer you a simple solution to help you get started on the road to Google search success.

Expertise

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNXR4vfWv-Q[/youtube]

Who can you trust when agencies talk over your head and make you feel they are more concerned about their profits than they are about doing a great job for you?

According to research in 2015 by IBM; “Only one in three consumers believe that their favorite companies understand them.”

“Expertise” can be better defined as asking; “What is your relevant, compelling, and informed message and why should Google, or anyone for that matter, trust you?”

Do your customers believe that you understand them, and do you have the skills to deliver what you are promising based on your demonstrated, expert skill set?

What compromises an “expert” is somewhat subjective and can vary depending upon a content’s purpose or even genre.

That’s why your content should always be in alignment with your expertise or niche.

The number one reason content marketing isn’t working for many businesses is that most businesses don’t have enough specificity in their content and therefore it negates any expertise.

In addition, an expert always has a unique perspective. They have experience and delivered results over a period of time that is helpful and useful to your website visitors.

As Garry Grant said on SEOinc.com; “The good news is any site can show expertise if the content is truthful and useful for users.”

As Julia Spence-McCoy said on SEMrush a few years ago, the main takeaway about “expertise” is this; “…some pages require higher levels of formal expertise while some require “Everyday expertise.” To determine which is which, content creators and marketers need to think about how much expertise is needed in order for the page to achieve its purpose and to provide useful, helpful, detailed content.”

Authoritativeness

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX9vbQtcywg[/youtube]

Have you ever met someone who claimed to be an authority on everything, but had no expertise on anything?

Of course you have. We all have.

When content is highly specific and relevant, it attracts and engages with those who are able, willing, and ready to share it via high-quality links on their blogs and websites, and on social media.

High value, expert content creates authority.

When you create your content always do your research and find out what others are saying about your topic. Quote and link to their relevant content and be sure to let them know via an email or social tag.

Here is the point and relevance about Google in the area of “authoritativeness”:

1. Google believes in your authority because you quote and link to content that is relevant and authoritative to your content. You are demonstrating that you value research, accuracy (trustworthiness), and others contributions to your work. However, while important it’s just a minor point in the overall equation in ranking higher on Google.
2. Google really believes in your authority when an influencer loves your relevant message and content and includes a link back to your site from theirs. That’s where the real magic happens. An influencer doesn’t have to be a celebrity and in fact rarely is one. An influencer is nothing more than someone who is ahead of you in Google’s search rankings and they are valuing your content by linking to it in their own content.

Holistically, you want an authoritative impression upon Google that your content is valued by those who are willing to endorse your content and are already authoritative in their own right.

Trustworthiness

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_8SNa2n4b0[/youtube]

Have you ever witnessed, or experienced, the awkwardness of a new couple when one person springs the idea of marriage before there has even been a real date?

Many businesses do the same thing online. They are in a hurry to get a sale instead of earning it. That’s what Google E.A.T. is all about. In two previous short videos, I covered Expertise and Authoritativeness.

Once you establish that you’re an expert in your field or niche and have earned authority through links and social validation (indicating a strong reputation for great information that helpful and useful), you will begin to earn trust.

You know the old saying… people buy from those they feel they know and trust.

This stage is where you enter that phase of the relationship with your audience, prospects, customers… and Google.

There are a few other practical consideration here:

• How well do you protect your visitor information if they provide it?
• Does your site use SSL?
• Is your content accurate and does it reflect a high-quality standard that is unique and relevant or is it bland and repeated content from around the web that doesn’t demonstrate any expertise?
• Is it obvious you are taking someone else’s content, plagiarizing it and using it as your own without referencing where you got it?

Ethical behavior is a big part of the trustworthiness equation.

Bringing SEO Back to Simple

The reality of Google search is that to rank well you simply need to:

4. Write within your expertise
5. Earn authority through others endorsement
6. Always exhibit ethical behavior and don’t be deceptive

Don’t offer low-quality content that offers no value. Instead, create high-value content that always:

1. Speaks to one problem, need, want, or desire (keyword phrases)
2. To one person
3. Offers one solution

When you follow Google’s best practices it doesn’t only make your sales grow, it makes your business better. You will be positioned as a thought leader in your industry and people will have a reason to trust and believe in your business.

Remember, Google wants to look good to their customers (those who search) by offering them the best content available that meets their customer’s needs. It’s your job to prove to Google through E.A.T. that your content is worth their high rankings.

What Should You Do Next to Earn More Google Customers?

In the IBM study mentioned earlier, they concluded the following:

“Consumers are willing to give their information to brands they trust, however they rightly believe that there should be significant value in that exchange.”

Perhaps, you might want to consider Google in the same context… Google is willing to give your information to their customers if you demonstrate well your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.

It seems reasonable, yet so many miss this simple point in the chaos of technical language that just leaves you frustrated.

If you’re tired of feeling like all you do is get the run around are have been left more confused than when you started the process…

If you want to strip the complexity and get clarity…

If you need to get your website, blog, and content working for your business and it’s not…

Contact us today via our Contact page and we will get in touch with you ASAP!

Our team would love to share how we can help you strip the complexity and get the technology to start working for you instead of you working for it.

Below are some high-value articles that relate to Google EAT. We will be updating the resources below regularly so be sure to check back often for the most up-to-date articles.

Do you have a question or contribution you would like to make to this article? Connect with us on Facebook and let’s chat.

RESOURCES

Below are some resources from those who have well-written content on Google. Be sure to read the quote from their article and a link to the article.

Expertise, Authority and Trust: Quality Content Series Part 2 – Brandpoint

Valerie Turgeon offers some practical insights on Google EAT for business in this well-researched article. Valerie shares practical ways to achieve EAT.  It’s much more than a “how to” article and is a must-read. She says:

“Publishing high-quality content doesn’t just help with rank. It also helps establish a stronger connection with your audience. Google’s guidelines stress the importance of  building trust with your audience over pleasing the search algorithms.”

30 Reasons SEO Is Important to Small Businesses – VANY Marketing

In 30 Reasons SEO is Important to Small Businesses, VANAY Marketing offers practical insights to help business connect more relevantly with Google and especially those searching for solutions to their needs.

“If you build it, they will not come. Building a website will not mean people will automatically come to it. With billions of websites online, you need to make yours stand out from all of them.”