How to Establish EEAT — A Detailed Guide

Establishing EEAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) for your website is the key to ensure consistent ranking.

Achieving this requires considerable effort to the correct strategies to get results. Regardless of the niche, positioning yourself as an authority is crucial.

In some niches, you might get ranked in better position even without EEAT.

For instance, if you are in the fashion niche, you can share your own opinion and there is nothing like being expert in the niches.

However, in more complex areas such as health, finance, and insurance, it can pose greater challenges.

What is EEAT?

EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is a term that indicates the quality signal of a content piece. It was first introduced by Google in a December 2022 update.

Before the introduction of EEAT, the term was EAT, focusing on Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

Google introduced EAT at March 2014 update.

However, in 2022, Google expanded upon this framework by adding an extra ‘E’ for expertise. This addition reflects Google’s recognition of the importance of establishing expertise in a particular topic.

Instead of describing the concept in a few words, it’s more beneficial to describe each term individually for better understanding of EEAT.

Let’s break down the term word by word to grasp its significance.

Experience

Experience indicates having firsthand knowledge and understanding of a particular subject or topic.

In the context of content creation, Google values content produced by individuals who possess real-life experience in the respective field.

For example, if someone is writing about SEO and EEAT, having hands-on experience with managing over 100 websites for clients provides valuable insights compared to someone who has solely researched the topic.

This firsthand experience allows writers to offer unique perspectives and insights that enrich the content.

In niches such as product reviews, experience is crucial for providing accurate assessments. Without firsthand experience with the product, a reviewer may lack the depth and authenticity needed to offer valuable insights to readers.

Expertise

Expertise refers to possessing in-depth knowledge and proficiency in a specific area. For instance, a car mechanic has the expertise to diagnose and repair automotive issues.

Similarly, Google prioritizes content created by writers who demonstrate expertise in their respective fields. While passion is admirable, it may not always translate into expertise.

Google seeks content that is authored by individuals with a deep understanding of the subject matter to ensure the delivery of accurate and relevant information to users.

Authoritativeness

Authoritativeness possesses the overall credibility and trustworthiness of a website as a whole, rather than the individual author.

For example, when searching for health-related information, websites like WebMD are often prioritized in search results due to their established authority in the field.

Even if a new website produces content of similar quality, established authoritative sites typically get better rankings. Establishing authoritativeness for a website involves various strategies, which will be discussed later in this guide.

Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness is crucial for gaining the confidence of users and establishing credibility as a reliable source of information.

Similar to seeking medical advice, users expect information from trustworthy sources. Google prioritizes websites that demonstrate trustworthiness and serve as valuable resources within their respective niches.

Content should convey a sense of reliability and helpfulness, fostering trust among users seeking information or assistance.

How to establish EEAT?

If you want to establish EEAT for your website, you need to work on each of the terms.

Follow the following guide to achieve success —

Experience

It’s as simple as it sounds. The writer responsible for crafting the content should possess ample experience with the topic at hand.

To establish this, the content must reflect a tone indicative of firsthand experience. Avoid phrases like ‘maybe’, ‘possibly’, or ‘probably’, and instead, convey your direct involvement with the subject matter, providing concrete examples where applicable.

If the topic involves problem-solving, try to explain it in the simplest terms possible. Additionally, incorporating visuals can enhance the user experience.

Expertise

Subject matter expertise is derived from experience.

If you’ve faced a particular issue multiple times and successfully resolved it, you likely have expertise in that area.

To showcase your expertise, pay attention to the author bio, ensuring it explicitly highlights your areas of proficiency. It’s crucial to link genuine social media profiles in the author bio to maintain authenticity.

Furthermore, actively engaging in relevant forums and contributing to discussions on platforms like Quora and Google can help solidify your authority in the field.

Authoritativeness

Unlike expertise, authoritativeness relate to the website itself rather than the author. An authoritative website is one that others frequently reference as a reliable source of information.

This is reflected in the number of inbound links from other reputable sites.

For instance, examining the backlink profile of renowned websites like Mayo Clinic reveals thousands of other sites directing traffic towards it.

To get backlinks organically, prioritize content quality, ensuring it is well-researched and full with valuable insights and data. Alternatively, proactively reach out to relevant websites with high-quality, linkable content or pillar page content to secure backlinks.

Trustworthiness

A website that garners trust from its audience within a specific niche is considered trustworthy. Building trust begins with honesty in content creation.

Always attribute information sourced from other websites and refrain from distorting facts for personal gain, as doing so can undermine credibility with both search engines and readers.

Incorporating a variety of credible sources within your content enhances its reliability and usefulness to readers.

Remember, prioritizing genuine engagement and prioritizing user satisfaction over mere traffic acquisition is essential. Treat your audience as valued customers to cultivate trust and loyalty.

Why should you try to establish EEAT?

After several core updates in the last two years, it is difficult to rank for competitive niches. Without the right plan, it is almost impossible to drive organic traffic to a new website.

Here are the reasons you should focus on establishing EEAT for your website.

SEO benefits

The first reason is obviously the SEO advantages. There is no point in engaging in content marketing if you are not gaining organic traffic.

In competitive niches like finance and insurance, there is no alternative to working with expertise in Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EEAT).

Brand reputation

The good thing about EEAT is that it helps achieve reputation for your brand. When your content is written in-depth and covers the topic thoroughly with an experienced writer, readers will certainly value your brand.

Beating the competition

We are living in an age where no niche can be considered low in competitiveness. Almost all niches are now saturated. Working with experience and expertise can help your business stand out from the crowd.

Better user engagement

Simply driving traffic to a page is not sufficient for a business. Their audience should engage with your content and make decisions. By focusing on EEAT, you will automatically improve the content quality, which ensures better engagement.

Increased conversions

This is the ultimate goal of content marketing. Publishing well-researched and well-written content can influence the audience to take action. Regardless of your goal, you can achieve more conversions.

AI content and EEAT

It’s a significant question whether AI-generated content can embody EEAT.

While randomly generated content may struggle to rank effectively on search engines, solely relying on AI for content creation isn’t advisable. If you aim to establish Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, consider supplementing AI-generated content with human expertise.

To optimize content creation with AI, it’s recommended to combine AI tools with human effort.

Begin by using AI tools to conduct research and generate an initial draft. Then, leverage human expertise to identify areas for improvement and enhance the content’s value.

One effective approach is to utilize the customized content option offered by platforms like GetGenie.

This feature allows for greater control over the content creation process. You can issue custom commands to guide the AI in generating content tailored to your specific requirements.

This collaborative approach ensures that the content maintains quality while benefiting from the efficiency of AI tools.

Final words

Establishing EEAT for your website is crucial for content marketing success. It requires effort across niches, positioning yourself as an authority.

While AI-generated content has potential, combining AI tools with human effort is key for quality and ranking. Platforms like GetGenie offer customized content options for effective collaboration.