How does Google determine content quality? E-A-T
Ever wonder how Google determines what makes content "good?"
Back in 2014 Google published their Search Quality Evaluation Guidelines, and simply put, they're looking for content that shows E-A-T.
How does Google determine content quality?
Google looks to rank content that displays:
Expertise
Authoritativeness
Trustworthiness
These may sound similar but they are, in fact, distinctly different.
What is "expertise" in SEO content?
Expertise refers to the author of the actual content or blog post.
Does this author have the credentials to be writing about this topic?
Questions to ask when determining the level of expertise:
Is the author an established expert on this topic?
Is there evidence across the web to show that this person is an expert?
Have they written other related content on the web?
Does their social media presence frame them as an expert on this topic?
When looking to establish expertise, make sure you can answer "yes" to the questions above.
What does "authoritativeness" mean for SEO content?
Authoritativeness deals with the author, the actual content, and the website it appears on.
Essentially this looks at the full context of the piece of content to determine whether the writer and publisher are generally recognized as authorities in their industry.
What does "trustworthiness" mean for SEO content?
Like authoritativeness, trustworthiness rests on the author, content, and publisher.
This aspect, however, has to do with the reliability of the information being shared.
Questions to ask when to determine trustworthiness for SEO:
Is this information 100% factual?
Should this be framed as an opinion?
Are statistics backed up by research?
Are there links to other trusted sources backing up this information?
Focus on E-A-T if you want your content to rank.
When creating and posting content to your site, make sure you optimize for the 3 things covered above to give you the best chance of ranking for the topics your target audience is searching for.
