This 2021, search engines like Google and Bing have decided to do us one better. They have improved a user’s internet experience by adding a new search metric. Known as E.A.T. (Expertise – Authority –Trustworthiness), this page ranking scheme prioritizes and reorders entries on the bases of the mentioned criteria. This way, a user has access to the most pertinent and reliable information as they look for data using these search engines.
Google, in particular, leads the pack by providing substantial information to internet users with a set of comprehensive search guidelines for web developers – Google’s E.A.T. algorithm:
Expertise
Experts refer to content creators who are considered to be the most credible in their particular fields or industries. Expertise, in this context, comes in two:
Formal expertise – relates to individuals that are considered professionals in their chosen fields. This type of expertise is crucial especially if the information being sought will be utilized for research, financial, medical and legal purposes, among others. If you get information from less reputable sources, this can have dire consequences.
Everyday expertise – an informal type of expertise that is based on life experiences of an individual. To confer credibility to everyday experts, Google stated that “If the person creating the content has the type and amount of life experience to make him to her an ‘expert’ on the topic, we will value this ‘everyday expertise’ and not penalize the person/webpage/website for not having “formal” education or training in the field.”
Moreover, everyday expertise can be developed by having a competent content team, by employing an experienced content marketing agency or by outsourcing to freelancers.
Authority
For formal experts, their credentials (academic degree, professional title, certifications, short bio, etc) are displayed to prove that they are established authorities on the topic. Aside from the author’s credentials, authority includes the webpage and the website as a whole.
For everyday experts, credentials are seldom of importance. For instance, a person shares his daily struggles and experiences as a recovering alcoholic. In cases like this, he is sharing his personal experiences and is not projecting himself as an expert in alcoholism or alcoholic rehabilitation.
Low quality websites lack the appropriate level of authority to be considered a proper resource. For example, medical advice provided on a sports news website. Even though the website may be an authority in the sports world, it lacks the authority to be considered a trusted source in medicine.
Trustworthiness
User trust can be cultivated if your content, website and business display integrity. Here are simple and useful tips you can consider to gain trustworthiness for your website:
- A secure website
- Easily accessed
- Contact information
- A thorough about page
- Team photos
- Links from credible websites
- Links pointing to authority sites
- A privacy notice and terms & conditions
Letting your users see your contact information and allowing them to speak with somebody can allay fears and dispel mistrust, thereby creating a more pleasant search experience for your users.
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