There’s a new acronym in town and it’s called Google EAT.

If you haven’t heard about it already, well you will.  It’s been around since August 2018 but as it usually goes Google is very mysterious and careful how the public and advertisers get the inside scoop.  Usually, months after a major algorithm update, the smart ones of the industry figure out a few things here and there or find out some other way, about what’s really going on.

So for the year 2020, the focus is this:

EXPERTISE
AUTHORITY
TRUSTWORTHINESS

While this update was intentionally geared towards a specific industry, medical, it has come to light that these requirements can greatly improve any website search rankings.

Google is, and always will be, a company that stands for ensuring the end-user gets what they need.  They are always changing and improving to meet those demands.

So what do Google EAT and all of this mean?

Well, think of it in terms of the medical profession.  If you were a patient looking for answers online, wouldn’t you want to make sure that before you make a decision you are getting the correct answers?  That’s it in a nutshell. Google doesn’t want to just make sure the information you get is just relevant – as in “why does my foot hurt” and they show you a sore foot – rather they want to send you the correct information instead – as in “why does my foot hurt” and they show you a website of possible reasons why.  

Makes sense?

GOOD! Because this affects anyone who has a website.

The service business websites that are all about being spammy and trying to sell the drill and not the hole are over, and to be honest, this isn’t new really.

EXPERTISE

Your website needs to be directed towards solving the user’s problem, the user is your target audience, not any user.  By strategically leveraging the appropriate keywords and search terms, can help you show your website to users actually in need of your help. This involves making sure you are doing your research, especially when it comes to searchers’ intent.

AUTHORITY

This is not a step you can skip just because it may seem too complex. Linking is still the #1 ranking factor so it must be taken seriously.  But it’s not about the QUANTITY of links, PBN’s included, but the QUALITY of links from relevant in your niche websites that have high domain authority.

Here are some things you can do to make this happen:

• Use a program like semrush.com to do a site audit so you can see what websites and links are pointing to your website, either helping or hurting your rankings. 
• SEMrush can also find your domain authority and show you where you’re at compared to your competitors.
• Write content that can be sharable. Blogs still work and for this reason.  If you can write content that will solve problems and give your users value, they may want to share that info with others.  When they do, you’ll see results.
• Build a brand – Have a website that’s branded and looks the part so that your users can see that you mean business and you’re ready to give them a helping hand.
• If you can get it approved, get a Wikipedia page for your brand.  Wikipedia has one of the strongest signals you can get, but it can be hard to get if you aren’t already well known.

TRUSTWORTHINESS

It’s all about sentiment, or reviews for that matter.  If you don’t have any of this going on in your business then your ranking is going to suffer.  Even more so, if you are starting to gain a lot of negative sentiment and they haven’t been addressed quickly then that can also be a major problem for your brand.  This isn’t hearsay either, Google has been very clear about this in their guidelines that if your negative sentiment grows too much then it’s a sign of bad quality and trust.

Also, getting reviews on other platforms and not just Google is definitely OK!  So make sure you are using a review platform that can give your raving customers the option to choose.  Not everyone has a Gmail account, nor do they get the logistics of it all either. Make the process easy for them and you’ll start to see your review count grow quicker than before.

A few other tips to help your trust score is:

• Have a clear way to contact you on your website.
• Associate the website with a physical location if at all possible.
• Authorship on your blogs should be pointing to the source (your website) along with a bio if you are sharing your blog to other websites.
• Your website needs to be secure HTTPS. 
• Have a terms and conditions page in the footer.
• Have a privacy policy in the footer.

So, in summary, it’s really quite a simple concept.  Be authentic! Be yourself, and never provide false information just to get people to land on your website.  The more real and true you are to your users the better your rankings will be.

If you can really nail this E-A-T concept down and make it a part of your digital marketing strategy, you will start seeing great improvements in your rankings.  Even better still, it will be tough to be removed from your rank.

Food for thought. (see what I did there…)

If you’re looking for an agency to help you improve your rankings by following the guidelines Google puts in place, then feel free to reach out by clicking the link to learn more about Floor Coating Marketers.