Mastering E-A-T: Effective Strategies and Pitfalls to Boost Your Search Visibility

The competition for site traffic, users’ attention, and trust is constantly intensifying, giving people more choices than ever about where they can find the information or products they’re looking for. That’s why search engines like Google emphasize expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) as measures of content relevance and quality.

Demonstrating a high degree of E-A-T not only improves your chances of ranking higher on relevant queries but also helps insulate your site from a dip in visibility after a core update and shows users that your content—and by extension, your brand—is a reliable source of information.

During her session at SMX Advanced entitled “Demystifying major algorithm updates in 2021: Where is search headed?”, Lily Ray, senior director of SEO & head of organic research at Amsive Digital, discussed tactics identified as harmful to your E-A-T and ways to bolster it for search engines and users alike.

## Practices That Can Hurt Your E-A-T

“Some overarching trends that I’ve seen in my research indicate the rise of the importance of E-A-T, especially for Your Money or Your Life [YMYL] websites,” Ray said. “On the flip side, we see the elimination of fake news, pseudoscience, clickbait, and sites that contradict scientific and medical consensus.”

### Omitting Attribution and Evidence
Publishing content without listing an author and including a byline with their credentials is akin to taking financial or medical advice from an anonymous source. This lack of transparency, especially critical in YMYL categories like finance, civics, news, and health, can undermine content credibility.

### Thin Content, Duplicate Content, and Doorway Pages
Sites impacted by core updates tend to have thin, duplicate, or doorway pages, providing a subpar user experience. These pages, often created to save time or manipulate ranking signals, fail to deliver the content users clicked for, eroding your brand’s credibility and search visibility.

### Generalist Content
Producing a variety of content on different topics may hinder your ability to convey depth of expertise or authority in any specific area. Generalist sites often see a slow and steady decline in visibility because they lack specialization in any one area.

### Unmoderated UGC
User-generated content (UGC) can boost SEO but may harm your E-A-T if left unchecked. Unmonitored comments can introduce harmful or misleading information, affecting the quality of your site’s content.

### Undisclosed Affiliate Links
Affiliate links, if not transparently indicated, can harm your E-A-T, especially in YMYL content. Misleading users about the nature of these links can significantly impact your credibility, especially since Google places a high importance on usability and honesty in affiliate and product review sites.

## Ways to Convey More Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness

To show search engines and audiences that your content is well-researched and your brand can be trusted, consider the following practices:

### Update, Remove, Redirect, or Consolidate Your Content
Rather than solely focusing on creating new content, update or consolidate underperforming content. This reduces duplicate content and eliminates outdated information, improving overall content quality.

### Improve Your Site Architecture
A logical internal linking structure and breadcrumbs can help convey E-A-T. A well-architected site eases navigation and showcases your depth of expertise on given topics. This also helps to isolate non-SEO-friendly content.

### Manage Your Brand’s Reputation
Poor brand reputation can indirectly affect your E-A-T. Google’s quality guidelines suggest looking for outside, independent reputation information about your site. Trustworthy external sources that validate your own claims can enhance your E-A-T.

### Increase Transparency and Trust
As E-A-T becomes a prerequisite to rank well, it’s crucial to demonstrate your expertise clearly. Integrate trust signals such as author credentials, review details, and citation pop-ups within your content to build credibility.

## Expertise Isn’t Built Overnight, and Neither Is E-A-T

Building E-A-T is a long-term process, often requiring significant time before seeing tangible results. Shortcuts are ineffective; sustained effort in improving content quality and trustworthiness is essential. Although it takes time for search engines to process these changes, the benefits include increased organic visibility and audience trust, which are integral to achieving business goals. These efforts also enhance visibility across various Google platforms beyond organic search.

In summary, embedding practices that bolster E-A-T into your workflow can shield your site from core update impacts and foster sustained growth in organic search visibility and user trust.