Improve Brand Credibility and Search Rankings Through E-E-A-T

4-5 Minute Read

So you’re looking to improve your brand credibility and search rankings through E-E-A-T but don’t know the first thing about E-E-A-T. In fact, reading this acronym is only making you want to eat. Ugh. But let’s focus on why you’re here reading this blog.

Firstly, it’s crucial to understand that Search is a constant work in progress. Google has and will continue to make improvements to the way its engine works. This means that to remain relevant for what people are searching for, it’s necessary to stay-up-to-date with their alterations. But for now, there are a few basic rules to follow. Let’s get into it.

How Does it Work?

When you type a query into Google’s search engine, it pulls from related words and concepts in its index. It uses an advanced AI system to understand more nuanced queries.

Implementing the Method E-E-A-T

To improve your brand credibility and search rankings, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the acronym E-E-A-T which refers to Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. According to Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, the algorithm uses E-E-A-T to assess the quality of content. Meaning that your business search ranking and website traffic is directly determined by the way you implement these factors. Think of it as criteria.

1. Experience

Experience refers to opinions, advice, and insights that wouldn’t be found elsewhere. Having unique photos is a bonus.

For example, if your blog is talking about the new roller coaster at Canada’s Wonderland, it would help if you had tried it out yourself. Google would favour your experience over others who are simply talking about it but haven’t tried it themselves.

This explains how Reddit threads can show up at the top of a search engine results page (SERP). Some people are explicitly seeking a review from someone who has real life experience on that topic.

2. Expertise

Expertise is about the certifications you’ve earned, the credentials you hold or the skills you’ve learned that have made others feel as though they can trust you.

For example, say you own a branding business and you are promoting your latest guide on personal branding strategies for entrepreneurs. Your team wants to write an article about the importance of storytelling in brand development. Instead of simply writing an opinion piece, it’s a good idea to support the article with credible marketing research, and consumer psychology studies or even interview a branding expert who you can quote directly in the article.

Referencing authoritative sources makes a huge difference and shows Google that your company knows what it’s talking about and that searchers can trust you as a resource. In turn, this piece of content will be ranked higher.

3. Authoritativeness

Think of authoritativeness as your brand’s reputation. In tangible terms, Google measures this by the number of backlinks your site has. For example, if another web page cited your personal branding guide, it means that others find you to be a reliable source and Google takes that into consideration when ranking.

The number of backlinks is important but keep in mind Google also accounts for the quality of those backlinks. If credible sites are sourcing your content, it will improve your ranking.

If you are a newer company that has no backlinks, don’t be afraid to link internally (to your own articles). For example, if you recently wrote a blog about paid media strategies then you should find an organic way to link to it in your personal branding strategies guide. This shows your readers other relevant articles that they can refer to.

4. Trustworthiness

Prioritize transparency. In order to build trust with your viewers, you need to be providing them with accurate information, and maintaining ethical practices.

Trustworthiness involves basic website security such as paying for an SSL subscription certificate. An SSL is a security technology that establishes an encrypted link between a web server and browser, ensuring that data passed between them stays private, this signals to visitors that your site is safe and credible. Google prioritizes secure sites in their rankings.

How to Directly Apply SEO to your Online Content:

Start by researching keywords related to your topic. Incorporate the main keyword in your title, the first paragraph, a few times throughout the body, in at least one subheading, the meta description that Google shows in the search results, and the URL slug which looks like this (www.11thfloordesignstudio.com/improvingbrandcredibility-eeat).

Optimize your content by breaking paragraphs up into bite-sized chunks. Utilize subheadings and numbered lists when necessary. Link internally to your own articles and externally to credible sources. When adding images, use descriptive file names related to the content you’re posting. For example Storytelling in Brand Development, instead of Image123444. 

Keep a Checklist Handy

Refer back to this checklist whenever you are creating a piece of content: