Google E-E-A-T: 7 Ways to Boost Your SEO Strategy While Exploring New Writing Topics

Ask any writer about their greatest fear, and they’ll probably state something stupid and apparent, such as snakes, heights, or clowns.

But what should we really be scared about?

Running out of stuff to write about is the worst nightmare every writer has to deal with in the world of freelance writing.

Developing new ideas from scratch for new content topics can be a pain in the neck.

In this post, I will demonstrate how you can explore fresh writing topics within Google’s E.E.A.T requirements.

Whether you’re writing for a major B2B blog or your personal Medium page, we shall examine seven key ways to improve E-E-A-T SEO while exploring new writing topics. This way, you can generate new content ideas (relatively) quickly and painlessly.

But wait. What is E.E.A.T, and why is it essential for you as a writer to understand it?

Understanding Google E-E-A-T and SEO

Google E-A-T (now E-E-A-T) shouldn’t be news to you unless you’re new to the search industry. And even though the concept has been around since 2014, it’s emerged as one of the most essential elements of SEO.

Sadly, it’s also one of the most befuddling phenomena, even for professionals.

In marketing, E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

Google employs E-E-A-T to evaluate the overall quality of a web page.

The quality of a page matters in that the more it demonstrates experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness, the higher it should rank.

Nevertheless, these signals are highly subjective. You can be an expert in one area but have very low trust in another. For example, you may be an authoritative fashion blogger but need to gain experience or authority in writing about fashion street style.

Similarly, having extensive experience filing your taxes doesn’t qualify you as a financial expert.

Breaking down experience, expertise, authority, and trust (E-E-A-T)

Let’s check out what Google is looking for.

Experience

When creating content, do you have first-hand or real-world experience on the topic? Let’s say you are writing a product review. Have you used the product or service? When publishing a recipe, have you made the dish before?

Experience can even extend into some YMYL topics. Imagine writing tips to get through chemotherapy while battling cancer. Notably, experience is a lower bar to cross than expertise or authority.

Expertise

Expertise means you have extensive real-world experience and formal training.

You could be an expert if you’re a self-taught chef without entering culinary school but have a decade of experience. On the other hand, expertise could mean attending law school, passing the bar exam, and practicing law for several years. However, it takes more than expertise to be seen as an authority.

Authoritativeness

Authoritativeness is a stage above expertise. Besides real-world experience and formal training, can you be viewed as the foremost authority on a subject? To clear this bar, you must establish a reputation for excellence.

You can work as a trainer and certify learners, or you can educate authorities within your field.

If other professionals can rely on you, then you have authority.

Trust

Trust is the “metric” Google tries to measure by evaluating a piece of content’s experience, expertise, and authority.

 

Google E-E-A-T SEO Importance

Any misleading information in Google search results can have negative consequences when a person makes a life-altering decision based on what they read online.

You must tread carefully if your web pages or content fall into any YMYL category. Ensure that it’s crystal clear that those who wrote your content have a proper standing.

The more closely you can adhere to and implement the E-E-A-T standards to your content, the higher your chances are of achieving success in organic search engine visibility and ranking.

Google E-E-A-T a ranking factor?

Regarding quantifiable metrics, E-E-A-T is not a direct Google ranking factor. However, Google uses other indicators to determine expertise, authority, and trust, which are ranking factors.

In February 2019, Google released a white paper, “How Google Fights Disinformation,” stating E-E-A-T’s importance in its rankings.

Nevertheless, there isn’t a single metric to measure a Google E-E-A-T score.

Why Google E-E-A-T is Essential For Your SEO Strategy

Google’s recent recurring theme is to improve the user experience constantly.

Keyword stuffing is no longer acceptable as it disrupts the reading experience.

When most people began using mobile devices to search the internet, Google started making mobile responsiveness a ranking consideration. It gave HTTPS the edge over HTTP to give searchers more security. They created Core Web Vitals to measure a quick, effortless user experience.

The same applies to E-E-A-T. It’s one more way for Google to deliver what users want.

E-E-A-T helps in judging credibility. It serves as the foundation for determining whether a website and its constituent pages add value for the user. Google wants to deliver the pages most relevant to a given search query because that is how it attracts new users.

If SEO is critical for your digital marketing success, E-E-A-T SEO should be top of mind when developing your SEO strategy.

How to Improve E-E-A-T SEO While Exploring New Writing Topics

1. Build high-value backlinks with off-page SEO

Off-page SEO isn’t easy. The backbone of a successful SEO strategy is backlinks from relevant, high-authority domains. Using backlinks is also one of the best ways to demonstrate that you are a trusted authority in your industry.

To earn them, you must continually create valuable, unique, high-quality content that people want to link to.

2. Get more mentions from trusted sources

Besides backlinks, getting mentions from reliable sources can boost your E-E-A-T credentials. The more frequently your name or brand appears on authoritative online sites; the more Google will regard you as a trusted authority.

Here are some ways to secure more mentions:

• Guest posting on reputable websites
• Safeguarding interview opportunities
• Showing up on podcasts
• Collaborating with influencers
• Speaking at or hosting events
• Supporting charitable events
• Creating valuable resources
• Introducing fresh innovations

3. Keep content accurate and up-to-date

Ensure all your content is up to date with the most accurate information, and get rid of any obsolete content unless it’s about something that never changes.

This is particularly necessary if you have pages that include material that must be updated often, such as news or medical pages, where the content must reflect the most recent advancements in medical knowledge.

4. Get more reviews (and respond to them)

Earning and promoting online reviews for your goods or services is a smart business move. These evaluations aid in improving Google’s perception of your website. Positive evaluations on various review websites, including Google, Trustpilot, and Facebook, show that people have confidence in your business. Ensure you respond to both the positive and negative reviews on these products.

5. Use or hire experts

Google adores and rewards highly knowledgeable material created by someone with the credentials or qualifications. Expertly sourced materials are crucial if your site falls into the YMYL category.

Most leading health information websites, like Healthline and Verywell, either have medical professionals write or review their content or both.

6. Flash your credentials

Verify the credentials of your authors and post them on your website alongside the content they produce to demonstrate their level of knowledge.

Anything related to your area of expertise is fair game:

• Education
• Awards
• Books authored
• Certifications
• Speaking engagements
• Conference panel inclusions

7. Show your contact details

This may seem insignificant, but including your contact information on your website demonstrates that you’re a legitimate company with actual employees. Websites that don’t provide contact information probably don’t care much about their audience.

On your site, include all the contact information available on your website as well as the physical address of your company.

Other ways

Get a Wikipedia page

A Wikipedia page can boost your site’s SEO for two reasons:

• Wikipedia has a rigorous editorial process. Therefore, a backlink from this domain to your site can be seen as a vote of confidence.
• A Wikipedia page is a great platform to establish your brand as an authority in your industry. You can discuss your accomplishments and include links to notable news publications. Your Wikipedia page serves as another signal to Google that your brand is legitimate.

Audit your brand

Auditing your brand will establish a stronger foundation for its trustworthiness. Evaluate how your brand positions itself within your industry and look for specific ways to improve it.

The goal is to reposition your brand and highlight its expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

Perform a content audit

If your website is not new, you probably have a fair amount of existing content, such as blog posts, articles, reports, case studies, etc. To ensure that everything you published over the years meets E-E-A-T standards, you can:

• Update it
• Delete it
• Combine it with other related pages

Build a content marketing framework

Whether you’re blogging or podcasting, it takes a lot of work to create good content regularly. Hence, you may need a content creation framework.

Your framework should include a content calendar with the following:

• The type of content
• Your publishing tempo
• Required resources
• Target audience segment or persona
• Target keyword(s)
• Each step involved (content brief, draft, edits, reviews, publication, etc.)
• Who is responsible for each step
• Aim or desired outcome.

When you have a defined framework, it’s much easier to reap the benefits of content marketing while improving efficiencies.

Go easy on the ads

Too many ads can make your website appear to be biased and untrustworthy. Users may assume that everything is sponsored or compensated, which could reduce their faith in your content.

Promote offsite

It’s not enough to just create great content. It would be best if you promoted it to the right audience.

Share it on your email list, post it on social media, optimize it for search, and partner with others.

Final Remarks,

When writing for well-established blogs with frequent publication schedules in competitive verticals, the process of coming up with content concepts is particularly dreadful. Google has mentioned that trust is the most essential part of their E-E-A-T algorithm. However, that doesn’t mean you should take the other factors for granted… especially experience. Experiences make your content truly unique. It’s what an AI writer can’t deliver.

Implementing an efficient SEO strategy when searching for new writing ideas will help you leave your competitors in the dust. Good luck!