The E-E-A-T SEO checklist is a comprehensive set of best practices that aims to improve a website’s content and search engine rankings by focusing on Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. [1] In December 2022, Google updated the term E-A-T to include an additional “E” for “experience,” giving rise to the acronym E-E-A-T or “Double-E-A-T”. E-E-A-T is a fundamental component of Google’s Search Quality Raters tests.
The E-E-A-T SEO Ranking Matrix serves as the foundational thesis and philosophy underpinning the checklist, illustrating that these principles are versatile and applicable to any business or website. The ranking matrix checklist harmoniously integrates with your E-E-A-T Implementation blueprint, a process initiated after the initial comprehensive audit of your website.
Understanding the E-E-A-T SEO Ranking Matrix
The E-E-A-T SEO Checklist is based on the latest updates from December 2022. [1] It emphasizes the importance of:
- Experience: This refers to the first-hand experience the content creator has with the topic at hand.
- Expertise: This refers to the level of knowledge or skills that the content creator possesses about the topic.
- Authoritativeness: This measures whether the content creator and the website are trustworthy and recognized sources for the topic.
- Trustworthiness: This represents the accuracy, honesty, safety, and reliability of the page – Google’s most important page quality indicator.
The 30 E-A-T Factors
To effectively leverage the E-E-A-T SEO Ranking Matrix, let’s explore the 30 key factors, divided into the four main categories of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Experience
Experience is gauged through:
- Relevant Education or Certification: The content creator’s education or certifications relevant to the topic enhance their experience credentials.
- Work Experience in the Industry: The more time spent working in the industry, the higher the experience score.
- Published High-Quality Content: If the content creator has published other high-quality content on the same topic, it bolsters their experience score.
- Positive Feedback: Positive feedback from other experts in the field is a testament to the content creator’s experience.
Expertise
Expertise is measured by:
- Quality of Content: Well-written and easily understandable content exhibits expertise.
- Comprehensiveness: Content that covers all aspects of the topic demonstrates an expertise in the subject matter.
- Accuracy: Up-to-date and accurate content is a hallmark of expertise.
- Referencing: Well-referenced content that cites credible sources showcases an expert’s diligence and understanding.
Authoritativeness
Authoritativeness is evaluated based on:
- Social Media Presence: A large following on social media can signal authoritativeness.
- User Engagement: Frequently shared and commented-on content often indicates a high level of authoritativeness.
- Peer Recognition: Praise for the content from other experts in the field enhances the authoritativeness score.
Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness is assessed through:
- Transparency: A content creator who is transparent about their background and qualifications will score higher on trustworthiness.
- Objectivity: Content that is free of bias and opinion often speaks to the trustworthiness of the source.
- Independence: Content that is not sponsored or promoted by any particular product or service tends to be viewed as more trustworthy.
Building Your E-A-T Score: 30 Essential Factors
- Physical Address: Displaying a physical address on your website shows you’re a legitimate business, not a scam.
- Phone Number: Providing a phone number makes it easy for potential customers to contact you.
- Domain Email Addresses: Featuring multiple email addresses shows you are responsive via customer support and easily accessible.
- Meet the Team Page: Giving visitors a behind-the-scenes look at your company and its members builds trust and credibility.
- About Us Page: Sharing who you are, what you do, and why you do it builds trust and credibility.
- Author Page: Highlighting your expertise and credibility, this page can include your bio, experience, and qualifications.
- Author Bio: A short paragraph introducing you to your readers, including your name, title, and a brief description of your expertise.
- Author Brand SERP: A special type of search results page that shows all of the content you have written, enhancing your visibility and authority.
- Contact Us Page: Making it easy for visitors to reach you builds trust and credibility.
- Testimonials: Positive reviews from satisfied customers greatly enhance trust and credibility.
- Accreditations: Certifications from reputable organizations demonstrate you are a legitimate business.
- Awards: Recognition from reputable organizations shows you are a leader in your field.
- Awards SERP: A special type of search results page showcasing your awards increases your visibility and authority.
- Social Profiles: A strong social media presence demonstrates active engagement with your audience.
- Privacy Policy: This tells visitors how you collect, use, and share their personal information, which is crucial for trust.
- Cookie Policy: Informing visitors how you use cookies on your website is another trust-building measure.
- Terms and Conditions: Outlining the terms and conditions of your website use protects you legally and informs users.
- Case Studies: Showcasing your expertise and success stories with real-world examples is a strong trust signal.
- Careers Page: Attracting top talent to your company enhances trust and credibility.
- GDPR Compliance: If you collect personal data from EU citizens, complying with GDPR is legally required and builds trust.
- Modern Slavery Statement: A public declaration that your business combats modern slavery enhances trust and credibility.
- Accessibility: Making your website accessible to people with disabilities builds trust and credibility.
- Code of Ethics: A set of rules outlining your company’s values and principles enhances trust and credibility.
- Disclaimer: A statement limiting your liability for certain actions or events can protect you legally.
- Editorial Policy: Outlining rules for submitting and publishing content on your website enhances trust and credibility.
- Complaints Policy: Describing how complaints are handled can build trust and credibility.
- All Rights Reserved/Copyright: A copyright notice demonstrates ownership of the content on your website, protecting your intellectual property and enforcing legitimacy.
- Favicon: A small, recognizable icon next to your website’s name in the address bar can enhance brand recognition and trust.
- Company Number: A unique identifier assigned by the government, which can help verify your business’s legitimacy.
- SSL Certificate: A security certificate encrypting data transmitted between your website and visitors’ browsers can protect privacy and security, thereby enhancing trust.
Applying E-A-T Principles and the 30 Essential Factors
Implementing the E-E-A-T principles and these 30 essential factors can significantly improve your website’s trustworthiness, user experience, and search engine rankings. These actions signal to both users and search engines that your website is a credible, authoritative source of information.
Remember, the purpose of E-A-T and these trust factors is to provide users with high-quality, valuable, and reliable information. By focusing on these elements, you align your website with the goal of search engines—to deliver the most relevant and high-quality information to users.
Google’s Updated Rater Guidelines and E-A-T
To summarise, whether you’re aiming for better global or local SEO, the E-E-A-T principles and these 30 trustworthiness factors are key. They can greatly impact your search engine rankings and online presence, driving more organic traffic to your website and enhancing your online reputation. Apply them correctly and consistently, and you’re on your way to establishing a website that is both user-friendly and search engine-approved.
Maximizing E-A-T for SEO Success
By merging these principles and following the ranking matrix, you’re positioning your website for maximum visibility, credibility, and user satisfaction. It’s not just about playing by the rules of the SEO game – it’s about providing your users with the best possible experience. To further maximise your E-A-T score be sure to read our awards won link building post and our guide on acquiring a free domain email address through Zoho mail & Cloudflare.
Delve deeper with our team of experts [2] to uncover the transformative power of these principles for your website and witness the impact they can have on your search engine rankings and online presence.
References
Here are the references that were used in this article:
1. Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) – Google Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines – https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf
2. Our contact form to initiate your E-E-A-T audit