The Keys of EEAT for Authors to Boost Your SEO
Discover how EEAT improves readability, increases the reach of your texts, enhances your SEO, and boosts your influence as an author.
David Carrasco
2 years ago
The marketing and SEO sector is constantly evolving. With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Google is increasingly emphasizing information about content authorship; so that the reader can verify that it is not a robot.
This means that the content reflects who wrote it, the author's experience and knowledge on the subject, allowing verification of whether the information source is useful and reliable.
Google had three main factors to evaluate the importance and relevance of web content, EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Now, since December 2022, the term EEAT is taken into account. The "E" for "Experience" has been added as a fourth evaluation factor.
In this article, we will see how to leverage EEAT for authors to improve SEO positioning.
EEAT for Authors
EEAT is a set of Google criteria that determine the quality of content in its search results.
This term applies to authors, including the new E for Experience (first-hand experience) as well as the other terms Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
It is about assessing the experience, knowledge, authority, and reliability of the author regarding a specific topic.
EEAT in Google: The New E
It is very important to highlight the authorship and personal experience of the content author, because in addition to providing trust to the reader, it is a factor that Google takes into account for content evaluation.
The new E refers to the author's personal experience, that is, what that person has done and verified about the topic they are writing or speaking about because they have lived it first-hand.
This means that Google “rewards” pages where the content has been created by someone with real experience in the subject matter.
For example: If you want to buy a smartphone, a review from an author who has actually used this model of mobile phone will be much more useful.
Conversely, it will be harder to trust a website where the content (reviews of the same product) has a questionable reputation and does not show who wrote it, other than a sad "admin".
The same goes for products, and this is where social media comes into play. Imagine you are 40 years old and looking for an anti-aging treatment. If a reputable influencer recommends it, it gives you more confidence when purchasing the product than if the brand itself is trying to sell it to you.
Google's New "Perspectives"
Google launches "Perspectives" a new feature that complements the information you are searching for with different relevant publications not only from Google search results but also from social media, videos, and news.
Providing different perspectives on the same topic that will help you better evaluate the result.
This is exactly what "Perspectives" is for, to enhance that first E since they are opinions, comments, reviews, blogs, forums, videos…
This carousel will appear below the main stories and will show opinions from a variety of reliable sources and relevant experts on the topic you are searching for.
It may not appear yet as Google announced it in March 2023 and it will be available first in the US.
A clear example is the previous point where to buy a cosmetic product you search not only the official online store but also opinions from experts on social media who have tried it and recommend it.
The impact goes beyond influencing visibility in the SERPs and gives new life to digital public relations.
According to these statistics, TikTok is considered a search platform:
- 58% said they bought something they saw on TikTok.
- 67% say TikTok inspired them to buy, even when they weren't looking to do so.
And TikTok is not the only platform seeing this development; Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit are some examples.
As you can see, the influence of content creators is becoming increasingly important. Through Google's Perspectives, SERPs will be enriched with authentic experiences, thus creating opportunities for digital public relations.
We believe that the future of SEO lies there, as you can create clever content on trending topics with the goal of connecting and getting shared, mentioned. This way, you will achieve links and visibility.
Understanding the Source with "About this Author"
Google implements "About this Author" as an expansion of what already existed "about this result". This is very good for verifying the source of the text and generating trust.
When the user taps the three dots of a result in Google (as seen in the image), they will find more information about the author and their experience; to see which results are most relevant and trustworthy for them.
What favors EEAT for authors and thus positioning.
Perhaps it still does not appear in Google Spain searches as it has been in Beta version since March 2023.
Data Verification
Another of the useful new features presented by Google is information literacy. This collaborates with the American Library Association to provide training to users.
A plan developed to help people: "Super Searchers program" in information verification that will be implemented in five European countries between 2024 and 2030.
Why Authorship is So Important
Authorship refers to the signature of high-quality content that an author has created. It highlights the experience and credibility of the person writing.
The advantages it brings are:
- The online reputation and authority generated towards the author, also enhancing their personal brand.
- It provides trust and credibility to the reader, generating value for the audience. Thus, users will return to the website because they know they will find reliable and quality content.
- It improves positioning since if the reader returns to the website, Google understands that this content should be shown before another that is not recurrent from those visits.
On the other hand, Google rewards original content and content from reliable sources, improving the visibility of the project and thus the author in question.
- The importance of authorship (EEAT for authors) also benefits brands and businesses themselves. Knowing the person or people behind a brand makes us trust them much more, thus reinforcing the brand reputation.
- In the medium term, quality backlinks are generated, as through the constant creation of quality content, the reader can become a follower and share the links, thus increasing organic traffic.
How to Boost EEAT for Authors
As we have seen, an essential aspect to consider is to highlight information about the person behind the content.
At this point, we will see how it can be worked on:
Quality Content
If we have been talking about how Google values useful and trustworthy content, it is obvious to state that you should write it that way.
And how can we know if... Is our content of quality? Well, if it is complete, includes data from reliable sources, generates trust, and resolves the search intent... then it is.
You may ask yourself if:
Does it offer original information?
Does it provide enough value that the competition does not cite?
Does it include information about the author?
How Quality Content is Evaluated
In addition to Google's algorithm, there are Quality raters (quality evaluators) who are real people that help classify a website in search results.
They evaluate among other factors the EEAT of the content, which you can check in the "Quality Rating Guidelines" that collects the guidelines and aspects for rating websites. Here is the latest guide in pdf, in case you want to delve deeper.
On Page - Biography
By publishing articles on your business blog, you are providing value to the user. If you also mention the author of the content, you are enhancing the validity of the text and helping to establish transparency.
Include a bio with all possible information and a link to the author's professional social media. Depending on the niche, it may also be relevant to include other references such as awards, citations, publications…
For example, if you link the Bio to the author's LinkedIn profile (which should be kept updated), the reader can see in which area they are an expert, thus enhancing their credibility.
Google needs to ensure it is providing good and trustworthy information in its results, which is why it values this positively.
As you see in the article, the authorship of the writer is highlighted, and if you click on their name, a very complete biography with links to their social media appears.
In this case, we can see a great example of how these signals are being used to build trust with users and algorithms, especially on a YMYL - Your Money Your Life
You should consider data markup or Schema to mark the author's data. This will help Google better understand the information. You can mark who the author is, the publication date, and the different parts of the text…
Off Page - Links
Through link building, you can enhance EEAT for authors. You can boost your experience as an author by becoming a contributor to other websites.
A simple way to start is by writing guest posts for relevant websites within your niche.
In this sense, quality content is determined by the nature of the links. If they come from well-known pages and reputable sites, it is a good indicator of trust for Google.
From Unancor, we can assist you with our Affinity tool, which allows you to analyze the most relevant blogs and authoritative media for your Link Building strategy.
In a simple way, you can acquire good links that will help you generate authority, online reputation, and trust for your audience.
You can purchase high-quality digital articles in relevant national and international media as well as local links.
And to ensure you do not waste your time or money, you have the option of a personalized proposal, where a SEO professional will guide you throughout the process.
Work on PR
Working on public relations (PR) is very beneficial for enhancing authors' authority. For example: if you participate in interviews, events, podcasts… you are communicating that “this is what you do,” thus gaining recognition from the audience as an expert in a specific topic.
There is an essential maxim in public relations: “do it well and let it be known.”
Does Google Use Authorship as a Ranking Factor?
Although it is not a ranking factor per se, Google takes it into account more and more when giving greater visibility to content.
The more the credibility and experience of a content author are demonstrated, the better, which is why it is so important for marketing and SEO professionals to implement it for their clients and their own businesses.
Can I Be an Author in Multiple Niches?
If you are an expert in a topic, try to write only about that. While it is possible to have experience in various areas, it is better to focus on a specific niche to establish yourself as a reliable author.
They do not convey seriousness or trust if you understand many things at once.
For example, imagine you have 10 years of experience and write for a marketing blog. At the same time, you have your own niche for cooking recipes.
The ideal is that you sign the marketing articles as the topic that appears on Google when searched by your name or brand.
And perhaps, what we would do is work on the cooking website in the background as if it were a hobby. The authority of the content can be attributed to guest authors (chefs) on the blog.
What Does Google Say About AI-Generated Content?
Google rewards original, useful, and high-quality content that demonstrates EEAT qualities: experience, knowledge, authority, and reliability.
Regarding automatically generated content, Google states that it will reward high-quality content and show reliable results, regardless of how it is created.
Using AI to generate content primarily to manipulate ranking in search results is a violation of Google's spam policies.
“The proper use of AI or automation does not violate our guidelines. By this, we mean content that is not primarily used to manipulate ranking in search results, which violates our spam policies.”
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As a final reflection and conclusion, we can say that the authority of the author is a powerful concept that should not be overlooked in an SEO strategy.
Authorship is an essential aspect to achieve a good level of EEAT in the eyes of Google and its evaluators, but more than that, it is fundamental for your audience to trust you and purchase your products or services.
By building credibility and trust, you can create a strong personal brand, improving rankings and your visibility.
We conclude by summarizing that Google values EEAT because its user base depends on useful, trustworthy, and high-quality search results.
We hope you found this post about EEAT for authors useful.
Thank you for reading.
