In the realm of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Google’s E-E-A-T has emerged as a crucial metric influencing search rankings. That is why, unraveling the intricacies of E-A-T is essential for businesses aiming to enhance their online visibility, particularly in local contexts.
This article explores the significance of E-E-A-T in Google’s algorithm, explaining how companies can leverage these principles to amplify their local SEO strategies, ultimately increasing credibility and improving search engine rankings.
What Is E-E-A-T?
Google’s E-E-A-T, short for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, forms the backbone of Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (SQEG). While not a direct ranking factor, E-E-A-T serves as a critical metric evaluated by Google’s Quality Raters to assess the credibility and relevance of online content.
E-E-A-T Tactics to Benefit Your Local SEO Strategy
Regardless of whether you’re a digital marketer or a small business owner, mastering and applying the following E-E-A-T tactics can offer a competitive advantage when it comes to local search.
1: Experience
Experience is a key aspect of E-E-A-T that emphasizes the customer’s viewpoint. Users often seek peer insights rather than solely relying on expert opinions. Enhancing this experience involves several tactics:
– Encouraging and spotlighting positive local reviews to foster a positive reputation.
-Regularly updating a Google Business Profile with employee bios and customer photos to humanize the business and enable a more relatable online presence.
-Sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses through profile postings to cultivate transparency and connection.
2: Expertise
Expertise within E-E-A-T underscores the significance of an organization’s competencies and the depth of its team’s experiences, a focal point added by Google in 2022. New search result features like “About this author” and “Perspectives” underscore the search engine’s emphasis on understanding content creators’ knowledge and proficiency.
Showcasing expertise often involves leveraging content, particularly through local service pages and blogs. Businesses employ these channels to demonstrate authority in their field, catering to local needs and fostering trust through valuable, unique, and localized content that addresses specific community concerns, thereby establishing thought leadership.
3: Authoritativeness
Establishing authoritativeness extends beyond crafting excellent content; it requires validation from external sources, as outlined in Google’s rater guidelines. Recognition as a trustworthy source for specific topics is crucial for building authority around target keywords. Within local SEO, it’s essential to factor in various local link types, including citations, community engagement, and the exchange of knowledge:
– For local businesses, ensuring consistent and accurate contact details (NAP – Name, Address, Phone Number) across multiple platforms is crucial to avoiding discrepancies in location information on platforms like Google Maps.
-Engaging customers through exceptional offerings fosters loyalty, playing a pivotal role in distinguishing a local business within its community.
-Local businesses should elevate their content beyond the conventional service details and FAQs, aiming to stand out among their competitors. Consider leveraging expertise for local surveys or showcasing groundbreaking technology introduced by employees.
4: Trustworthiness
When it comes to trust, reviews stand out as the most influential tactic. Supported by statistics revealing that 98% of consumers browse online reviews for local businesses and 87% of consumers use Google to evaluate local businesses, their significance cannot be overstated.
The local SEO industry’s doubling perception of review signals as a ranking factor since 2015 underlines their importance, with third-party and Google Business Profile reviews serving as pivotal tools in shaping a business’s reputation and gaining customer trust.