Effective SEO includes a broad range of factors, from mobile-friendliness to the loading speed of your homepage. However, to deliver the best possible experience to its users, Google® holds doctor’s offices, retailers, and other important businesses to an even higher standard. The king of search engines does this through an evaluation of three factors. Here’s a closer look at those factors and how they can affect your search rankings.

What Is E-A-T?

In addition to the technical aspects of a website, Google also rates the quality of the content itself. To rank businesses in certain fields, quality raters evaluate websites based on three criteria: expertise, authority, and trust.

Expertise

An important part of advertising your business is demonstrating your expertise in the subject matter, so websites should showcase credentials and understanding. For instance, a website for a doctor’s office should include the educational background of the staff. However, the content itself should also show an in-depth understanding of the topic and present valuable information for the reader.

Authority

In addition to the content of the website, Google also examines the reputation of your brand to determine your authority on the topic. For instance, they might evaluate reviews on Yelp® or the Better Business Bureau® as well as the quality of the comment section of your site. For individual content creators, authority can mean having professional certifications and a history of prior publications.

Trustworthy

Many qualities that earn high ratings for trust are technical features, such as SSL encryption technology for online retailers. Businesses with a detailed “about us” page are also considered more trustworthy, as are those with a lot of links coming from other sites.

When E-A-T Evaluation Is Used

In general, Google uses the “your money or your life” metric to determine whether a website should be evaluated for expertise, authority, and trust. Any website that could impact a reader’s health, happiness, or finances is carefully examined for quality before a ranking is given.

If you’re in the medical field, run an online store that asks for credit card information, or offer financial advice, paying attention to E-A-T can dramatically improve your SEO. Not only will this give you a higher ranking on Google, but it will also lead to higher-quality content that builds trust and increases conversions.

 

If you own a doctor’s office or retail business in Florida’s Tri-County area, let the SEO experts at ACG247 give you a leg up on the competition. They’ve been providing detailed, personalized consulting services to businesses throughout the area for over 30 years, and they have the expertise to maximize the effectiveness of your online marketing efforts. Call (305) 279-9959 today to discuss your SEO solutions with a member of their team.