5 quick things you can do today to give Google the best content to EAT

Sep 10, 2021 by
5 quick things you can do today to give Google the best content to EAT

In the world of SEO, the EAT score has become increasingly important in recent years. For anyone who has been living under a digital rock (or is simply new to the game), EAT stands for “expertise, authority and trustworthiness,” which are, in a nutshell, the three things the Google algorithm looks for in every single piece of content when generating its rankings.

Expertise refers to how knowledgeable the creator of the content appears to be, authority refers to your site’s reputation and trustworthiness refers to the accuracy of the information you’re providing. These are the three factors that have been used by Google to rain content since at least 2013 and today it’s more relevant than ever.

There are perhaps hundreds (nay thousands) of metrics the increasingly clever algorithm uses to rank our content and we’ll never know what they are specifically. But the vast majority of those metrics are all based around what Google wants to see within our content. And right now, Google is very hungry.

So, how do you ensure you’re giving that hungry search engine the right things to EAT? Here are a few quick tips that could make your content that much tastier.

1. Be transparent 

In a world that’s increasingly at odds with itself, “transparency” has become something of an overused business buzzword. However, if you are more open with your information, you’re more likely to be ranked as a trustworthy online source. So, update your terms and conditions, ensure the contact details on your site are present and correct and give as much information as possible, as long as it’s relevant. Also, use named authors where possible as real people are far more trustworthy. Trust us.

2. Show off

It’s often said there is a thin line between confidence and arrogance. Thankfully, that line is a lot wider in the digital realm. Flaunting your expertise ‘IRL’ might come off as a little pathetic but how is Google meant to know you’re an expert in your field if you’re not willing to brag about it? If you have any relevant degrees or awards to speak of then not only mention them but make sure they are listed in great big bold letters. The same goes for client testimonials and prominent clients. Your friends might not care that you’ve worked with Nike but Google certainly will!

3. Quality over quantity

Yes, it’s a trite phrase but it needs to be said as there are still thousands of content creators out there that are still singing from the opposing hymn sheet. Quality content is going to play into all three areas here and clickbait and keyword stuffing tactics are going to achieve the exact opposite.

4. Be specific

Better to be a master of a few trades than a jack of all. You are very unlikely to reach the higher echelons of the search engine if you focus on a thousand different areas. Pinpoint the areas you excel in and proposition yourself as an authority in that specific field. General sites are never going to be able to compete with their specialist competitors.

5. Kill your darlings

Finally, one of the best things you can do (that will probably take no time at all) is to get rid of any content that doesn’t meet the EAT criteria. If a page isn’t getting much traffic and you can’t see any obvious ways to improve it then don’t be afraid to cull it completely. It might hurt in the short term but it’ll definitely improve your reputation in the long term.