In Part 1 of this series, “You Are What You E-E-A-T“, we covered the basics of what E-E-A-T is and why it should be a key factor in any SEO and marketing strategy.
In parts 2 and 3, we’ll focus on actionable strategies to improve E-E-A-T on your website and show how these improvements can boost your visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Interested? Let’s review the practical steps needed to enhance your website’s Experience and Expertise. In the next part, we’ll cover Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.
How to demonstrate experience
Share real-world experience
Demonstrating experience in E-E-A-T involves sharing authentic stories that resonate with your audience. For example, if you run a fitness blog, highlight personal transformations – yours and your clients. Include before-and-after photos, detailed testimonials and insights into the challenges faced along the way.
This illustrates your expertise and creates an emotional connection with your readers, aligning with Google’s emphasis on people-first content.
From an SEO perspective, adding real-life experiences can lead to higher engagement metrics. Increased time on the page and enhanced user interaction will signal to search engines that your website is worth visiting.
Consider using schema markup, such as the ‘Review’ schema, to improve the way these testimonials appear in search results.
Schema is a structured data format that helps search engines interpret your website’s content and display rich snippets, like star ratings, in search results.
By implementing schema, you can improve the visibility and appeal of your search results, which can ultimately lead to higher click-through rates (CTR).
Add User-Generated Content
User-Generated Content (UGC) is another effective strategy. Add an area on your website that promotes customer experiences, e.g., testimonial videos. For instance, a travel agency might feature client stories, complete with photos and itineraries. This adds value to your content and builds community trust.
From an SEO perspective, UGC keeps your site dynamic and fresh, which can lead to better search engine indexing. Regularly updated, people-first content is a key factor for ranking. Look at adding author pages for contributors and highlighting their bios and credentials. This improves trust and context, showing users that your content comes from knowledgeable sources.
You can also use structured data types like ‘Person’ or ‘Author’ schema to help search engines understand the expertise behind your content. Implementing ‘SameAs’ schema can connect your author profiles to their social media or professional links, reinforcing their authority and improving your site’s overall credibility.
By showcasing real-world experience, User-Generated Content, and technical SEO strategies, you can improve your site’s E-E-A-T and make it more appealing to users and search engines.
How to show expertise
Create quality content
Demonstrating expertise starts with the quality of your content. Start by producing in-depth, well-researched content that offers valuable insights into your topic. Google always rewards high-quality content that meets user needs and takes a people-first approach.
Through keyword research, customer feedback, and conversation, you can target the topics your audience cares about to ensure your content aligns with their interests.
When creating SEO content for websites, use a clear header hierarchy (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to organise information logically. This not only improves readability but also helps search engines understand the structure of your content.
A well-structured article makes it easier for users to find the information they’re looking for, leading to higher engagement and interaction, which are both positive signals to search engines.
Using diverse media types like infographics, charts and videos boosts engagement by simplifying complex topics and making content more appealing. Include actionable takeaways for readers to apply easily, encouraging shares and return visits. When optimised, these media types can also enhance visibility in search results.
Match user intent
Understanding user intent is key to creating expert content and demonstrating expertise in E-E-A-T. This means figuring out what users are searching for, whether they want information, solutions, or to buy something, and writing content that meets those needs.
Use tools like Google Search Console to analyse the search queries that bring visitors to your site. This data will help you create content that answers their specific questions, showcasing your knowledge and authority.
Paying attention to SERP features, like “People Also Asked” boxes, is important. These sections highlight related questions that your target audience has. Answering those queries in your content will help you better align with what users are looking for, increase your chances of appearing in these valuable search positions and showcase your brand as an expert in the field.
Use Citations and References
When you support your claims with data from reputable studies or articles, such as linking to recognised publications in your industry (a bonus if you are featured), you strengthen your point and demonstrate accuracy and transparency.
From an SEO perspective, Google values these authoritative citations, which can boost your rankings and showcase your experience in your field. This proof of credible sources positions you as an expert and helps build the authority aspect of E-E-A-T, which we will cover in part 3 of the blog.
Using structured data, such as ‘Citation’ schema, improves search engines’ understanding of your content, increasing its visibility in search results. By focusing on quality content and authoritative references, you effectively build your experience and authority, driving more traffic to your valuable content.
Wrapping up what you E-E-A-T:
For a quick rundown, here’s what we learnt about nailing Expertise and Experience:
- Helpful, authentic content that aligns with user intent is a must for engaging with your audience.
- User-Generated Content (UGC) builds trust with your community and adds social proof to your content.
- High-quality, structured content improves readability, search engine indexing and overall site performance.
- Google is increasingly becoming an ‘answer’ engine over a traditional search engine. Your questions should directly answer user queries to improve your chances of appearing on search.
- Schema markup helps search engines understand the content on your website, which can improve search performance, user experience and CTR. The best schemas to establish expertise and experience include ‘Review’, ‘Author’, ‘Person’, ‘SameAs’ and ‘Citation’.
- Diverse media types and strong source citations will strengthen your site authority and align with Google’s emphasis on credible and helpful information.
In part 3, we will cover the remaining components of E-E-A-T: Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.
You can E-E-A-T with us!
Trio is a strategic marketing agency with a proven track record of enhancing E-E-A-T for businesses across various industries. Our expert team can help you improve your overall SEO with optimised content, web design and build.