Understanding Google's Demand for Higher Quality Content



What is Google’s E-A-T and How Does It Measure a Website’s Credibility?



Google needs key pillars to help direct their judgment when assessing the effectiveness, helpfulness, and relevance of websites.

Out of millions of content floating around the internet, algorithms like E-A-T help consumers find the best search results that meet their unique needs. 

Without E-A-T, clicking on quality content online is like finding a needle in a haystack.

E-A-T helps deliver positive experiences to all search users by putting the spotlight on trustworthy websites only.

With that in mind, it makes sense that Google focuses on Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness as guiding principles. 

What Does E-A-T Consider When Assessing Websites?

• Expertise 
  
  Many strive to become business moguls, but not all achieve excellence in their field.
  
  Customers deserve to pay for content, services, or products that meet industry standards, so Google ensures search results only bring out the best of the bunch by evaluating the expertise of a website’s content.
  
  Topics involving medical, legal, or financial content demand a higher level of technical proficiency too, that’s why Google ensures the blogs you put out are factual, insightful, and helpful to relevant searchers. 
  
  
• Authoritativeness
  
  Your website may have academic-grade content, but what do other websites think of your production?
  
  Google finds importance in ranking websites recognizable among its peers since you need a willing audience to share your expertise, which means it’s a moot effort if no one reads it.
  
  With that in mind, Google goes back to full circle by using its age-old ranking factor: links!
  
  Link-building makes the worldwide web go-’round and for good reasons!
  
  Quality links ensure Google that your website has recognition inside and outside your industry, meaning that other websites will refer to your content through links, mentions, shares, and other forms of citation.
  
  The more quality and trustworthy your links, the more authoritative your reputation will be and the higher your chances of ranking better online. 
  
  
• Trustworthiness
  
  Websites that produce high-quality content and build their authority don’t guarantee their trustworthiness.
  
  This makes the final pillar of Google’s quality guidelines one of the trickiest to get right since trustworthiness develops through time, perseverance, and the effort to nurture your relationships with readers.
  
  In addition to expert delivery of articles, blogs, and other content, your website should also come from an honest and transparent perspective to establish trust. 

What is Your Money or Your Life (YMYL)?



When you master trustworthiness, that’s when you can meet the standards for Google’s next crucial algorithm, known as Your Money or Your Life (YMYL).

After all, there’s no point in ranking the most informative article if it doesn’t completely address people’s interests, problems, or needs. 

YMYL ensures your content delivers relevant information, especially for businesses that produce blogs, infographics, videos, and other mediums to sell products or services related to the market’s health, financial stability, safety, or even happiness. 

Just imagine the fire Google will have to douse if they suggest articles that ruin a person’s day — or worse, lead them astray with important decisions involving their health and money.

Generally, YMYL websites need a beneficial purpose as their primary drive for churning content to their audience. 

Expertise and authoritativeness mark the first steps of a professional website, but for businesses to truly deliver trustworthy content, web pages should be user-centered above all else.

Some common examples of beneficial content should fulfill the following:

• Share accurate and insightful information about a certain topic;
• Share personal or social information that sparks conversations; 
• Share pictures, videos, and other forms of graphic media to make the content dynamic; 
• Share content that also expresses an opinion; 
• Share content that aims to entertain; 
• Share content that convinces readers to choose your products or services; 
• Allow users to ask questions and engage in conversations; 
• Allow users to share files, download software, and more. 

These critical pointers matter the most for websites that deliver news and current events in different niches, write government, law, or civics-related topics, offer financial advice, deliver shopping guides, sharing medical advice, and promoting information on sensitive topics like race, religion, sexuality, and more. 

The Bottom Line: The Importance of E-A-T for YMYL Websites, and How SEO Goes Beyond Ranking High Online 

Websites have gone a long way since their humble beginnings, going from a virtual brochure into a platform designed to help users in any way possible.

Google values websites that share expertly written, accurate, and exercises authority since the user’s happiness when browsing search engines matters the most. 

SEO may be a marketing tool used to help websites rank higher and increase visibility, but at its core, it uses these pillars to help businesses produce content that is truly helpful to their target audience. 

Are You Looking for Affordable SEO Services for Your Small Business?

SEO is an ever-evolving space that can be challenging to manage, especially if you’re only new to the business landscape. Ranking high on search engines takes the appropriate combination of factors working together to lift your brand to the top of search results, so it helps to have a professional SEO agency tailor your strategy for success. 

The Stack Group is a web design and marketing agency specializing in numerous digital marketing services — from web design, SEO, graphic design, and copywriting.

Check out our services and contact us online if you have any questions.