E-A-T – Google way to measure website quality

E-A-T – something for those who require information

Google – the well-known search engine, is constantly struggling to provide the best consumer experience. The basic determinant, as well as its aim, is to present adequate result, along with the appropriate understanding of the given inquiry. The search engine is being improved constantly, while number of algorithms ensure that everyone finds exactly what they are looking for.

In 2018, a major update was introduced. It added an important factor of verification of content published on the website. It is commonly referred to by the acronym E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) – the first one mentioned is proficiency in the discussed subject, while the second is synonymous to reliability and credibility).

Thus, it is one of the most important factors for rating.

What features does the website have to meet to receive high grade?

So-called E-A-T contains guidelines provided in the Google report. Those help us users understand ranking factors. All of them influence the final assessment of the PQ, that is Page Quality. Let us discuss them briefly:

• purpose and reason why you have created your website – the most basic parameter according to which other criteria are considered. The motives vary – entertain, inform, present offered services, etc. The content and structure of the website must reflect its original and intended purpose;
• expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness – it is nothing else than EAT. We will tell you more in a moment;
• the quality, quantity and Main Content – does the Main Content (MC) published on your website correspond to its purpose? Is it characterized by a sufficiently high level? Does it reflect our expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness of the given topic, making your website a source of information that can be trusted? Additionally, Google divides the content published on the website into two groups. Those are Main Content and the supplementary content (the supporting one); the latter should not be thematically distant, but as we have mentioned, it supports the reader;
• information about the creator of the website and core of the content;
• image and reputation of your website.

As you can see, most of the guidelines apply to quality of the content, which should meet the EAT requirements. We are going to take a closer look at what it implies.

How to create in accordance with EAT?

The main thing without which we will not gain high results is understanding the purpose of our website. Along with it there are the discovery of your cornerstone content, and information which your website provides. You should verify the expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness of all creators of the content, the texts, and our own website. Remember – it is primarily intended to pursue its goal – it does not mean that websites devote to less „serious” topics, such as humour, gossip or entertainment, which obtain lower ranks. E-A-T concept is therefore a guideline that guide us on how to create and deliver created content. Of course, all parties should follow it, but it does not mean the same to everyone.

Should we run a website that is devoted to issues that have a significant impact on someone’s welfare (medicine, finance, law, banking), we will always ensure the highest quality offered by experienced creators. This contributes to increase expertise and authoritativeness (two parameters that are crucial when evaluating content and enterprise website). However, not all topics require us to refer to specialized literature – after all, most websites on the Internet are entertaining. There are no rules on how to effectively write cinema premiere reviews for your blog. This is also where the third factor appears, and that is trustworthiness. The higher the quality, the more often your content will be disseminated and read; thus, we build reputation in a specific niche.

As you have already read, E-A-T contains criteria for verifying content of the highest quality. It also enable useful insight into factors that affect the ranking positioning of your website, and thus another confirmation that Google appreciates and value original, engaging content, and that is created by skilled and competent professionals.