How E-E-A-T affects online shops
How E-E-A-T affects online shops
In 2014, to improve the quality of content on the Internet and protect users from fraudsters, Google started using E-A-T factors to evaluate websites. In 2022, another factor was added, so the abbreviation changed to E-E-A-T. In a new Selpway Trading blog post, we explain what E-E-A-T are and how they affect websites.
In August 2018, the so-called Google Medic Update happened. ‘Medic Update’ affected not only sites related to medicine, but also financial projects. Many sites, including well-known and large ones, lost their search engine rankings and organic traffic because Google considered them untrustworthy and low-quality.
In December 2022, the abbreviation E-A-T was supplemented with another letter E. Experience - Experience was added to the list of factors for assessing content quality. This was done so that users could receive information not only from experts, but also from those who have a real user experience, for example, applied to a particular service, bought a product, visited an institution, etc. Google still periodically makes changes and additions to its concept.
In December 2022, the abbreviation E-A-T was supplemented with another letter E. Experience - Experience was added to the list of factors for assessing content quality. This was done so that users could receive information not only from experts, but also from those who have a real user experience, for example, applied to a particular service, bought a product, visited an institution, etc. Google still periodically makes changes and additions to its concept.
History of emergence and development
The E-A-T concept was first publicised by Google in 2014. At that time, the Google Assessor's Guide was released, describing the criteria for evaluating websites that affect their search ranking:
Instructions for webmasters to help them work with E-A-T to improve indexing and increase a site's position in search results were also released at that time. Over the next few years, Google worked to develop its concept.
Criteria for evaluating E-E-A-T websites
Today there are four criteria for assessing the quality of content, Selpway Cyprus managers specified. It is their first letters that are included in the abbreviation E-E-A-T. Let's take a closer look at each of them.
The E-A-T concept was first publicised by Google in 2014. At that time, the Google Assessor's Guide was released, describing the criteria for evaluating websites that affect their search ranking:
- Expertise level;
- level of authority;
- level of trust or reliability.
Instructions for webmasters to help them work with E-A-T to improve indexing and increase a site's position in search results were also released at that time. Over the next few years, Google worked to develop its concept.
Criteria for evaluating E-E-A-T websites
Today there are four criteria for assessing the quality of content, Selpway Cyprus managers specified. It is their first letters that are included in the abbreviation E-E-A-T. Let's take a closer look at each of them.
- Expertise and Experience. These two factors are related to each other. They relate to both the site and the content creator. Google considers content that is written by a professional in their field and posted on a reputable, topical site to be credible and useful. For sites and materials not related to the topics of medicine and finance, the requirements in the field of expertise are not so strict. This is where the Experience factor comes into play. For example, on a tech review site, the authors may be ordinary users who test products, not engineers.
- Authoritativeness. This factor reflects the reputation of the content author, as well as the site itself. It should be confirmed by experts, opinion leaders, and thematic publications. Signals that speak in favour of the importance of the author or site are all sorts of mentions, links, marks in posts. A big role is played by the presence of accounts in professional communities, catalogues. Feedback about the expert or site is also important.
- Trust. When evaluating a site according to the E-E-A-T criteria, Google also checks its reliability and security. The user must understand who is responsible for the site and the information placed on it, and be sure that their data and money are safe. This is especially true for online shops and e-commerce projects. In Google's opinion, those sites that not only publish detailed information about themselves (contacts, details, etc.) but also use all modern methods of ensuring user security deserve trust.
What are YMYL sites and why E-E-A-T factors are especially important for them
Among the sites that Google indexes, YMYL sites are the most influenced by E-E-A-T. To understand what this abbreviation means, it is enough to simply decipher it - ‘Your Money or Your Life’ That is, this category includes those sites that directly or indirectly affect the health, life and financial well-being of a person. While initially YMYL mainly included sites related to finance, security and health, from 2024 there are no specific topics in the Guidelines for Google assessors. Instead, it is proposed that any content that is potentially harmful to individuals and society should be considered YMYL.
How E-E-A-T implementation affects websites
‘Medical Update 2018 showed that E-E-A-T factors directly affect the indexing and ranking of sites in Google search. If assessors consider a site unreliable, and dangerous for users, it will fly out of the top for relevant queries and lose organic traffic. Cases on the return of affected sites in the top show that work on the factors of E-E-A-T corrects the situation. And it is better not to wait until the site will be pessimised due to problems with E-E-A-T, and take preventive measures, emphasized marketers Selpway. For a site to rank highly, it is necessary to improve the factors of expertise, experience, authority and trust, but at the same time do not forget about traditional SEO tasks
Product and service categories, shop address, contact and shipping information, FAQs and other elements of an online shop website help build user trust. A blog is another important section of a company's website. It is the easiest way to demonstrate expertise. You can share tips and/or instructions and help users solve their pressing problems.
Among the sites that Google indexes, YMYL sites are the most influenced by E-E-A-T. To understand what this abbreviation means, it is enough to simply decipher it - ‘Your Money or Your Life’ That is, this category includes those sites that directly or indirectly affect the health, life and financial well-being of a person. While initially YMYL mainly included sites related to finance, security and health, from 2024 there are no specific topics in the Guidelines for Google assessors. Instead, it is proposed that any content that is potentially harmful to individuals and society should be considered YMYL.
How E-E-A-T implementation affects websites
‘Medical Update 2018 showed that E-E-A-T factors directly affect the indexing and ranking of sites in Google search. If assessors consider a site unreliable, and dangerous for users, it will fly out of the top for relevant queries and lose organic traffic. Cases on the return of affected sites in the top show that work on the factors of E-E-A-T corrects the situation. And it is better not to wait until the site will be pessimised due to problems with E-E-A-T, and take preventive measures, emphasized marketers Selpway. For a site to rank highly, it is necessary to improve the factors of expertise, experience, authority and trust, but at the same time do not forget about traditional SEO tasks
Product and service categories, shop address, contact and shipping information, FAQs and other elements of an online shop website help build user trust. A blog is another important section of a company's website. It is the easiest way to demonstrate expertise. You can share tips and/or instructions and help users solve their pressing problems.