Once Google got clued into the fact that the links and content that formed the foundation for its ranking algorithm were being gamed for profit, its focus has shifted to identify and incentivize sites offering beneficial, contextual information to target audiences. Thus, they reward sites that build their brands with SEO by going after the users rather than the algorithm. In order to provide not only high quality search results but highly relevant ones at that, Google has embraced a metric known as E-A-T, which stands for Expertise-Authoritativeness-Trustworthiness. It uses this to provide assessment of the usefulness and accuracy of all content on all webpages that they crawl, says SEMrush. Essentially, this paradigm is the gold standard by which Google evaluators rank pages.
In a nutshell, high-quality pages have high levels of E-A-T and low-quality pages just don’t. So, how as a home care business can you master the concept of E-A-T? First, let’s go into more detail on what it is.
What is E-A-T?
In order to harness the power of E-A-T and achieve the highest quality pages, websites must encompass the following traits:
- They must have enough main content to meet the user’s needs for a particular page’s unique topic and purpose.
- Content must be authoritative in nature and trustworthy regarding the topic at hand.
- The website must have a positive reputation and track record for page topics.
- The website must have enough auxiliary information, such as with Contact and About Us pages.
- There must be supplementary content to boost the user’s enjoyment and experience.
- The page must be functional so that users can easily find what they need.
- The website must be well maintained and refreshed regularly.
Each component of the E-A-T acronym is important. Let’s break it down:
- Expertise: You must be an expert in your field, meaning you have to showcase this expertise in your content. While expertise is less critical for gossip or humor websites, it’s absolutely critical for professional websites such as those in the legal, medical and financial arenas, points out SEOinc. In particular, the content must be both truthful and useful.
- Authoritativeness: You have to show that you’re indeed an authority in the given subject matter. Whether you are writing the content yourself or you’re hiring professionals to do it, the quality of the conversation must drive authority, particularly if you’re offering a community or forum discussion. While credentials are important, personal experiences such as reviews are just as much so.
- Trustworthiness: You have to show your users that they can trust your company as a direct result of your content. Important for all businesses, it’s especially critical for e-commerce websites that accept payments for, say, medical supplies, and thus need users to supply credit card information. You have to make people feel safe while on your site, which begins with implementing an SSL certificate.
How E-A-T Benefits Your Business
As an elder care or home care business, the very foundation of your company is built on trust. People are placing their faith in you that they or their loved one will be well taken care of by you, whether by services you offer or related products you sell. Yes, you should showcase your authority in this field through engaging copy, but you also have to focus on how you can solve the problems of their users and make their lives easier. They are coming to you with real problems: their aging parents are declining quickly in health and they need a solution fast. How are you going to step in and let them know that your company is the one to trust?
Your existing clients already know and trust you, as they have experienced your high level of service before. But new clients have no idea. The only convincing factor will be your content. This is how you will show them you are an Expert, you are the local Authority in home care, and you are Trustworthy.
Bottom line is, E-A-T is one of the top three considerations Google sets for page quality. If you haven’t paid much attention to E-A-T before, now’s the time to take notice and start upping the quality of your content. You must craft engaging, useful and truthful content to meet the needs of both quality raters and actual users. Once you achieve that, you will be better positioned for success.
Contact A Servant’s Heart Web Design and Marketing
Whether you run a senior care facility or home health care business, we can help you obtain better search rankings and bring in more patients just by optimizing your content to meet E-A-T standards. Get in touch today at (760) 227-2720 to learn more.
