As most digital marketers will now recognize, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness (EAT) have gradually become the foundation of effective content marketing. With content marketing services powered by EAT, every piece of content can satisfy Google’s needs and still deliver strongly for readers. But while many digital marketers have embraced EAT, its value is often missing from local content. So how can local businesses upgrade their output and unlock the value of EAT-driven local content?
Increasing Search Visibility Using Local Content With EAT
While the debate over EAT (and whether or not it’s an indirect ranking factor) is ongoing, it makes sense to prioritize the ideas of expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness within content creation – along with the newly added “experience,” which we’ll get to shortly. Local customers want to find the highest quality businesses with consumer trust and industry knowledge. Therefore, demonstrating EAT is a fast track to consumer interest and sales.
Applying EAT to a Business Website
A critical mistake witnessed on many local websites is the use of poorly-researched and keyword-stuffed articles. In most cases, thin website content will only harm a business. We have previously detailed examples of irrelevant website content hurting SEO results, and an inability to demonstrate EAT is one reason this issue persists. It may be possible to repair some damage with these quick SEO strategies.
EAT Extends Beyond a Local Business Website
While website optimization is obviously crucial for a local business, don’t ignore the importance of Google Business Profile (GBP) optimization. The GBP is a great place to build trust through reviews, show expertise in product and services pages, plus demonstrate authority in a compelling description. Meeting the criteria of EAT usually means branching out beyond a business website to the platforms consumers in your industry can be found.
Create Location Pages Enhanced By EAT
Location is clearly very important to local businesses, and accuracy is a determining factor in a customer’s satisfaction levels. To achieve increased prominence in search, Google expects a business to demonstrate that the information they provide – business address, opening hours and product and service details – is accurate and up-to-date. Therefore, creating a high-quality location page and linking it to an active GBP listing provides legitimacy in Google’s eyes.
Updating Existing Content With an Emphasis on EAT
Most local businesses will have existing content that is indexed by Google, but without much search prominence. Yet when analyzed through the lens of EAT, much of this content will have potential. Perhaps a piece of content needs search engine optimization services applied to highlight authority and expertise, or an article might benefit from new and updated information. With the power of EAT, local content can be revitalized for a whole new audience.
Experience Added to Google’s EAT Ranking Factors
In December 2022 Google released a significant update to its Quality Rater Guidelines. Alongside expertise, authoritativeness and trust, Google added “Experience” to create EEAT (or Double EAT). “Experience” refers to the personal life experience of the content creator. For example, a product review is likely to be more valuable when the reviewer has experience using the item.
Similarly, a page describing the act of skydiving will offer more value if the creator has experience in skydiving.
Crucially, the context of each page will determine how EEAT factors are interpreted. For instance, medical or financial advice should only be delivered by an expert, but first-hand experiences of using a service are less reliant on expertise. Also, to tie the EEAT factors together, Google is now prioritizing trust. Therefore, high levels of authoritativeness, experience and expertise will count for little if a page is deemed to be untrustworthy.
Contact Us for Local Content With EAT and Digital Marketing Services
At Rocks Digital, we use the principles of EAT throughout our content marketing services. If you have a local business and need help with content writing, web design, SEO and listing management, we are here to help. To find out how your business is performing in search results, request a website evaluation or call (214) 989-7549 for local marketing assistance.
