Unless you’re specifically in the SEO business, it’s unlikely you’ve heard of E.E.A.T, yet if you have a website, it’s incredibly likely that it impacts the chances of your website being ranked highly or quoted in AI search boxes. So what is it and why should you care?
Think of it like this. You’re a brand new interior painter, and you want to get yourself out there. You build a website and the visitors…are nowhere to be seen. You put an online inquiry form on your homepage and the flood of inquiries…never materialise.
Now ask yourself, why would I pick me over my competitors…
Experience.
Your competitors have a big logo on their site “Since 1985…”. They’ve been around for many more years than you have. They’ve got before/after pictures, reviews and testimonials. You don’t (yet).
Your competitors have published articles on their website “How we transformed this interior…”,”What we do when your ceilings look like this…”, “What I use to smooth walls…” Notice how it’s about them. It’s not “What to do” it’s “What we do”. They’re backing up their talk with real world examples.
In short, they’ve got real world experience and they’re telling people all about it.
Expertise (skill)
Your competitors are members of “Painters of Waterloo” (POW) and “Painters and Plumbers” (POP) (and yes I made both of those up). They proudly display their membership logo. They have a certification for asbestos removal from the Asbestos Removal Society of Edmonton (I won’t go there…).
In short, they’re validating their skills with certifications and accreditations.
Authority
You find your competitors’ websites mentioned on other sites.
In short, other people are backing up your competitor. Who’s got your back?
Trust
Oh, your competitors have a privacy policy next to their contact us form. You decided a privacy policy page wasn’t that important. And that broken link, well, you’ll get someone to fix it eventually…
In short, you’re asking people to trust a stranger. Would you?
Why would anyone pick you? Why would Google decide to rank your website higher, when it’s not clear if you’ve ever even lifted a paintbrush.
If a website visitor likes what they see, chances are Google does too.
With a few website changes you can build trust, establish some authority, show you have expertise and experience. Make EEAT a foundation of your website, not an afterthought.