EEAT stands for Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness and is a crucial concept in Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (SQEG). While not a direct ranking factor, it heavily influences how Google assesses the quality and authority of your content, especially for Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics.
Table of Contents
Why is EEAT important?
For YMYL topics like health, finance, and news, Google holds content to a higher standard as inaccurate information can have significant consequences. By emphasizing EEAT, they aim to surface reliable and trustworthy resources for users.
Here’s a breakdown of each element:
- Expertise: Does the author or website demonstrate a deep understanding of the subject matter? This can be shown through qualifications, relevant experience, or in-depth analysis of the topic.
- Experience: Does the author or website have a relevant track record and history of dealing with the specific topic? This can include personal experiences, case studies, or testimonials.
- Authoritativeness: Is the author or website recognized as a valuable source of information in the field? This can be indicated by awards, recognition from other experts, or citations from credible sources.
- Trustworthiness: Does the website demonstrate transparency, accuracy, and a commitment to providing unbiased information? This can be shown through clear authorship information, fact-checking procedures, and avoiding misleading claims.
How to demonstrate EEAT:
- Ensure your content is created by experts with appropriate qualifications and experience.
- Provide evidence and citations to support your claims.
- Maintain a transparent and trustworthy website with clear contact information.
- Update your content regularly to reflect current information.
- Build a track record of providing accurate and valuable information.
Remember: EEAT is not a checklist but rather a holistic assessment of your content’s overall authority and reliability. By focusing on these principles, you can improve the quality of your content and increase its visibility in search results.
What is YMYL in SEO?
YMYL is a framework used by Google Search Quality Raters to identify and evaluate webpages containing information that could potentially affect a user’s future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety.
You can also check out the on-page optimization checklist for better SEO on your site.
coming back to the topic,
Here’s what you need to know about YMYL:
What topics are considered YMYL?
YMYL encompasses a wide range of topics, including:
- Finance: Investment advice, personal finance management, tax information, etc.
- Health: Medical advice, drug information, healthy living tips, etc.
- News: Current events, political topics, science news, etc.
- Shopping: Product reviews, buying guides, online stores, etc.
- Government services: Legal information, social security benefits, etc.
- Education: University information, online courses, educational resources, etc.
Why is YMYL important?
YMYL topics are considered sensitive because inaccurate or misleading information can have significant consequences for users. Therefore, Google holds YMYL pages to a higher standard of quality and trustworthiness.
What are the key factors Google considers for YMYL pages?
- Expertise: The author or website should have demonstrable expertise in the YMYL topic.
- Authoritativeness: The author or website should be recognized as an authority in the field.
- Trustworthiness: The website should be reliable and provide accurate information.
- E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): This combines the above three factors into a single concept.
What can you do if your website or content falls under YMYL?
- Ensure your information is accurate, up-to-date, and backed by credible sources.
- Clearly state the author’s credentials and expertise in the relevant field.
- Cite your sources and evidence for any claims you make.
- Maintain a transparent and trustworthy website with clear contact information.
Remember: YMYL is not a specific product or feature of Google, but rather a framework for evaluating content quality. By adhering to the principles of YMYL, you can help ensure that your content is informative, trustworthy, and helpful to users.
