SEO IS ALL ABOUT E-A-T

As many business owners know, the struggle of wearing many hats and trying to get everything done can be…exhausting. There’s simply an endless list of things to do and only limited time to do them, so it’s easy for things to fall off the radar or drop to the bottom of the list.

This is often the case for SEO. As a major buzzword within the digital marketing space, SEO is feared by many and mastered by few, and if this acronym is totally new to you, it might sound just like another thing to add to your “maybe someday” list. The good news is, getting the hang of SEO isn't as difficult as you may imagine, and even baby steps can help you and your business grow in new ways.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. Essentially, SEO practices can increase your visibility across search engines (like Google) and help you appear in front of audiences who are actively seeking what you’re offering.

Common examples of SEO implementation include keywords (incorporating key search terms throughout your content), load time (decreasing load time creates a smoother experience), and layout (an easy-to-use website is attractive to users).

When you conduct a search using Google, you’re likely to click on links that appear near the top of the page. That’s because Google has done the work to serve up results that it knows are a good match for your search. It knows that the pages it’s pushed to the top of that list will have the answers, experience, or content you’re looking for.

Focusing on E-A-T

Hiring an SEO expert to help your business master the art of search engine optimization is always an option, though it can get pretty pricey. If you’re struggling to keep up with your competition online, though, this might be a great way for your business to get ahead.

If you aren’t quite ready to make that investment, though, or are feeling savvy enough to tackle a few SEO initiatives on your own before seeking outside help, you can start by focusing on E-A-T.

There are a number of factors that Google considers when determining the overall quality of your website, especially expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Hence: E-A-T.

Expertise

Google wants to know that you’re a subject matter expert before promoting your content to the world. They’ll consider how often you publish content relating to your industry and offerings, and how often people seek you out for this information. Positioning yourself as an expert in your industry or area of business might sound difficult, but it doesn’t have to be.

Showcase your expertise by publishing fresh content on a regular basis, including relevant details across your website, and sticking to topics that align with your niche.

Authoritativeness

Google wants to know that you have authority within your industry, and will look to see how many other reputable sites link to your site or recommend your content to others. They want to know that others rely on you or look to you for guidance and answers.

Strengthen your authority by collaborating with businesses, organizations, or news sources and aim to be recognized via direct links on their sites. This can include guest blog posts, shout outs, or mutual promotion to your audiences.

Trustworthiness

Google wants to ensure that your content can be trusted by users. Are people leaving you positive reviews, and do they continue to return over time for more information on certain subjects? Ensuring that you maintain good standing with your internet audience can heavily impact your trustworthiness online.

Highlight your trustworthiness by requesting reviews from customers and promoting the very best ones across your site. Showcase relevant awards, accolades, credentials, or certificates clearly for web visitors to see.

SEO doesn’t have to be hard

If you’re in the early stages of your SEO journey, my best advice is to not overthink it. While SEO can be a powerful tool for business success, you won’t be able to master it overnight, and certainly not if you get discouraged after 30 minutes of frantic searching for SEO tips and quick fixes.

Start by focusing on the three main components of E-A-T, and ask yourself how you can make small improvements over time in these areas in order to win Google over.

Ready to learn more about SEO?

I recommend (and have taken) HubSpot Academy’s SEO Certification Course. It’s completely free and can be completed in less than 3 hours, but includes valuable insights to help you learn the basics of SEO. Plus, it features helpful worksheets, guidance, and practical tips that you can apply to your own site right away. It’s a great way for business owners to get comfortable with SEO and implement their own strategies without overthinking it.