Google and EAT for Small Business
Just when you start to think that you’ve got a handle on what makes Google happy … you know, keywords, links and all that stuff that the scammers who want to sell you search engine optimisation tout … Google goes and throws an acronym into the mix just to disrupt things.
EAT … or more correctly, E.A.T. … is an acronym for Expertise, Authority and Trust and that’s something that Google wants to see on the websites that it shows to the people who trust Google to show them the sites that are right for them.
Is EAT for small business?
Now I should say here that there are some experts who will tell you that EAT is not important for every website … they suggest that the only sites where EAT comes into play as any sort of factor is in what is often referred to as YMYL websites.
Yes, another acronym and this one stands for Your Money Your Life and these are sites that offer things like health advice and investment advice.
So you’re off the hook? Even if you’re website isn’t a YMYL website then don’t run away just yet because I think that there’s a bit more to this story.
Yes, I am sure that Google does apply EAT to YMYL websites but I’ve also seen enough “evidence” to make me think that EAT can also be applied to ordinary small business websites and, even if Google isn’t thinking about EAT for your website, then your customers or clients probably are … subconsciously.
So what exactly is Google looking for on your business’ website when it comes to EAT?
Expertise
When it comes to expertise how much have you to say on your website about your experience. For example, if you run a light engineering business specialising in custom-build vehicle bodies what does your website say about your past experience?
Does your website talk about previous projects, do you display images of the vehicle bodies you have previously built and do you talk about how those bodies met the design criteria?
Authority
Are you, or your business, recognised as an authority in the industry that you’re working in?
Are you or your website mentioned on industry sites or in industry journals?
Are you displaying genuine signs of membership in industry bodies and are you affiliated with other groups within your industry?
Trust
This one is a little different to the others because there are some aspects of Trust that most people may not even notice … and in some instances can’t even see … but Google can.
For example, does your website have an SSL certificate associated with the domain name?
Does your website have security headers to protect visitors?
This is one of those things that visitors to your site won’t even see but before too much longer it will be right up there with the need to have an SSL certificate.
Conclusion
Is EAT a ranking factor for your website?
Google says that it isn’t a direct ranking factor. Do I believe Google? Not entirely because Google has been known to tell untruths and there are times when it’s right hand doesn’t know what it’s left hand is doing.
And some of those EAT factors are going to impress you potential customers and clients so …
It won’t hurt to make sure that you have the E.A.T. bases on your website covered.