With the recent Google Core Algorithm Update, our team is working hard to help our clients gain more E-A-T (Expertise — Authority — Trustworthiness) on their websites.
Here are five basic things we are working on that you can easily copy for your website today:
1) Add author name and bio to blogs
Review all old blog posts and add the Author’s Name if they are missing. Ideally, you are also adding a short author bio describing what makes them an expert, as well as links to the author’s major online social profiles, websites, and accreditations.
Why?
Google wants to know who wrote the post because normally credible content is created by experts who have a track record of writing content in their space.
I am not certain if Google and other search engines are doing this already, but I imagine they are building an index of known authors and their space of expertise. Eventually, authors who have built up enough credibility in a niche will have an easier time ranking higher with future posts, much like “topical relevance” works for domains right now.
2) Add facts, stats, and references
Review your content and ensure that your posts are reinforced with ample links to facts, stats, and references. Adding external links to value-added material is likely to improve your E-A-T, help Google better understand your content, as well as delight your visitors.
Why?
Generally speaking, well-researched content tends to be more credible than the alternative. Hence, Google wants to see that you are doing your homework before hitting publish. This means adding stats from authority sources, referencing other’s work you might be using, and providing next steps or opportunities for the audience to learn more once they are done reading your post.
3) Share your content on social media
Make sure you are taking advantage of content distribution channels like social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to share your work with others. Even though the jury is still out on whether or not Google is influenced by social media, it’s clear that Google is crawling YouTube and Twitter and displaying content from these sites on the SERPs (search engine results page).
Why?
This one is more of a hunch, but I assume that if Google can crawl and feature social media content in its SERPs (search engine results page), it can also detect content that has performed well on those platforms and give it more credibility than another piece of content that got less traction. The engagement on those platforms might end up earning you higher rankings and more traffic from search engines.
4) Include content summaries
Revisit your blogs, especially the longer ones, and add short summaries or TL;DR at the top of the posts so people can get the gist without having to read it all the way through. Make sure you are showcasing the intent or reason for writing the post and what problem the post aims to solve.
Why?
The fact of the matter is that the vast amount of people landing on your website from search engines are vetting many results at once and are therefore just looking to validate their need is being addressed before investing more time. Having a summary at the beginning of your post allows visitors to quickly pick up on key points before they read it. This might contribute to your post being deemed more trustworthy and user-friendly.
5) Get you’re content reviewed or co-written by experts
Revisit your old posts, especially the technical ones, and get them reviewed by an expert. Also, create a process in which most or all your new posts are being reviewed or co-written by experts before publishing.
For best results, get the experts involved as early in the writing process as possible. Use websites like Expertise Finder, FollowerWonk, Ninja Outreach, and others to connect with experts. Then, have your writers interview the experts or hire the experts directly to write the post with your direction.
Websites like Upwork are also good places to find expert writers that specialize in health care, technology, finance, and much more. Personally, I have hired Doctors, Engineers, and Product Managers in the past to help with content for my clients.
Why?
General writers and marketers can try their best to capture all the fine details when writing a post about complex topics but having an expert review before publishing can go a long way in adding to the expertise and authority of the post.
Whether it’s fixing factual inconsistencies, adding industry lingo (aka LSI keywords), or sourcing stats and value-added resources, an expert’s time can compound the overall SEO impact. Lastly, if the expert who is reviewing or co-writing your post has authority built up in the space, mentioning the article was reviewed or written by them can add instant credibility.
Those are just five of the many optimizations my team and I are actively implementing on our clients’ websites. By complying with what Google is telling us with this update, we are ensuring our clients get to grow their organic traffic for years to come.
Want my team and I to look at your website and make sure it’s up to par with the update? Direct message me on Linkedin or visit my website to learn more about our services.