Have you noticed a change in your websites traffic or leads for better or worse? It’s possible Google’s algorithm update in March impacted your website.
Google’s latest algorithm update continues to place emphasis on demonstrating Expertise, Authority and Trust (E-A-T) across your web materials. Their August 2018 algorithm update deemed Medic also focused heavily on E-A-T factors. And for sites deemed YMYL (your money or your life), E-A-T is becoming increasingly more important in order to achieve high organic rankings.
What was the March Update. Who was Affected?
Google updates their algorithm on a very regular basis. In fact, they stated on Twitter that “each day, Google usually releases one or more changes designed to improve our results. Some are focused around specific improvements. Some are broad changes.”
In mid-March Google rolled out a Broad Core Algorithm update that has fluctuated rankings and search visibility positively and negatively for YMYL sites and similar sites. The sites hit hardest with the new algorithm update were in the health / medical / wellness space.
While Google hasn’t provided any guidance on what has changed, which is not unusual, data from SEO researches indicate that Google is continuing their efforts to reward sites that adhere to its Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness (E-A-T) guidelines especially for YMYL sites.
Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) Sites
According to Google, YMYL sites are ones that include content that can affect someone’s health, happiness, safety or financial stability. Google demands high quality rating standards for YMYL pages because bad information could hurt people physically, financially or emotionally.
For local businesses this would include businesses in medical / health, finance and legal with medical/health sites impacted the most. While all businesses need to focus on E-A-T factors, sites that fall into YMYL will suffer the most if they do not make this a major focus.
What is E-A-T and Why It Matters
E-A-T stands for expertise, authority and trust. Google uses this shorthand in its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines which are what people use to manually review pages for Google use. These are the 3 most important characteristics for Google to deem your content high-quality. They reflect Google’s initiative to provide more credible content in the search results especially for sites classified as YMYL. In order to rank high in organic search results, you must meet the requirements for a good E-A-T rating.
How to Recover Lost Rankings and Improve Your E-A-T Rating
There are over 200 factors Google uses in its algorithm making SEO extremely complicated. Not to mention the fact that its constantly evolving as Google rolls out hundreds of updates each year.
They make it complicated and update it often to ensure that they are providing users with the best experience possible. This keeps users coming back to Google which allows them to monetize through ads.
So, how do you influence Google to rank your site higher?
There’s no quick fix when it comes to ranking higher on Google. Anyone who tells you otherwise is using black hat SEO tactics which get quick results but puts your website at risk with Google. Black hat tactics get fast results but when Google catches on it means some big penalties for anyone using those tactics.
Use these E-A-T SEO best practices to positively influence your organic rankings.
The recommendations below focus on improving your expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. There are over 200 factors influencing your ranking so this is not a comprehensive list of everything you need to do simply ones that help your E-A-T.
It’s important that you focus on all three pieces. For example, you can be considered an expert in your field but not an authority.
Showcase Certifications, Organizational Logos and Awards
One way to help prove you are an expert in your field is to showcase certifications and organizational logos. On your home and about pages, showcase any certifications you have received, any organizational logos you are a part of and awards you or your business have earned.
Mention Degrees and Credentials
Include profiles about team members detailing not only certifications but degrees and credentials. If you have a M.D. or D.D.S or Ph.D. next to your name use it. Most people only mention these on the About page for the doctor or dentist but nowhere else. Your credentials help position you as an expert in your field – use them to your advantage.
Include an Author Bio in Content
At the end of blog posts, articles and in the description field on YouTube include an author bio that showcases your qualifications as a subject-matter expert.
Cite Authoritative Sources
Use proper attribution for information gathered from notable, trusted sources such as medical journals or government sites. Link to the source with appropriate anchor text to make it easy to visit the original source. You can also include this information as a reference section at the end of your content.
Highlight and Build Proof of Authority
One of the most common ways to build authority is getting a lot of positive reviews in multiple places. Google, Yelp, Facebook and your website are the top three sites to focus on generating positive reviews. I’d recommend focusing on written reviews for third party sites and video testimonials for your website.
But there are other ways you need to build your authority such as speaking at industry-relevant conferences and being quoted on local or national media outlets. For YMYL sites, content authors need to have personal citations on relevant, authority sites. Be a resource for journalists to get more citations. One way to do this – sign up as a source on HARO (help a reporter out). Then respond to journalists who are looking for sources on your areas of expertise.
Secure Your Site with HTTPs.
User security is a major priority for Google which is why they push for sites to get SSL certified. Not only is this now a ranking factor but Google Chrome shows all non-HTTPs sites as insecure – a clear indication of how much Google values the privacy of its users. If your site has not been updated to HTTPs make it a priority in the next week.
Create Quality Content.
First, remove or revise the current on your website that does not fit E-A-T guidelines. If you have any duplicate content on your site remove it. If you have someone creating content on your behalf, ask if they create custom content. You’d be surprised to learn how many SEO companies repurpose content for all their clients to keep their costs low.
Focus on creating quality content that is engaging, factually accurate and covers the topic thoroughly. When possible, include links to authority sources to back up facts in your content. Honestly, this piece of advice is nothing new as quality content has always been of importance to Google. Now you need to make sure it is factually accurate, has cited sources that were used to write the content and includes an author bio.
Refine Your About Page.
The most logical place on your site to demonstrate your expertise, authority and trust is the About page. Section 4.3 of Google’s Search Quality Evaluation Guidelines tells raters that websites should have an About page that makes clear who is responsible for the information on the site.
So, what should you include on your About page?
- Company name
- Address
- Mission and goals of the site/business
- Professional credentials
- Press coverage
- Awards
- Years of experience
- Relevant organizations / associations you are part of
- Anything else that showcases your qualifications
If you don’t have press coverage, awards or associations you belong to then make these a primary focus of 2019.
Focus on High Quality Backlinks.
Getting high quality, relevant backlinks to your site is nothing new when it comes to SEO but it is worth noting as it continues to retain its importance in ranking. Focus on quality over quantity and refrain from backlinks through blog comments and public blog networks (PBNs which some SEO companies use to acquire a high volume of backlinks). Conduct an analysis of your current backlinks and disavow any that are harmful.
Utilize Schema Markup.
Schema markup helps search engines better understand your content. There are a lot of types of schema markup you can use on your site including one to indicate each person, their qualifications, expertise and more. There are hundreds of markup types that you can use to boost your organic rankings.
Final Thoughts.
There is no shortcut to building expertise, authority and trust. It takes time and a complex SEO strategy utilizing multiple methods such as content creation, link building, social media marketing, and technical site optimizations like Schema. It’s not wise to try and manipulate Google. Black SEO strategies are known for this and while they can get an increase in rankings quickly eventually Google catches on and smacks those sites down.
Google always finds new ways to update their algorithm. And the sites that reap the rewards in the long run are the ones who adhere to their best practices.
Have questions or concerns about the algorithm update? Want to know if the latest algorithm updates hurt your rankings? Leave a comment below and let’s talk. Or get in touch via the Contact form.
Reference Articles
Want to learn more about the latest Google algorithm update. Check out the articles below that were used as reference for this post.
Haynes, Marie. “E-A-T and SEO.” Marie Haynes Consulting, February 19, 2019.
https://www.mariehaynes.com/eat/
Thekkethil, Dileep. “Google Algorithm Update 2019: How to Recover Sites Affected by March 2019 Core Update.” StanVentures, March 15, 2019.
Montti, Roger. “Data Confirms Why Google March 2019 Update Feels Like a Rollback.” Search Engine Journal, March 16, 2019.
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-update-rollback/298647/