Gone are the days
when content in digital spaces could be posted without mentioning the reference
or source. Today, with so many websites and content present, people want to
read authentic information that is fact-based and has a touch from experts. The
digital competition in the entire Middle East is stiff, with so many businesses
pushing their websites as 'the most credible go-to place' for their target
audience in this chaos. So, what will make their websites and content reliable?
That's E-E-A-T, an acronym for
Expertise-Experience-Authoritativeness-Trustworthiness.
This sophisticated framework by Google creates a pivotal strategy for companies to gain preeminence online. How? We will shed light on that soon. But before that, we have to connect the fundamental dots of SEO in Dubai and how EEAT plays a major role in its upliftment.
EEAT In Dubai’s SEO Landscape
With nearly 72,500 millionaires living in the city as of 2024, Dubai's overall market has grown exponentially in the last few years, with billions of dollars’ worth of investment and capital. With all this, Dubai's economy is also experiencing companies entangled in a fierce battle to get the most significant share of target consumers' attention digitally.
In Dubai's fiercely competitive online marketplace, leveraging the upscale framework of EEAT would bolster businesses to gain significant momentum in the vast digital landscape. They can skillfully augment their rankings across the search engine, amplify their digital reputation, and foster robust user trust.
Implementing EEAT by provider of professional Digital marketing services in Dubai is not just another SEO trick. It's a significant approach to online establishing a company's expertise, credibility, and authoritativeness that resonates with relevant audiences and meets search engines' stringent criteria.
Websites that exhibit strong E-E-A-T principles experience up to 20% higher conversion rates, as users are more likely to trust and engage with credible and authoritative sites.
Here's an excerpt from the Google Search Central explaining it:
“Many creators are familiar with the concept of E-A-T, which is used in how we evaluate if our search ranking systems are providing helpful, relevant information…Now to better assess our results, E-A-T is gaining an E: experience…There are some situations where really what you value most is content produced by someone who has first-hand, life experience on the topic at hand…E-E-A-T — or "Double-E-A-T," if you prefer, is now part of the updated search rater guidelines we've just released…As a reminder, these guidelines are what are used by our search raters to help evaluate the performance of our various search ranking systems, and they don't directly influence ranking. They can also be useful to creators seeking to understand how to self-assess their own content to be successful in Google Search…”
In the most recent version of Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, EEAT was present 136 times among the 167 pages. SEO professionals have already understood that EEAT is indeed a key factor in earning a solid ranking in the SERPs. Google will hold brands accountable for what they publish on their websites and other platforms.
EEAT in SEO - Let’s Explore
Is EEAT a ranking factor for Google? EEAT is not a direct element of Google ranking but is a crucial factor in search engine optimization. Google aims to serve those web pages that have high EEAT signals.
EEAT is more than producing high-quality content and content marketing. The updated algorithms will look for the website's
- Core Vitals
- HTTPS
- Mobile-Friendliness
- Backlink Profiles
Another aspect of EEAT is the credibility of the website's authors. The algorithms verify this by examining the authors' proofs and sources of necessary experience, often by connecting knowledge graphs and entities from the internet.
EEAT is crucial for helping the website build its credibility and quality to fetch a higher ranking on the Google results page. High EEAT improves user trust, leading to more conversations and a more satisfying user experience on the site. So, if your website ticks the following components of EEAT, coming right up, there's a good chance for your business to soar digitally!
Dubai based digital marketing services providers unanimously opines that if top-ranking content lacks substance and fails to meet the user's search query, it will eventually lose its place with EEAT's implementation.
Impact Of Experience In SEO
With nearly 50% of mobile searches focusing on local information, the implementation of E-A-T principles can significantly enhance local SEO. This not only boosts visibility but also empowers businesses to reach users seeking local services in Dubai.
For a website to truly resonate with its audience, it must share more than just information. It should focus on sharing case studies, blogs, and articles that reflect the real-world and first-hand experience of the content creators. This approach fosters a sense of connection and engagement, making the content more relatable. Here are some tips from a trusted SEO agency in Dubai on creating E-A-T-aligned content:
- Discuss Industry Transformation—Are you an expert on a specific subject matter? Then, you must be knowledgeable of less-trodden topics and types of content. Harness this opportunity to tell people about how the industry is changing and how your services, products, and even insights will be helpful and impactful for your industry peers.
- Highlight The Lessons Learnt– Talk about a recent work or action that has helped you. For example, if you have been using AI tools to generate blog topics, write something like a case study, blog, or even a short infographic about how helpful it was for you. Share tips and tricks so that others can follow.
- Write More on Detailed Steps—If your content is practical, like 'SEO Tips,’' make sure that it contains answers like how you do it and why it should be done for a comprehensive understanding.
- Case Studies—As mentioned earlier in the points above, people love to read what they can relate to. Case studies are testaments to an organization's collaboration and achievement, and they can be useful tools for others to know about and follow.
Significance of Expertise
Demonstration of expertise is not solely about showcasing your knowledge but also about how, as an organization, you are applying that in the real world. This reflection of expertise gives value to your audience and the search engine. Here's one way to do it:
Proactive Audience Engagement– Defining your specific niche of interest or expertise in a larger field will generate more audience engagement. No, it does not involve writing about your business plan, but writing about what the audience wants to read from your industry experience is actually the point. It's crucial to understand and cater to the audience's needs. When the audience wants to read about digital marketing – they already know the basics, but what, beyond the elementary data you offer them, is counted here. The more you cater to your audience's needs, the more their interest will be in you and your website, resulting in heightened organic reach.
Authoritative Nature of Your Content
Websites with high-quality, authoritative content see up to 70% higher engagement rates.
Create a website authority by establishing your influence and credibility in your niche. This is because search engines like Google determine a page's authoritativeness with the number of backlinks you are getting and the source of backlinks you mention. With building more links (both outbound and inbound), you can indeed establish authoritativeness, harnessing the following tricks:
- Publishing Original Research– Include related statistics in your work more with hyperlinked sources. This will back your claims on the topic(s) you are covering and enrich your work with a credible outbound link.
- Give Author Bios—It is crucial to build a team page on your website and introduce your team(s) to your audience. Tell more about the author at the end or beginning of expansive writeups like blogs, articles, infographics, or SlideShare. This not only helps the search engine understand that your company and content involve real people but also makes your audience feel valued and integral to your website's credibility.
- Choose Guest Posting—Guest interviews or guest posting on popular topics in your niche is an incredible way of asserting domain authority and amplifying your brand acquaintance in the industry. These will also help your website and content earn inbound links and heighten your trust.
- Brand Mention—It's important to note that Google algorithms process links and review your brand mentions on other websites. This underlines the significance of brand mentions in establishing your website's authority.
- Showcase Affiliations—If you have relationships with recognized experts in your field, always highlight them. This boosts your brand authority significantly.
Trustworthiness of Your Brand
Trust is another crucial component of Google's EEAT framework. It is about being honest with the information in your content by being factually correct, not masking content, citing resources, or using any black-hat SEO techniques to achieve a higher ranking. But there are other areas other than content where the website must have impeccable trust signals, which are:
- Customer Reviews– Your reviews on the GMB or Google My Business Page and other review platforms directly reflect how your customers and clients have benefited from interacting with you. These reviews are crucial for Google to gauge your trustworthiness and authority. Citations and company directory enlistment further boost your credibility.
- HTTPS—Connections are insecure without SSL certifications, which is bad for your product security. If you have an online store, having HTTPS security will enable hackers to see your database containing details like user credit cards, passwords, names, etc.
- Good User Experience—A no-spammy design without frequent ads will help your website become a trustworthy platform, imbibing trust in visitors.
- Contact Details—Your website must include contact details, terms of service, privacy policy, email ID, and phone number so that you can be reached when needed.
- Updated Contents– Consistently updating your website's on-page and off-page content clearly signals to search engines that you are a legitimate business. It shows that you are not using AI-generated content to spam the web but are instead focused on providing valuable and current information to your audience.
- Social Media Linking—Link your social media accounts with your website so that Google can easily track your off-page presence, activities, and reputation.
“…if the content is created by someone with a great reputation, it makes sense for Google to rank that content higher than someone with a bad reputation since it is generally a better user experience for the searcher.” - Jennifer Slegg
How Crucial Is EEAT Actually?
A website and its related platforms influence most consumers'
purchase decisions. Hence, Google aims to eliminate misinformation and harmful,
low-quality content that mislead people. And it's not only business-oriented
content; for example,
"…77% of Americans admitted to going online to diagnose
medical symptoms."
Now imagine the horror if they mistreat themselves with
misleading information over the internet about the related issue.
Google is committed to ensuring that readers encounter accurate information supported by statistical evidence and created by subject matter experts in the field.
How To Improve E-E-A-T of Your Site
Now that we are more than halfway through covering the elemental aspects of E-E-A-T let’s explore how it can be harnessed to boost your website’s SEO:
High Authority Content Creation
Producing high-quality content is imperative. As per a study conducted by the Content Marketing Institute, nearly 72% of marketers have reported that high-quality content increases audience engagement significantly, along with trust. You have to ensure that the content you are producing is comprehensive, well-researched, and gives value to your audience. Also, as mentioned above, regularly updating the content with the latest industry trends will ensure the search engine has an authoritative human mind behind it.
Author Info Posting
Transparent author info on the website and content will boost consumer trust. The Edelman Trust Barometer reveals that 65% of consumers consider a site trustworthy when the credentials of its authors are visible and verified. The author bios must contain professional portfolios, social media profile links, and qualifications. This factor enhances the credibility and personalizes user experience significantly.
Using Credible Sources
Citing reliable data sources strengthens the validity and quality of your content. Research by Nielsen Norman Group shows that content backed by reliable sources increases user trust by 30%. Utilizing authoritative web page references, reputable news platforms, and journals reviewed by industry peers boosts the trust factor of the content.
Creating Brand Reputation
Building a robust brand reputation is crucial. A local consumer review in 2023 by BrightLocal suggests that nearly 87% of consumers read online reviews before making purchase decisions in favor of their local business. Your website will foster positive responses and reviews once you emphasize providing high-quality services with proactive audience engagement. Always encourage your satisfied clients and customers to leave a short note about their experience working with you. What if you get negative feedback? Address it promptly and in a positive tone.
Leveraging And Monitoring Positive User-Generated Content
User-generated
content is a powerful endorsement of a brand’s credibility. A 2023 study by Stackla found that 79% of
entrepreneurs agree that user-generated content impacts and highly influences the
purchase decisions of their consumers. Monitor
all the mediums and platforms where your brand is being mentioned, monitor the
positive comments and testimonials you are getting, and look for positive
reviews on your site and every social media channel of your brand. This will
build brand reliability for Google and inspire you to foster engaging
communications and build a community with satisfied customers and clients
around your brand.
Authoritative Backlinking
Gathering backlinks from authoritative websites gives signals to Google of your site’s credibility or trust factor. Ahref’s study in 2023 mentioned that 91% of online pages never get organic traffic due to a lack of proper or no backlinks. You should develop a strategic plan for backlinking by tying up with well-known industry peers, collaborating with popular sites, reaching out to industry experts for guest posting, and, last but not least – creating high-quality original contents that provide value and gain links organically.
The strategies above will enable you to significantly improve your website’s E-E-A-T by bolstering its user trust, credibility, and visibility.
Let's Know the Levels Of E-E-A-T
E-E-A-T comes in different levels, enabling brands to identify the areas of improvement and bolster the site's reputation. Here's a detailed overview:
Low E-E-A-T
Websites with low-level EEAT consist of superficial content, i.e., they lack depth and accuracy. These websites can seldom provide clarity over author information, and the sources mentioned in them are ambiguous, too. As the contents lack depth, in the long run, they lead to low trust factor and engagement. These websites have little to no influence at all and do not gain a higher rank online.
Lacking E-E-A-T
Websites lacking E-E-A-T may offer relatable information aligned with search queries but lack trust factors and expertise. The content may be partially accurate but lacks authoritative backing or all-inclusive detail. The author's credentials will also be missing or present inadequately, and the websites cite uncertain sources. These factors together hinder the website's ability to establish authority and credibility within its niche.
High level of E-E-A-T
Websites with high E-A-T levels Demonstrate robust authority and expertise, as evidenced by their detailed, factually accurate, and thoroughly researched content. Authored by recognized experts with clear credentials and years of experience, these websites use credible sources and proper citations, earning the trust of users. As a result, they perform well in organic search and achieve higher search engine rankings. Their high-quality content also leads to increased user retention and engagement rates.
Very high level of E-E-A-T
Websites with high-level E-E-A-T invariably produce accurate, well-researched, high-quality content that credentialed industry experts author. Other reliable and popular sites often cite the websites. The author bios are transparent and detailed, reinforcing readers' trust. Comprehensive referring and using facts from top-tier websites solidify their trust factor and authority further. The websites enjoy top ranks in search engines, reader/user loyalty, and high user engagement due to their expertise and reliability.
Risk Of Creating Fake E-E-A-T
To enhance their online presence, many websites artificially inflate their E-E-A-T factors. However, this malpractice is followed by long-lasting negative consequences. Maintaining a clean, credible, and genuine reputation online is imperative to surviving the competition. Here's what can happen if entrepreneurs take the risky shortcut:
- De-indexing and drop in search ranking that reduce visibility and organic traffic.
- Using unverified endorsements and false author bios is not just unethical; it is considered fraudulent. This could lead to legal entanglements on the website. It's a stark reminder that we, as website owners, need to be vigilant and honest in our practices.
- Low engagement and high bounce rate metrics signal to the search engine that the website is not valuable, hampering its performance.
- Using false information and shortcuts might boost the website rank, but it'll be short-lived.
How do you evaluate E-E-A-T of your content?
Evaluating your website's E-E-A-T ensures that it aligns with the high standards for top ranking and credibility-building. Here's a detailed guide to achieving excellence in the following aspects:
How To Achieve Excellence In Technology
The website's content must demonstrate a deep understanding of advanced innovations to excel in technological aspects. This element also includes staying up-to-date with the best practices, tools, and latest trends. Incorporating technical analyses, case studies, and industry-expert opinions will make the website more proficient. Using interactive elements, high-quality visuals, and various forms of multimedia will enhance the depth and engagement of your content.
How To Achieve Quality And Relevancy Through Content Curation
Relevance and quality can be achieved through curating content that meet specific needs (of information) of the target audience. Identify factual gaps in your content and update them routinely with every change in trend, showing that you are proactive and responsive. Harness the findings of data analytics for understanding user preferences and audience behavior, create content that are informative as well as actionable.
How To Exert Expertise Through Your Content
To make content exert its expertise, it’s imperative to be authored by subject matter experts with proven experience and credentials, showcasing their affiliations, professional achievements, and qualifications. Incorporate in-depth analyses that are backed by reliable sources and even examples from the real world. By offering these unique insights, unlike other industry peers, your content can become the go-to resource for the target audience. Remember, being consistent (with quality and quantity) is the key.
How To Make Your Content Authoritative
Authority in content is built through backing by credible resources, reliability, and consistency. Make sure that your content is properly researched and references are cited from expert interviews, industry reports, and academic journals. Collaboration with industry leaders and influencers encourages higher engagement rates and more backlinking in your content.
How To Make Your Content Trustworthy
Being transparent about the process of content creation, including mentioning detailed author bios, maintaining an open line of communication with the target audience, encouraging user feedbacks and promptly responding to queries, is the cornerstone of building trust. This approach will make your audience feel secure and confident in your brand and its content. Ensure that your website is secure, free from misinformation and intrusive ads.
Schema Markup To Improve E-E-A-T
Sometimes, it becomes critical for search engines to identify a page's defined entities. Since schema markups structure data, they signal the page's proper alignment with the E-E-A-T factors to search engines.
Improving the E-E-A-T of the website means sharing the maximum information possible to the search engine of your brand contents' E-E-A-T alignment to build a strong authority by incorporating relevant schema types. Here are the types of Schema Markups used predominantly in improving the website E-E-A-T:
Organization Schema
Organization schema enables search engines to comprehend detailed information about the business to be sure of its authority and credibility. The schema implementation allows the webpage to display details like social media links, contact information, logo, company name, etc. This schema fosters transparency and informs your business website to be legitimate. Here's an example code for this HTML-based schema code, which will help you understand its pattern/style:
Author Schema
Author schema markup is crucial for showcasing the credibility of your content authors and creators. This markup links the content with the author's profiles – which is perceived as a trustworthy factor for your website. You can also include author bios, social profiles, images, and credentials. Here's the example code:
Review Schema
Review
schema markup will allow you to showcase user-generated ratings and reviews –
eventually building authority and trust. The schema lets you display review
snippets from search results and star ratings, thus bolstering your content
credibility. Original and genuine reviews demonstrate user satisfaction and
transparency. Here’s the example code:
We believe these schema markups will significantly enhance your website's E-E-A-T, building a solid foundation for your business's authority and trust in Dubai's crowded digital economy. You can even choose an SEO agency in Dubai because a professional touch in EEAT optimization will ensure that you take every step ideally.
Local Citation Schema
Local business schema is crucial for businesses that are targeting specific areas. This schema gives detailed information about the local business’s functioning hours, phone number, address, etc. Incorporating this schema improves local SEO and makes business easily discoverable and trustworthy for local customers. Example code:
Conclusion
With the strategic implementation of the EEAT framework, Dubai-based businesses can optimize their presence in the vast digital economy by building robust user trust and improving search engine rankings. Incorporating these SEO practices to strengthen the E-E-A-T factors will establish their online authority and credibility. As an entrepreneur, focus on building genuine content that fosters trust and stands out in the digital crowd. Want to optimize your website and content with EEAT as well?
We at Proquantic, a Dubai based SEO agency, have years of experience in serving our clients globally with tailored digital marketing strategies for success. We proudly have a team of experts who deliver comprehensive EEAT optimization services to many businesses in Dubai to help them navigate market changes and challenges. With our strategies by your side, your website is aligned with every aspect of Google’s Page Experience update so that your website gets better visibility with heightened user satisfaction.
