Why does Google exist? The 25-year-old most popular search engine with a staggering 99,000 search queries every second and more than 90% of search share fundamentally exists to offer helpful, relevant information that satisfies user queries of a diverse audience. Its emphasis on quality results that follow its E-E-A-T guidelines ensures that only the most reliable and experience-backed content ranks on the first page. This blog will focus the spotlight on the trustworthiness factor in EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) and how it can leveraged to create brand trust.
Before we explore
how creating content people can rely on boosts brand trust and how we can
achieve it, let’s quickly understand a bit about brand trust and how it linked
to SEO.
What is brand trust?
Trust
precedes loyalty. And loyal customers stick around and form the core business
revenue. Businesses with brand ambitions are careful not to deviate from their
brand messaging and disturb their loyal following. But before companies can
claim to have arrived at such a defining stage, they must earn the trust of their
customers.
Brand trust is the degree of faith and loyalty customers have in a business and their strong belief in its promise to deliver. It’s an abstract concept on the surface, signifying an emotional connection with brands but a key factor in why a customer chooses a specific brand over others.
With comprehensive digital access today, customers quickly elevate or dismiss businesses that fail to meet their standards. Surveys suggest that Gen Z and millennials are are usually more distrusting of the average brand.
SEO-optimized content and brand-building
We at Proquantic see SEO and brand building as inextricably linked. SEO is not only about pushing a business up the SERPs. Beyond the obvious, as businesses grow from little-known companies to widely visible organizations, consciously creating brand awareness and nurturing it with a clear strategy acts as the foundational element. SEO needs to be seen in totality, not simply as a unilateral effort to increase organic traffic for the business.
It starts from understanding the brand name and SEO nexus to charting a clear digital marketing strategy as businesses expand. Look at the example below of why and how you should coin your brand name, keeping SEO in mind.
Today, digital brand management is helping small businesses leverage SEO for visibility, reach, and sales at a fraction of the cost big brands splurge. Businesses with brand ambitions today leverage professional SEO services to build their online presence.
Crafting quality content to build brand trust
Creating
high-quality content is key to building brand trust. Before we take a closer
look, it must be mentioned that trustworthiness is the core concept
defined in Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines. The other three
factors that make the acronym EEAT- experience, expertise, and authority are
the parameters that the reviewers look for in your content to assess trust
level.
Why it such a
big thing? Consider a situation when someone might be frantically looking for
help during a medical emergency. The information Google offers during this
critical moment must be trustworthy.
Is EEAT a
ranking factor? Not directly in Google’s ranking algorithm, but having pages
with strong EEAT increases your chances of ranking higher because you follow
all the content guidelines mandated by Google. So, how do you create quality
content?
Producing research-based content
Consider a website that sells products and deals with fat loss techniques. It's a Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topic, which means an area that affects the user's well-being. What would make people read the content and trust it? Only if the website can provide credible proof, verifiable information from trusted sources, and statistics to back up the success of its results.
People
naturally gravitate towards research-based content that is backed by facts and
data. This signifies transparency and underscores your brand's commitment to
delivering relevant and accurate content, a practice that Google rewards. You
can bolster your brand's trustworthiness by featuring insights from industry
experts, real-life examples, and credible content in various formats.
Comprehensive discussions
There’s a
deluge of information on the internet. And the repetitiveness brings no good to
businesses. How do you ensure your brand becomes the go-to address for any
information on the niche? It’s when you go beyond the surface-level
information. Create unique discussions about new topics, trends, and solutions
through articles, podcasts, or videos.
Explore topics from various angles, inviting your customers to be part of the
discussion. Doing so makes your customers feel they are part of your growth
story. Brand trust is about your brand’s ability to strike meaningful
conversations and build sustained relationships.
Uniqueness of content
The value of
unique content is supreme. It sets you apart from your competitors, helping you
carve your brand's niche. Creating unique content may take time, but you earn a
loyal following over time. Constantly work on your content to align it with
customer preferences.
In the age of
personalization, share personal experiences, case studies, and background
stories about your product that resonate with your audience. Make it visually
engaging. Your consistent brand voice through unique content will ultimately
position you as a thought leader.
Transparent language increases brand trust
Language is
undeniably the bridge between you and your customers. Whether it’s your
salesman on the floor or the periodic communication you send out to your
customers via emails. Also, communicating effectively becomes all the more
critical if your business only has an online presence. It’s the very pulse of
marketing. Most big brands have got it right each time. Getting it right is
crucial to building as well as maintaining trust. How do you get there?
Avoiding jargon
Avoid
overwhelming your audience with complex terminologies and industry jargon
unless you are dealing with a niche audience. If your messaging is right, audiences are more likely to trust your brand and come back for
more. Using a simple tone indicates that you are trying to communicate at their
level, making the whole interaction relatable.
Honest Writing Tone
This is again
linked to the element of creating unique content. What happens when we use an
honest writing tone throughout our content? It conveys your brand’s authentic
voice and values.
Audiences are
quick to dismiss brands with outlandish claims and hyperbole. Avoiding exaggerated claims positions your brand as genuine. Adhering to honesty means humbly acknowledging mistakes as they occur and showcasing your commitment to improvement. The other side is setting realistic expectations and fulfilling
them.
Displaying expertise to gain brand trust
People are
more likely to take up a suggestion from someone of expertise. Similarly,
businesses win customers by showcasing their expertise. Suppose an article on
"financial investments in the age of blockchain" on your business
website comes from a financial expert or head of a financial institution. In
that case, visitors are more likely to read and share it.
Relevant case studies & testimonials
Showcase how
your ideas, solutions, or services drive credible results. Case studies serve
as a repository of your products or services, which have successfully addressed
specific challenges clients face.
Use visual
elements, such as before-and-after data, graphs and charts, and challenges, to make the case
study engaging. A neatly published case study on your business website attracts
the right audience and illustrates your expertise, motivating clients to
contact you for similar services.
Collect
testimonials from clients you have served and package them authentically to showcase the length and breadth of your expertise. Be transparent. Allow visitors to leave reviews and testimonials. Good feedback will help you win more customers. You should have clear policies to deal with negative feedback.
Writing credible author bio and mentioning press publications
Display a
well-crafted author bio for the blog section or when you publish white papers.
Adding a personal touch makes both the write-up and the bio more relatable for
visitors. It could also include brief personal story or motivation.
People love
the human element in brands. Leverage the power of good press. If your brand
has been featured in leading magazines and media outlets or created a success
story in customer service worth emulating, don’t miss out on showing it off on
your pages. People are naturally inclined to believe media outlets.
Valuing fresher content
Consumers
expect brands to provide up-to-date, relevant, and accurate information with
all information on the go. How do you keep your content updated? Create a
review schedule and adhere to it. Since the first publication, data, facts,
stats would have changed. Tune it after reviewing. You can also repurpose your
old content and repackage it for visibility.
Focus on current trends and topics
Are you
picking up topics people are searching for most? By keeping yourself updated
with the latest trends and developments in your industry, you are well-equipped
to offer practical insights. There are various tools, such as Google Trends and
smart keyword research options, to identify popular subjects.
Optimizing user experience
Customers and
the audience are pretty unforgiving nowadays. The demand for better user
experience is not misplaced. If you are not offering it, your competitor
definitely will. User experience (UX) is the focus area in building brand
trust.
People like
easy navigation. If your website offers seamless navigation, easy checkouts,
and query resolutions just at the right time when they want it, it’s a clear
win. How do we achieve it to secure brand trust?
Fast-loading web pages
Speed
matters! Fast-loading pages are synonymous with good user experience, which
translates into increased user engagement and ad conversions. They also convey
professionalism and a customer-centric approach, building brand loyalty.
Slow-loading
pages are a double-edged sword. Users not only leave your site within seconds
but also spread negative reviews about the experience. Above all, Google
considers page speed a ranking factor.
How to achieve it? There are a host of techniques. We mention a few of them here. Optimize images by compression without losing quality. Minimize HTTP requests and enable browser caching. It is important for you as business owners to know how to optimise your website.
Mobile-Friendly Design
The number of mobile users accessing the internet today has vastly outnumbered desktop users. Half of the internet traffic comes through mobile users, and 60%
of all e-commerce sales in 2024 will come from mobile users. The stats,
shifting consumer trends, and Google’s mobile-first indexing all underscore the
importance of mobile-first design in creating brand trust.
Implement
these if you haven’t. Ensure your website in its current form perfectly adapts
to different screen sizes and resolutions. But it's not just about
adaptability. Declutter and make sure to place easy-to-tap buttons.
Opt for
intuitive layouts that enhance user experience and increase user engagement.
Make it a habit to test your website often across various devices for
consistent performance and design.
Implement Easy Navigation
You want
users to stay on your page longer. The best experience comes from easy
navigation and zero frustration. Users can quickly find what they are looking
for. Also, clear and logical structuring improves the site's crawlability and
indexation by search engines.
When it comes
to simplifying navigation, consider these tips. Organizing content into
clear categories and subcategories is a good start. But don't forget about the
breadcrumb- a powerful secondary navigation aid that can significantly enhance
the customer experience. And, of course, a search bar is a must for helping
users find information quickly.
Business practice transparency
Transparent
business practices is the reason why some brands have risen to the top. You win
customer trust by showcasing what the business does and how it does it. When
companies are non-secretive about their methods and business policies,
businesses come across as reliable and trustworthy.
Everlane, a
clothing company, is a good example. Its website provides all the information customers need to know about its factories, production processes, and pricing. The company's transparent pricing model further helped it build a solid
customer base.
Privacy policy that builds brand trust
With the rise
of sophisticated data aggregation tools that enhance a business's ability to
collect, analyze, and visualize customer data, customers acknowledge the
vulnerability they face. Customers want to know how their data is collected,
used, and protected—businesses that respect data privacy and outline a clear
and comprehensive privacy policy stand to gain brand trust. People make a
beeline for Apple products because the brand's core messaging is "We care
about your privacy."
Sharing business values- the pivot of brand trust
People's
brand affinity stems from a certain resonance, sharing common beliefs, and how
the brand finds its place in daily life. For example, even before the age of digital marketing and online reach, Patagonia, an outdoor clothing and gear brand, didn't bother jeopardizing its sales by championing the cause of
sustainability by launching the "Don't Buy This Jacket" campaign.
It reminded
the customers not to buy their products without thinking about the environment.
The message of reduce, reuse, and recycle was an instant hit, as people could
identify with the universal message.
Maintaining Cross-Platform Consistency
In 2024, with
buying, selling, and everything else going digital, big or small businesses must have a good presence across different marketing platforms and social media channels. It is important to be seen and talked about. Take your business to your target audience. Most platforms, such as Meta, Instagram, YouTube, and even professional ones like LinkedIn, help create a solid visual identity.
Consistent brand voice boosts brand trust
The
consistent brand messaging comes from a careful reading of the target audience.
It’s easy for people to identify with brands and connect deeper when they find
it has a specific personality and tone. It remains undiluted across all the
marketing channels.
The starting
point for those who want to build their brands is to define your brand
personality and why it’s different from others in the niche. To maintain
consistency, you should develop brand guidelines to be adhered to across all
channels.
Visual branding impact on brand trust
Visual
branding covers all the visual elements customers interact with and is consciously displayed by the company as part of its brand strategy. Visuals are a powerful medium for creating brand recognition, distinguishing from others, creating memorable memories, increasing sales, and unifying the
internal team.
Think of Airbnb’s visual branding. It
encourages people to live an active life and uses the imagery of people,
places, and the moments they create by using their services.
Deciding one’s brand voice
To help you identify what your brand wants to say, here is a list of questions you can try answering as a business owner. Use the answers to craft a clear digital
branding strategy around your product and services.
What core values does your brand represent?
Who is your target audience, and what are their pain points?
What sets your brand apart from competitors?
How do you want customers to feel when they interact with your brand?
What problems does your product or service solve?
What tone or voice best reflects your brand’s personality?
What long-term goals do you want your brand messaging to achieve?
Answering
these questions will help clarify the message your brand needs to communicate
consistently across all channels.
How can Proquantic help?
Creating a
clear brand strategy is the first step towards the long road to building brand
trust. Our digital marketers, SEO experts, and content marketing team have
helped small and medium-sized businesses dominate the SERPs with trustworthy
SEO-optimized content following the EEAT principles that showcase your true
brand voice. Reach out to Proqunatic to discuss how we can do it for you!
