We love to talk about the best ways to improve your rankings, which is why today we are going to cover a popular buzzword that can help you get your site to reach your ideal client. Better yet, understanding how to excel in each of these aspects will help you to create high-quality content regardless of what your therapeutic specialty may be! Regardless of what your site is like, this blog will have helpful info! So, without further ado, let’s learn about EAT!

What does E.A.T Stand For?

E.A.T stands for Expertise, Authority (Authoritativeness), and Trust (Trustworthiness). In the past few years, this has become a vital ranking factor in the eyes of Google. In fact, it is one of the top three ranking factors in determining the quality of a page. Google determines the quality of a page based on the level of expertise you have on the topic, how you show your credentials, and how much trust Google (and clients) have in your site. For the sake of this post, we will focus only on the mental health field. But, it should be noted that E.A.T is an invaluable ranking factor regardless of the focus of your site. In short, we as humans must eat to survive, and the same goes for your website!

As a result, it becomes vital to understand how you can communicate each of these pillars to Google, and what can be done to improve your E.A.T with Google. But, we should first cover the number one question you likely have. 

Why is E.A.T Important?

This ties to Google’s main goal of providing the best user experience that helps users find high-quality content that can answer whatever their query may be. This may come in the form of finding services that meet their needs, providing answers to commonly asked questions, or offering helpful information on a topic, just to name a few. If you can provide a great user experience while also incorporating E.A.T, you are well on your way to creating the high-quality content that Google wants to see in the search results! Since people are looking for so many different things, incorporating E.A.T across your site can manifest in a variety of ways. 

Let’s Use A Depression Therapy Page as an Example

For someone to reach this page, they are likely looking for depression therapy, and wish to learn more about the service. As a result, you’ll want to include your credentials, info about what to expect from therapy, and your personal approach. By doing so, you are showing that you are qualified to offer this service, thus helping establish yourself as an expert on the topic. Google will love to see this, but expertise is only one factor.

For something like a blog post, incorporating E.A.T may look a bit different. If the post is centered around a more personal account of one’s experience with depression, it may not be necessary or appropriate to shoehorn in how you’re an expert on the topic. Instead, this could be used as an opportunity to connect with readers on a more human level and help establish trust.

How Can I Improve My Site’s E.A.T?

There are a variety of ways to accomplish this, which I will cover in just a bit. But, a good starting point is this: focus on creating content for the user, not Google. We often talk about the importance of optimizing for Google, but this has to be done with nuance. If you are only creating content to try and rank better on Google, you likely aren’t taking the user experience into account. If visitors to your site aren’t finding the results they need, they will likely look elsewhere. So, all the work you’ve done to improve your E.A.T may not be seen by anyone! 

Google itself even outlines this in its webmaster guidelines to make pages primarily for users, not search engines. Ask yourself if the content you’re creating will actually help Google in offering high-quality answers to those searching for them. If your site does, well done! If not, don’t worry, we are going to cover each pillar of E.A.T individually, and suggest some ways you can improve them!

Expertise

As mentioned earlier, expertise involves having the experience necessary to offer the solutions or services that you offer. Many therapists already have a great amount of expertise, otherwise, they wouldn’t be allowed to offer their services! But, it is still vital to showcase what training you have that enables you to offer your services. You’ve done a lot to make it to this point, so feel free to brag about your accomplishments a bit! 

When it comes to content, you can also improve your expertise by creating content your target audience is searching for. As previously stated, offering solutions that meet (and exceed) what visitors are looking for can go a long way in helping to establish yourself as an expert on a topic. 

Authority

This is similar to expertise but differs in a few ways. Becoming an expert is important, but how you communicate that expertise matters as well. Authoritativeness involves how you show that you are an expert to outside sources. In short, it’s how Google ensures that other sites also see you as an expert. This can be accomplished in a number of ways including backlinks from other reputable websites, positive reviews on Yelp, and mentions from other authoritative sources. Improving your site’s authority can be done with a variety of tools as well. Things like the Moz Domain Authority can help you view the progress you’re making, and the current authority level of your site. Tools such as these can show you where there is room for improvement, and help you to do so. 

Trust

Finally, we have trustworthiness. Google wants to ensure that visitors feel safe when visiting a site. So, they prioritize sites without spammy/scammy elements and seek content that offers trustworthy accurate information. This is another reason why user experience is so vital. If a visitor can’t easily navigate your site and find the answers they are looking for, they may not feel comfortable enough to continue learning about your services. 

Improving your site’s trust can be done in a variety of ways. This can range from responding to reviews in a timely, appropriate fashion, or establishing and growing a brand. This is a great way to show how you are an expert on a topic, and what populations you are hoping to assist. Another way to improve trustworthiness is by providing testimonials from satisfied clients or mentions from other established websites, therapists, etc.

Final Thoughts

Learning to include E.A.T across your site may sound like a very big ask, but the rewards are worth the work. Taking the time to reflect on how you can come across as a trusted, recognized expert on a topic will serve you well in the long term, and help your site continue to rank well as Google continues to change. 

Begin SEO Services with Simplified SEO Consulting

You don’t have to E.A.T all by yourself! Our team of SEO specialists is trained in recognizing ranking factors such as this and keeping up with the ever-evolving nature of Google. We would be happy to offer support in helping your site climb the Google rankings. To start SEO services with Simplified SEO Consulting, please follow these simple steps:

1. Book a free consultation
2. Meet with an SEO specialist
3. Start rising in the Google rankings!

Other Services Offered with Simplified SEO Consulting

Our team offers a variety of SEO services to support your unique practice. These include our DIY Online SEO Courses, Done For You SEO services, and a Done With You 12-week intensive SEO program. Please visit our blog to learn more!

About the Author

Sterling Humburg-Cage graduated from the University of Missouri with a BA in Psychology in 2020. He integrates what he learned in school into his work as an SEO Specialist with Simplified SEO Consulting. Sterling prides himself on helping current clients & alumni problems solve difficult SEO issues.  He’s great at giving clients multiple options about how to approach a situation and responding quickly to client concerns.  Since he started, Sterling has met frequently with our alumni and provided them extra problem-solving support, often going the extra mile to do outside research and make sure private practice owners have everything they need to rank well on search engines long term for the keywords their ideal clients are using!