The Google E-A-T update is a change to how Google’s algorithm ranks websites. It’s not made quite as big an impact as previous updates, so don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard much about it yet.

It’s important, though, to understand any changes to Google’s algorithm and what you can do to make sure your WordPress site continues to perform well.

What is the Google E-A-T Algorithm Update?

This update already happened at the beginning of August 2018 – so you may have noticed fluctuations in search rankings around that time.

Last week, a broad core algorithm update happened which changed how Google Ranks YMYL Pages. For those who don’t know, YMRL stands for “your money or your life” and it’s a term that Google uses for types of pages that could potentially impact the future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety of users.

Generally, the sites most affected were sites in the health, fitness, nutrition, wellness, and medical industry. However, other sectors such as e-commerce and business also saw big changes.

The E-A-T algorithm focuses on markers of Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust.

Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust (E-A-T)

The three areas that the algorithm reviews are:

Expertise — How knowledgeable the site owner or content author is on the subject matter they talk about.

Authoritativeness — The credibility of the website publishing the content.

Trustworthiness — How trustworthy the site in question is, including site quality and security.

In other words, the Google E-A-T algorithm evaluates whether users can trust the information on your site and can trust you to keep their information safe.

Three ways to Implement Google E-A-T WordPress Guidelines

By now, you’re probably wondering what it is you need to do to keep your WordPress site from ranking well. We’ll walk you through three key things you can do to help avoid loss of traffic.

1. Optimize your about page

It should be clear who is responsible for the information on your website. Both your potential customers and Google want to know who is behind the site they are on to understand if they can trust it.

To demonstrate that you are trustworthy and have expertise in the subject matter, you should include information about any industry experience, awards, testimonials and formal qualifications.

If you haven’t looked at your About page in a while, chances are it needs updating – and now is the perfect time to do it.

2. Manage your reputation

The guidelines take into account the security measures displayed on your site to keep your visitor’s information safe. Having appropriate security measures – such as implementing HTTPS – will demonstrate that you are trustworthy.

Aside from your own WordPress site, you should make sure your overall reputation around the web is good. Press coverage and reviews on reputable sites will help build a positive picture of your business, as will being featured on other sites through guest posts.

3. Improve your content

Having high-quality, relevant content is always important when it comes to performing well in search engines. However, to meet with the new E-A-T guidelines, it should be reviewed to make sure it comes across as authoritative and trustworthy.

Not only should you review the main pages of your website, but if you have any blog posts, it’s important to give those a once over too. Older content can sometimes hurt your overall reputation, mostly because you usually improve your knowledge and writing skills over time.

You may need to update the content, merge them with other posts or get rid of them completely.

In conclusion, The Google E-A-T Algorithm Update is all about increasing site quality. Anyone who wants to rank well needs to re-evaluate their WordPress site to make they are displaying the best, and most trustworthy advice.

By following the three key steps listed above, you should be well on your way to adhering to Google E-A-T guidelines and improving the quality of your site in the process. To protect your reputation and stay in Google’s good books, why not sign up to one of our WordPress maintenance plans?