What Is Google E.A.T For Local Businesses?

Satya Prabhakar Jan 23, 2023

E-A-T (expertise, authority and trustworthiness) was developed using various tools to assess the overall quality of a web page. To understand the impact of E-A-T on local SEO, it is important to understand what this principle means for local businesses. E-A-T is a principle used by Google's search quality raters to determine the quality and effectiveness of search results. Quality raters are actual people who use the Search Quality Rater Guidelines to assess how well Google's search results meet users' needs.

According to Google, local businesses should create content that establishes them as authorities within the industry and at a close geographical location as well. Furthermore, for a venture to benefit from local search, it must be an entity with an algorithm that associates them with the specific "Near me" query within its area of operation.

Here's how Google works with E-A-T to optimise local SEO:

1. Prominence — Prominence refers to the information about the business that Google can find, including blogs or any web content, ratings and reviews.

2. Relevance — The connection between a user's search query and the appropriate service, solution, or product provided by a company.

3. Distance — The distance between the location of a local business listed with Google and the location of the user who searched for a "Near me" query similar to the service provided by the company.

The key E-A-T aspects are prominence and relevance. Both of these factors align with the notion that businesses should have a strong content game integrated into their marketing strategy in order to achieve hyperlocal discovery.

Creating interesting E-A-T content for a growing brand:

Home Page:

Customers' response times have only gotten shorter over the years. Home page is where visitors are redirected from various sources. A customer- friendly space backed up by genuine proof of work can quickly establish them as a credible brand in the minds of consumers. The higher the retention and engagement rate, the better the home page.

Importance of FAQ section:

Customers are the ones who "Spill the bucks". As a result, it's understandable that they have a lot of questions. Perceiving the product/service through the eyes of the customer, identifying all potential questions and addressing them via the FAQ section of the business website is important. It is a tried and tested method of developing consumer trust and loyalty. Consumer trustworthiness toward a business goes a long way in promoting the service over the Internet. The prominence factor is used to compensate for E-A-T efforts with hyperlocal discovery.

Blog:

Blog posts make up a big chunk of what we know as Google. So, utilizing long-form content to demonstrate industry experience, especially within the business area, could quickly put them on Google’s white list for “Authenticity”.

While gaining traction with blogs looks like a long-term game, there are a few ways that businesses could do it from their side. They are as follows:

● Include a detailed Bio for all staff writers.

● Utilise authors who are experts in the field and have gained credibility writing content for the same.

● Ensure that industry experts review all their content. E.g., Food articles reviewed by a doctor or dietician.

Google My Business (GMB):

GMB is the answer for any business owner who wants to drive potential leads to their local outlet. GMB does an excellent job of achieving hyperlocal discovery for local ventures by analysing traditional success factors such as reviews, ratings, and customer response.

If a brand isn't already using GMB, it's time to create a local business profile. With the right optimisations, Google My Business can turn an existing business into a thriving one.