{"id":5591,"date":"2026-04-01T00:34:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T16:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/?p=5591"},"modified":"2026-04-01T00:34:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T16:34:28","slug":"6-steps-to-boost-your-e-e-a-t-factor-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/?p=5591","title":{"rendered":"6 Steps to Boost Your E-E-A-T Factor This Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p> <div> <p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"650\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-255367\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/boost-eeat-blog-post-header.png\" alt=\"Blog post header image featuring a speaker in front of an audience, overlaid with the text &quot;IT'S 2026: Boost Your E-E-A-T This Year&quot; and an &quot;On The Blog&quot; graphic.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/boost-eeat-blog-post-header.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/boost-eeat-blog-post-header-336x182.png 336w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/boost-eeat-blog-post-header-700x379.png 700w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/boost-eeat-blog-post-header-150x81.png 150w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/boost-eeat-blog-post-header-768x416.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" title=\"6 Steps to Boost Your E-E-A-T Factor This Year\u63d2\u56fe\" \/><\/p> <p>\u00a0<\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being relevant to your audience isn\u2019t something that just happens. You have to work at it. Nowhere is this truer than in the Google Search results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And, one of the best ways to stay relevant in the search results is to create a trusted brand with a good-performing website and credible, helpful content.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google\u2019s E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust) is a set of quality principles that Google uses to ensure its search results are top-notch.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A lot goes into achieving E-E-A-T, and that\u2019s why I created this condensed guide so that you can take the most impactful steps to boost your E-E-A-T this year.<\/span><\/p> <p>\u00a0<\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quick Refresher on E-E-A-T<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why E-E-A-T Matters More Than Ever<\/span><\/p> <ol> <li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Content Quality<\/span><\/li> <li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Author Credentials<\/span><\/li> <li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Quality Backlinks<\/span><\/li> <li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Organized Content<\/span><\/li> <li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Content Length<\/span><\/li> <li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Brand and Reputation Signals<\/span><\/li> <\/ol> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Final Thoughts<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quick Solutions<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FAQ: How do I optimize my website for E-E-A-T to improve credibility and boost search rankings?<\/span><\/p> <p>\u00a0<\/p> <h2><strong>Quick Refresher on E-E-A-T<\/strong><\/h2> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">E-E-A-T, which stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust, is one of Google\u2019s most discussed quality concepts.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concept comes from Google\u2019s Search Quality Rater Guidelines (SQRG), a document designed to help human evaluators who are hired by Google to judge the quality of the search results.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SQRG serves as a feedback mechanism for Google to test whether its algorithm updates are producing higher quality results.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While E-E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor, it indirectly influences the algorithm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The raters\u2019 collective feedback helps Google engineers refine and benchmark the performance of its algorithms.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John Mueller <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reiterated at Search Central Live NYC<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2025 that while E-E-A-T underpins how Google assesses quality overall, its algorithmic impact isn\u2019t the same across all topics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, for YMYL (\u201cyour money or your life\u201d) queries, where accuracy and trust can affect someone\u2019s health, safety or finances, E-E-A-T plays a much greater role.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more everyday subjects, such as recipes or hobbies, Google doesn\u2019t scrutinize as intensely.<\/span><\/p> <h2\/> <h2><strong>Why E-E-A-T Matters More Than Ever<\/strong><\/h2> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As AI plays a larger role in determining which content earns visibility, E-E-A-T\u2019s relevance is growing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Ahrefs<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 74% of new webpages include AI content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google saw this coming and was sure to create specific <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">spam rules around AI content<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and reiterated <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the need for content that\u2019s rooted in E-E-A-T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <figure id=\"attachment_255360\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-255360\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-255360 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-ai-content-eeat-guidelines.png\" alt=\"Text excerpt from a Google Search Quality team post advising creators to focus on high-quality, people-first content demonstrating E-E-A-T, whether AI-generated or not.\" width=\"900\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-ai-content-eeat-guidelines.png 900w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-ai-content-eeat-guidelines-346x106.png 346w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-ai-content-eeat-guidelines-723x221.png 723w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-ai-content-eeat-guidelines-150x46.png 150w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/google-ai-content-eeat-guidelines-768x235.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" title=\"6 Steps to Boost Your E-E-A-T Factor This Year\u63d2\u56fe1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-255360\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image credit: Screenshot, \u201cGoogle Search\u2019s guidance about AI-generated content\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure> <p>\u00a0<\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evidence from the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">U.S. v. Google LLC<\/span><\/i> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">antitrust case supports the need for E-E-A-T.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The court document suggests that the same type of quality factors in E-E-A-T likely influence how AI systems assess which pages are trustworthy enough to ground their answers.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the court documents:\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <blockquote> <p>RankEmbed and its later iteration RankEmbedBERT are ranking models that rely on two main sources of data: [redacted]% of 70 days of search logs plus scores generated by human raters and used by Google to measure the quality of organic search results.<\/p> <\/blockquote> <p>\u00a0<\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of this together signals why E-E-A-T is more important than ever to a website\u2019s and brand\u2019s visibility in the search results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <h2\/> <h2><strong>1. Content Quality<\/strong><\/h2> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arguably, one of the most important things to get right if you want to achieve E-E-A-T is great content. It can also be one of the most challenging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quality is often in the eye of the beholder. And in this case, that eye belongs to Googlebot.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ways to meet Google\u2019s quality guidelines, and here are some tips:<\/span><\/p> <ul> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Know user intent: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Knowing user intent matters for creating relevant content. Map keywords to user search intent (informational, transactional, etc.) and prioritize addressing their actual needs.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Create an authentic experience: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demonstrating firsthand experience in your content has become crucial. Share personal insights, stories, examples and practical knowledge to build trust with audiences.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Incorporate data-backed insights:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Use stats, research and expert opinions to substantiate claims.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Update older content:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Regularly refresh articles with new insights to maintain relevance and authority. I advise spending 50% of the time creating new content and 50% of the time refreshing older content. For more, check out my article on Search Engine Land, \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating New Content vs. Optimizing Old Webpages: Which Is Better for SEO?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Use AI for efficiency, not a replacement:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> You can use AI tools to streamline content creation, but you shouldn\u2019t replace your high-level talent. Get the AI piece wrong and risk violating Google\u2019s spam policies. For more, see my article on Search Engine Land on <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how to balance speed and credibility in AI-assisted content creation<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li> <\/ul> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the end of the day, what we should really be doing is investing in quality talent. Long before Google told us what quality was, we had to figure it out \u2014 and many marketers did and still do.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have:<\/span><\/p> <ul> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A professional writer or editor on your team who understands marketing and does good work<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A good SEO who is helping to set the SEO strategy<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The right tools to bring it all together efficiently<\/span><\/li> <\/ul> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026 you have a winning recipe for quality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><b><i>Related: How do I create content that delivers value and meets Google\u2019s expectations for quality and relevance?<\/i><\/b><\/p> <h2\/> <h2><strong>2. Author Credentials<\/strong><\/h2> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who wrote your content? Inquiring minds <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(like Google) want to know<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p> <blockquote> <p>Something that helps people intuitively understand the E-E-A-T of content is when it\u2019s clear who created it. That\u2019s the \u201cWho\u201d to consider. When creating content, here are some who-related questions to ask yourself:<\/p> <p>Is it self-evident to your visitors who authored your content?<br \/>Do pages carry a byline, where one might be expected?<br \/>Do bylines lead to further information about the author or authors involved, giving background about them and the areas they write about?<\/p> <p>If you\u2019re clearly indicating who created the content, you\u2019re likely aligned with the concepts of E-E-A-T and on a path to success. We strongly encourage adding accurate authorship information, such as bylines to content where readers might expect it.<\/p> <\/blockquote> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you have authoritative sources behind the content you create, you\u2019re signaling to Google that you have a quality resource.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why spending extra time on your author credentials can pay off when wanting to boost the E-E-A-T factor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some tips to consider:<\/span><\/p> <ul> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Create detailed author bios: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attach these bios to content like blog articles. Include relevant qualifications, certifications, awards and experience.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Link to author profiles:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Additionally, provide links to other places people can learn about and connect with the author, such as LinkedIn profiles, academic papers or other authoritative works.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Add schema markup:<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Article schema<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> marks up any written content, and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Author schema<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">provides Google with more context and information about the author. This can help boost the authority of the content and also provides information for Google to create richer search results about the author (for example, in the Knowledge Panel). You can check out an article by Jason Barnard about <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google recognizing content creators<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at Search Engine Land.\u00a0<\/span><\/li> <\/ul> <h2\/> <h2><strong>3. Quality Backlinks<\/strong><\/h2> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though Google <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">says backlinks don\u2019t carry as much weight<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the ranking algorithm anymore, a quality backlink is still a vote of confidence for your website.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We still believe in the power of the right kind of links, and we have seen sites with fewer quality links beat their competition with many more, less relevant links.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research suggests that links still do matter, as outlined by <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this study <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">published at Internet Marketing Ninjas, which shows that 96.3% of the sites that ranked in the top 10 have over 1,000 unique domain backlinks.<\/span><\/p> <figure id=\"attachment_255362\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-255362\" style=\"width: 1147px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-255362 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/referring-domains-distribution-table.png\" alt=\"A data table displaying the distribution of referring domains across different ranges, showing that the majority of sites fall between 1,000 and 100,000 domains.\" width=\"1147\" height=\"287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/referring-domains-distribution-table.png 1147w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/referring-domains-distribution-table-346x87.png 346w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/referring-domains-distribution-table-723x181.png 723w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/referring-domains-distribution-table-150x38.png 150w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/referring-domains-distribution-table-768x192.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1147px) 100vw, 1147px\" title=\"6 Steps to Boost Your E-E-A-T Factor This Year\u63d2\u56fe2\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-255362\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image credit: InternetMarketingNinjas.com, \u201cBacklink Insights: Analyzing Google\u2019s Top 10 Websites\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure> <p>\u00a0<\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just some of the ways you can earn quality links are by publishing original research, collaborating with thought leaders on content and good old-fashioned PR, like being featured in a news story.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more on this, check out our ebook, \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The New Link Building Manifesto: How to Earn Links That Count.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p> <h2\/> <h2><strong>4. Organized Content<\/strong><\/h2> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Say you walked into a library, and there was no catalog system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Books were stacked on shelves and overflowing on floors. Horror novels were mixed with biographies, and children\u2019s books with romance novels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This illustrates the importance of grouping the content on your site in a user-friendly way. And the users are both website visitors and search engine bots.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO siloing is a technique I invented more than 20 years ago as a way to organize content that supports the way people search for information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It creates an excellent user experience and boosts your site\u2019s relevancy for search.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here is a simplified explanation of how SEO siloing looks in practice:<\/span><\/p> <ul> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Conduct thorough keyword research. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choose groups of related keywords that represent a person\u2019s search sequence when researching a topic, product or service. For example, the generic keyword you might want to rank for could be \u201ccordless power tools\u201d and the supporting keywords might be \u201ccordless drills,\u201c cordless planers\u201d and \u201ccordless hammers,\u201d and even more long-tail queries like \u201cwhat is a good torque for a cordless drill?\u201d This mirrors the natural way of searching, where people start with a broader search and refine it as they learn more.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Create pillar pages:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Develop an in-depth article or guide for the broad topic \/ keyword (like cordless power tools) and then create supporting webpages for each of the supporting keywords.\u00a0<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Link it together: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organize related pages in the website directory using proper URL structures (physical siloing) and connect the relevant content using contextual links embedded in your content (virtual siloing) to create a themed silo structure around your main topic. This is like the catalog system in the library; it helps people and search engines know that the content is related and where to find more information about the topic.\u00a0<\/span><\/li> <\/ul> <figure id=\"attachment_255361\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-255361\" style=\"width: 437px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-255361 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/power-tools-category-flowchart.png\" alt=\"A flowchart diagram categorizing power tools into cordless, electric, and gas-powered types, listing specific tools like drills, saws, and compressors under each category.\" width=\"437\" height=\"377\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/power-tools-category-flowchart.png 437w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/power-tools-category-flowchart-211x182.png 211w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/power-tools-category-flowchart-116x100.png 116w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 437px) 100vw, 437px\" title=\"6 Steps to Boost Your E-E-A-T Factor This Year\u63d2\u56fe3\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-255361\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Example of SEO siloing structure for a power tools website.<\/figcaption><\/figure> <p>\u00a0<\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After executing this strategy, you have built an authoritative website that\u2019s rich with information for every stage of a person\u2019s search journey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Effectively, this makes your site relevant to rank higher in the results. When people click through to your site, you can keep them longer because they don\u2019t have to go elsewhere for the information they need.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more, see<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO Siloing: What, Why, How<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d<\/span><\/p> <p><b><i>Related: <\/i><\/b><b><i>How do I structure my website to make it more user- and SEO-friendly?<\/i><\/b><\/p> <h2\/> <h2><strong>5. Content Length<\/strong><\/h2> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does Google care about word count to rank your content? Yes and no.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Google <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">says word count isn\u2019t a ranking factor<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, conventional wisdom suggests that if you are writing about a topic that requires depth, then 250 words will not help you compete in an environment where the top-ranked pages are 2,000 words.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plus, what Google is saying when they say word count isn\u2019t a factor is really that there\u2019s no minimum word count requirement to rank, and not to write a bunch of words just to get to a target number.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, create sufficient content to answer the query in a way that is helpful and of high quality \u2014 something that adds value to what is already out there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the reason I created the target word count feature in our <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WordPress SEO plugin<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This feature looks at the top-ranked content in real time and gives you a target word count based on who is winning.<\/span><\/p> <figure id=\"attachment_255363\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-255363\" style=\"width: 744px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-255363 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/seo-content-word-count-dashboard.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of an SEO dashboard highlighting the &quot;Content Word Count&quot; statistic, showing a current count of 685 against a goal of 1,567 to 2,363 words.\" width=\"744\" height=\"237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/seo-content-word-count-dashboard.png 744w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/seo-content-word-count-dashboard-346x110.png 346w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/seo-content-word-count-dashboard-723x230.png 723w, https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/seo-content-word-count-dashboard-150x48.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 744px) 100vw, 744px\" title=\"6 Steps to Boost Your E-E-A-T Factor This Year\u63d2\u56fe4\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-255363\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Summary tab in the Bruce Clay SEO WP plugin shows word count targets.<\/figcaption><\/figure> <p>\u00a0<\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This demystifies the process of target word count so that you don\u2019t write 3,000 words when 1,000 will likely do.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, always use your intuition as a guide. You likely know how much needs to be said on a topic to be helpful. Write that, and not a word more.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I address this topic further in my article on <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO myths<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><b><i>Related: How do I determine the appropriate length for my content to maximize its effectiveness?<\/i><\/b><\/p> <h2\/> <h2><strong>6. Brand and Reputation Signals<\/strong><\/h2> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your brand\u2019s reputation is a key component of the E-E-A-T framework.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Search engines look beyond individual articles to see how your brand is perceived across the web, through things like customer reviews, mentions in trusted media and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These signals strengthen not only your \u201cauthoritativeness\u201d and \u201ctrust\u201d but also how AI-driven platforms recognize and represent your brand.<\/span><\/p> <h3><strong>Reviews, Case Studies, Testimonials<\/strong><\/h3> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Almost <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100% of people<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> read reviews before they make a purchase online.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reviews, case studies and testimonials are indicators of a business\u2019s reputation. And reputation is intrinsically linked to trust.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google talks more about this in its Search Quality Rater Guidelines, and I highlight this in my <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">guide on the basics of E-E-A-T<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">where Google says:<\/span><\/p> <ul> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cReputation research is especially important for detecting untrustworthy websites and content creators.\u201d<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cA website\u2019s reputation is based on the experience of real users and the opinions of people who are experts.\u201d<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c\u2026 look for independent reviews, references, recommendations by experts, news articles, and other sources of credible information about the website.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li> <\/ul> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can do a lot of things to help build trust on your website, including:<\/span><\/p> <ul> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developing case studies that show how you have positively impacted customers.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Featuring customer testimonials, verified reviews and ratings (consider video testimonials to make them more authentic).<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Integrating trust signals like badges, industry affiliations, awards, certifications or client logos.\u00a0<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using schema for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ratings and reviews<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create a \u201cContact Us\u201d page and an \u201cAbout Us\u201d page to allow visitors to learn about you and connect with you quickly and easily.<\/span><\/li> <\/ul> <h3><strong>Other Brand-Building Factors<\/strong><\/h3> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your reputation outside of your website is just as important. Consider these factors:<\/span><\/p> <ul> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Social listening and online reputation management. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Establish a process for monitoring, managing and responding to online reviews across platforms. Apply the same approach to social listening, as you track brand mentions, sentiment and conversations within your industry. Importantly, engage with your community. For more, read \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is Sentiment an SEO Trust Signal?<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Public relations. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create newsworthy stories around your brand to earn coverage from trusted publications and journalists. These mentions (and backlinks) can strengthen your brand. Align your PR outreach with SEO goals to secure placements that build both awareness and visibility in search.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Guest contributions: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you intentionally craft a strategy to contribute to your industry, you can further build your brand. This can be in the form of podcast interviews or guest articles on reputable sites. Focus on adding value and not just collecting links (make sure you don\u2019t fall into the trap of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">paid guest posting<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li> <\/ul> <p><b><i>Related: How do I improve my brand\u2019s reputation to strengthen trust with users and search engines?<\/i><\/b><\/p> <h2\/> <h2><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember, Google isn\u2019t just ranking webpages; it\u2019s assessing the credibility of your brand as a whole.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By investing in quality content and a strong reputation, you\u2019re building a brand that users and search engines alike can trust.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year and beyond, E-E-A-T is the differentiator that will set you apart.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p>\u00a0<\/p> <p><b><i>Let us help you create authoritative, high-quality content that aligns with Google\u2019s E-E-A-T standards:<\/i><\/b><\/p> <p>Contact Us for a Consultation Today!<\/p> <p>\u00a0<\/p> <h2><strong>Quick Solutions<\/strong><\/h2> <h3\/> <h3><strong>FAQ: How do I optimize my website for E-E-A-T to improve credibility and boost search rankings?<\/strong><\/h3> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust, and these factors are used by Google to evaluate the quality of your content and trustworthiness as a source of information.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">E-E-A-T is a critical component of improving your website\u2019s quality and user experience. In turn, this builds trust and can enhance search engine rankings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To build E-E-A-T into your website and its content, you need to focus on creating high-quality, accurate and well-researched content that is authored by credible experts in your field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure that all content is written or reviewed by qualified professionals with verifiable credentials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Include detailed author bios that highlight their expertise and link to their professional profiles or previous works.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keeping your content up-to-date is also essential for maintaining relevance and authority.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When looking at the authority of your site, you\u2019ll want to think about building your brand\u2019s reputation within your niche.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earning backlinks from reputable websites, engaging or partnering with industry influencers or peers, focusing on public relations and publishing original research are effective ways to enhance your site\u2019s authority.<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trust can be achieved by instilling confidence in your audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This includes things like displaying clear contact information, showing terms of service and posting privacy policies. Secure connections and transactions are non-negotiable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <h4><strong>Action Plan<\/strong><\/h4> <ol> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conduct a comprehensive content audit to identify gaps in expertise, outdated information or areas lacking credibility.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collaborate with qualified experts or hire professional content writers to create or review content.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implement detailed author bylines and bios to showcase the credentials and expertise of your content creators.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Develop an editorial calendar to ensure consistent updates to your content.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create a centralized resource library or knowledge base with authoritative content on your website.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Optimize your website\u2019s design and user experience to enhance accessibility and engagement.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use schema markup to provide search engines with structured data about your content and website.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earn quality backlinks by networking with reputable websites and industry influencers to get your content in front of the right people.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Showcase testimonials, case studies and success stories to highlight your brand\u2019s credibility.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure your website\u2019s technical SEO is optimized for crawlability and fast loading speeds.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focus on creating long-form, in-depth content that addresses user queries comprehensively.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engage with your audience on social media platforms to build a community and demonstrate industry presence.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Partner with other trusted brands or experts to co-create content or share resources.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implement robust privacy and security measures to protect user data and earn trust.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Respond promptly and professionally to customer inquiries or feedback on all platforms.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Publish original research or studies to position your brand as a leader in its domain.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regularly audit online reviews and ratings to ensure they reflect positively on your brand.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Update your \u201cAbout Us\u201d page with current achievements and team credentials to strengthen trust.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conduct competitive analysis to benchmark your efforts against industry leaders.<\/span><\/li> <li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Develop a long-term strategy for scaling E-E-A-T initiatives as your brand grows.<\/span><\/li> <\/ol> <h2><strong>About Us<\/strong><\/h2> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bruce Clay Inc. has been a pioneer in the SEO industry since its inception in the 1990s. We provide high-quality SEO strategies to businesses worldwide. With decades of experience, we are committed to innovation and excellence in every project we undertake. Learn more <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about us<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p> <section class=\"blog-author-bio\" aria-label=\"About the author\"> <div class=\"blog-author-desc\"> <p> Bruce Clay is founder and president of Bruce Clay Inc., a global digital marketing firm providing search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media marketing, SEO-friendly web architecture, and SEO tools and education. Connect with him on LinkedIn or through the BruceClay.com website. <\/p> <p> See Bruce&#8217;s author page for links to connect on social media. <\/p> <\/p><\/div> <div> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ebda925174b8f931ea0f0d2b16380306b2e7e48b81e254ddf7d0171f29c8699e?s=96&amp;d=retro&amp;r=g\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ebda925174b8f931ea0f0d2b16380306b2e7e48b81e254ddf7d0171f29c8699e?s=192&amp;d=retro&amp;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-96 photo\" height=\"96\" width=\"96\" title=\"6 Steps to Boost Your E-E-A-T Factor This Year\u63d2\u56fe5\" alt=\"6 Steps to Boost Your E-E-A-T Factor This Year\u63d2\u56fe5\" \/> <\/div> <\/section><\/div> <p>SEO Content,content quality,E-E-A-T,Reputation Management,SEO siloing,Trustworthinesscontent quality,E-E-A-T,Reputation Management,SEO siloing,Trustworthiness#Steps #Boost #EEAT #Factor #Year1774974868<\/p> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 Being relevant to your audience isn\u2019t something that just happens. You have to work at it. Nowhere is this truer than in the Google Search results.\u00a0 And, one of the best ways to stay relevant in the search results is to create a trusted brand with a good-performing website and credible, helpful content. Google\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[381,20887,13324,20889,6689,20888,14905,517,17061,548],"class_list":["post-5591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital","tag-boost","tag-content-quality","tag-e-e-a-t","tag-eeat","tag-factor","tag-reputation-management","tag-seo-siloing","tag-steps","tag-trustworthiness","tag-year"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}