Google E-E-A-T Part 3: Authority

If you missed the first two parts of this five-part series, take a few minutes to go back and read our blog posts about the experience and expertise part of E-E-A-T. In this post, we’re looking at the “A” in Google’s acronym, which stands for “authority.”

What Does Authority Mean in E-E-A-T?

When Google says authority, it means that a website, person, or business is seen as the authority or one of the authorities on a certain topic. Here are some examples:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seen as a general authority on disease within the nation and likely the authority on federal government response to disease.
• Neil deGrasse Tyson is seen as an authority on astrophysics.
• A local mom-and-pop grocery store is seen as the authority on what products you can find within the store and what items are on sale each week.

How Can You Increase the Authority of Your Content?

Most deathcare firms have some authority built in. Funeral directors, for example, has some authority on topics related to the work they do, and any funeral home can be the sole authority on what preplanning packages and other services it provides.

To demonstrate authority beyond what is automatic, you typically must reach outside of your own content. If others treat you as an authority, it can increase how this factor impacts your page rank.

One of the best indicators that others see you as an authority on a topic is backlinks. When you create content that is helpful and demonstrates a high level of expertise, people may link to it from their own web pages, blog posts, or social media posts.

Google sees these backlinks as recommendations of sorts. It’s as if the person creating the link is saying, “Here is someone who knows what they are talking about, and what they’re saying is valuable. Go see for yourself.” That increases the overall authority of your content.

Your content can be backed by experience, expertise, and authority and still not perform well in the search engines because it’s not considered trustworthy or isn’t otherwise high quality. Make sure to read the next two parts in our series to ensure your content covers all the bases.