EAT SEO for SaaS & 6 Tips to Optimize for E-E-A-T

Looking to skyrocket your SaaS company’s search engine optimization (SEO)? Want your content to dominate Google’s rankings? Look no further than the E-A-T approach. So, what exactly is E-A-T? It stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, and it’s the key to gaining higher visibility in search results. EAT SEO for SaaS will help you build trust with your audience, and generate profitable traffic.

Google relies on the E-A-T search rater guidelines to ensure that accurate and authoritative information takes center stage. In today’s era of AI-generated content, the “experience” aspect of E-E-A-T holds significant importance. In this blog post, we’ll reveal the benefits you can reap aligning their content with Google’s guidelines. Plus, we’ll equip you with actionable tips to optimize your content and supercharge your alignment with the search rater guidelines.

But that’s not all. We’ll also delve into the concept of topical authority in SEO and why it matters for SaaS companies. Brace yourself as we explore how semantic clustering can elevate your topical authority, paving the way for profitable traffic to flood your website. Get ready to unlock the secrets to turbocharge your search presence and take your SEO game to new heights with our expert insights.

What is the E-A-T approach for SEO?

When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), Google is constantly updating its algorithms to prioritize high-quality content that provides value to users. One of the factors that Google considers is the E-A-T approach, which stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

Expertise refers to the level of knowledge and expertise that the content creator or website has in a particular field. Google wants to ensure that the information being presented is accurate, reliable, and backed by credible sources. This is especially important in areas that could have a significant impact on a person’s well-being, such as health, finance, and law.

Authoritativeness relates to the reputation and authority of the content creator or website. Google looks for signals that indicate the content is being produced by individuals or organizations that are recognized as experts in their field. This can be demonstrated through an author’s credentials, qualifications, and industry recognition. Additionally, backlinks from other reputable websites can also contribute to establishing authoritativeness.

Trustworthiness is all about creating a sense of trust and reliability for users. Google assesses various factors to determine the trustworthiness of a website or content, such as the presence of clear contact information, a privacy policy, and terms of service. Positive user reviews and testimonials can also help establish trust.

By focusing on E-A-T, website owners and content creators can improve their chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s important to note that E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor, but rather a concept that helps Google assess the quality and credibility of content. Therefore, it’s crucial to create content that is not only optimized for search engines but also provides value to users. E-E-A-T is especially important for enterprise SaaS SEO where the stakes & rewards are higher than smaller SaaS markets. In fact, some companies make use of a SaaS SEO agency, SaaS SEO copywriters, or SaaS SEO consultants who optimize each webpage or article for E-E-A-T, while making the content highly engaging as well. If you plan on doing this in-house, check out our guide on SaaS SEO tools to see which SEO tools will make your job easier.

By leveraging these principles, SaaS companies can increase their chances of ranking higher in search engine results and ultimately attract more organic traffic to their websites.

Why Did Google Roll Out E-A-T Guidelines?

When it comes to finding information on the internet, we all want the best and most reliable answers, right? Well, Google is constantly working on improving its search algorithm to present us with exactly that. One of the ways they achieve this is by relying on the E-A-T search rater guidelines.

Google understands that not all webpages are created equal. Some are more trustworthy and authoritative than others. By relying on E-A-T, Google aims to reward those pages that have proven expertise, authoritativeness, and establish trust with their users. This means that if you own a webpage and you want it to rank well on Google, you need to demonstrate these qualities.

So, what kind of behavior is Google trying to deter with E-A-T? Well, they are primarily targeting websites that engage in black hat SEO practices. These are tactics that aim to manipulate search engine rankings, usually by providing low-quality content or misleading information. Google wants to ensure that webpages that are recognized as experts in their respective fields and provide valuable content get the recognition they deserve.

By promoting E-A-T, Google encourages websites to focus on creating high-quality, accurate, and trustworthy content. This not only benefits the users by providing them with reliable information but also helps establish a more fair and sustainable online ecosystem.

In conclusion, Google relies on E-A-T search rater guidelines to present the best information in search results. By assessing the expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness of webpages, Google aims to reward those that provide valuable and reliable content. Through this approach, they deter black hat SEO practices and create a more trustworthy online environment for all of us.

What is the E-E-A-T Search Rater Guideline Update?

If there’s one thing we know about Google, it’s that they are constantly tweaking and refining their search algorithms. These updates can sometimes feel like a whirlwind, leaving website owners scrambling to keep up and maintain their rankings. But fear not, my friends! There is one particular update that has been making waves in the digital marketing world – the E-E-A-T update to search rater guidelines.

The new “E” stands for the “experience” component of the search rater guidelines. In today’s day and age, where AI-generated content is becoming more prevalent, the experience a user has with your website is more important than ever. With AI, it’s becoming easier and easier to generate content that ticks all the boxes for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. However, AI-generated content often lacks the human touch that users crave.

Think about it – when you visit a website, what do you look for? Sure, you want the information to be accurate and reliable, but you also want it to be engaging and compelling. You want to feel like you’re connecting with a real person who understands your needs and can provide valuable insights. That’s where the experience component comes in.

According to Google’s search rater guidelines, they want actual experts to be sharing their experience, rather than blending information from various sources. The reason is that are so many nuances, and subtleties in every walk of life. While anyone can certainly spend a few hours researching topics, and creating content, an expert can guide people on the different components they should consider. Take for example a machine-generated review of a new phone; while the review might list out all the specs, features, and consolidated reviews from other sites, what it is missing is being able to talk about the things that matter to us humans. Potentially answering questions like:

• What types of alarm sounds does the phone have?
• Is it easy to hold?
• Will other people be impressed by my new phone?

Take another example; investing in the stock market. It’s really easy to whip up a generic post on what to do, and how to do it. But are you considering all the nuances? Are you talking about compounding returns? Are you talking about dividend reinvestment plans? Are you talking about the tax considerations in different countries, states or provinces? You get the point, there is so much value that a real expert can add for readers, and that’s why Google added the “Experience” component to their search rater guidelines. They just want you to be able to access the best information possible.

Which Industries Need to Pay Special Attention to E-E-A-T

We’re going to delve into the industries and topics that Google pays extra attention to when it comes to those oh-so-mysterious E-A-T search rater guidelines. Now, I can’t reveal all the juicy details from Google’s secret playbook, but I’ve gathered some insights from a reliable source (Google themselves).

Medical and Health-related Content

Google takes medical and health information seriously, my friends. They want to ensure that users receive accurate and trustworthy advice that can positively impact their well-being. So, if you’re dishing out medical advice or discussing health conditions, it’s crucial to source your information from experts with the appropriate qualifications.

Financial and Legal Content

Ah, finance and law—the domains where precision and reliability are paramount. Google understands the importance of protecting users from misleading or erroneous information in these areas. If you’re offering financial advice, discussing investments, or dishing out legal knowledge, it’s essential to have expertise and credibility in your corner. Rely on trusted sources and ensure your content reflects the latest and greatest insights.

News and Current Affairs

We all know the significance of trustworthy news, right? Well, Google feels the same way. They strive to deliver accurate, reliable news content to users. News organizations with strong reputations, rigorous fact-checking processes, and a commitment to journalistic integrity get a big thumbs up. Because, my friends, we don’t want to spread that fake news!

YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) Topics

Now, these topics are the real deal. YMYL topics encompass areas that can seriously impact your safety, health, finances, and overall well-being. Think medical advice, financial planning, and legal information. For content in these realms, Google holds the E-E-A-T factor to even higher standards. So, make sure your information comes from reliable, authoritative sources to keep your audience safe and informed.

Remember, my friends, E-E-A-T is vital across the board, but it’s extra important in these industries and topics. So, let’s keep our expertise levels high, our sources reputable, and our content trustworthy.

How Important Are Backlinks for E-E-A-T?

First, let’s define backlinks. Backlinks, also known as inbound links, are links from one website to another. They act as a vote of confidence, indicating that one site vouches for the credibility and quality of another.

One important point to consider is that AI-generated content is still in its early stages. While AI can generate content to a certain extent, it has not yet reached the level of human creativity, expertise, and authenticity. As a result, AI-generated content may lack the trust and authority that backlinks provide.

Case in point, ChatGPT doesn’t even know what E-E-A-T stands for…

Neil Patel, a renowned SEO expert, shares his thoughts on this matter. Patel suggests that backlinks will continue to be an essential factor in search engine algorithms. He argues that backlinks are difficult to manipulate and are a strong indicator of the quality and relevance of a webpage.

Furthermore, Brian Dean, founder of Backlinko, emphasizes the significance of backlinks in his comprehensive guide on SEO. He points out that backlinks are one of Google’s top three ranking factors, along with content and RankBrain. Dean suggests that even as AI evolves, it will be challenging for search engines to completely disregard backlinks as a ranking signal.

While AI-generated content may continue to improve, experts in the field of SEO believe that backlinks will remain relevant and important for search engine rankings. They serve as a measure of credibility and quality, which AI-generated content may struggle to replicate fully. As AI continues to evolve, it may be challenging for search engines to find a suitable alternative to backlinks as a ranking signal.

6 Tips to Optimize Your Content for E-E-A-T

So you want to optimize your SaaS company’s content to align with Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines? Well, you’ve come to the right place! I’ve got a list of tips that will help you do just that. Let’s dive in!

1. Showcase your Expertise

One of the key aspects of E-E-A-T is demonstrating expertise in your content. Showcasing your knowledge and expertise in your industry will not only establish you as a trusted authority but also improve your content’s alignment with E-E-A-T.

To do this, create content that demonstrates your deep understanding of your industry, share case studies highlighting successful projects, and provide valuable insights through thought leadership articles. This will help build your reputation as a credible source of information.

2. Share Your Experience

Share your lived experience on the topic. Connect different topics together to give the reader a more holistic view point, or go further in-depth and share insights that genuinely create value for the reader. For example, if you go on Reddit, the majority of people are sharing their opinions and their thoughts. So rather than regurgitating what already exists in the web-ecosphere, they are creating something new.

Here’s a good breakdown from Google, highlighting that it’s important to get information from experts, but life experience (one of the components of wisdom) also holds its own unique value for people.

3. Leverage User-Generated Content

Another way to boost your E-E-A-T is by incorporating user-generated content. This includes testimonials, reviews, and customer success stories. User-generated content adds social proof and credibility to your brand, making it more trustworthy in the eyes of both users and search engines.

Encourage your customers to leave reviews and testimonials on popular platforms like Google My Business, Trustpilot, or industry-specific review sites. Additionally, feature success stories or case studies on your website to highlight how your SaaS product has helped customers achieve their goals.

4. Optimize Author Bios

When creating content, make sure to optimize author bios for E-E-A-T. Including author bios with relevant credentials, qualifications, and links to their social profiles or personal websites helps establish expertise and authority. (Webpage: https://growthbadger.com/what-is-eat-authority-seo/)

Encourage your content creators to include a short bio at the end of their articles, highlighting their professional background and any relevant qualifications. This adds transparency and allows readers to assess the credibility of the author, further boosting your E-E-A-T.

5. Provide Accurate and Up-to-Date Information

Consistently updating your content to provide accurate and current information is crucial for E-E-A-T. Outdated or inaccurate information can harm your reputation and trustworthiness.

Regularly review your content to ensure it’s up-to-date and factually accurate. If any information becomes outdated, update the content accordingly. Additionally, consider adding dates to your articles or blog posts to indicate freshness and demonstrate your commitment to providing the latest information.

6. Link to Reputable Sources

When creating content, it’s essential to cite and link to reputable sources. This helps establish trust and adds credibility to your content by showing that you’ve done your research.

Include links to reputable sources, such as industry publications, research studies, or authoritative websites, to support your claims and provide additional value to your readers. Remember, quality over quantity is key here. Choose sources that are trusted and relevant to your SaaS industry.

Optimizing your SaaS company’s content to align with E-E-A-T guidelines is a long-term strategy that requires consistent effort and attention. By showcasing your expertise, leveraging user-generated content, optimizing author bios, providing accurate information, and linking to reputable sources, you’ll be well on your way to improving your content’s alignment with E-E-A-T. Best of luck!

What is Topical Authority & How Does it Relate to E-E-A-T?

Now, you might be wondering what exactly topical authority is and how it relates to a SaaS company.

To put it simply, topical authority refers to how knowledgeable and authoritative a website is on a specific topic or niche. It’s all about establishing your brand as the go-to resource for information and expertise in your industry. Websites, or publishers with topical authority in a given topic are showcasing that they have the expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) because they’ve covered that topic from A-Z. Building topical authority is the epitome of aligning with the E-E-A-T search rater guidelines.

Now, you might be thinking, “Why does topical authority matter for my SaaS company?” Great question! By building topical authority, you can boost your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) and attract more targeted organic traffic. This means more potential users and customers discovering your SaaS product. Neglecting topical authority is one of the top SaaS SEO mistakes, so your company can benefit from others’ disregard for this crucial area of modern SEO. You can avoid this common SEO mistake, and other mistakes by using our 14-step expert level SaaS SEO checklist.

Let’s look at an example to illustrate this concept. Imagine you have a SaaS company that provides project management software. To build topical authority within the project management niche, you could create a blog section on your website dedicated to project management best practices, tips, and case studies. By consistently publishing high-quality, informative content, you demonstrate your expertise and become a trusted resource for people seeking project management knowledge.

By optimizing your blog posts with relevant keywords and promoting them through various channels, you increase your chances of ranking higher in search results. As a result, your SaaS company gains visibility, builds credibility, and attracts potential customers searching for project management solutions.

Now, let’s move on to an example of a company that leveraged topical authority to enhance its search presence. HubSpot, a well-known SaaS company in the marketing space, has successfully built up its topical authority. They achieved this by creating an extensive library of educational content on various marketing topics, including SEO, social media, and email marketing.

HubSpot consistently produces high-quality blog posts, ebooks, and guides that provide valuable insights and practical tips for marketers. As a result, they have become synonymous with inbound marketing and are regarded as an authoritative source in their industry. This topical authority enables them to rank highly for relevant keywords and attract a massive amount of organic traffic.

By establishing yourself as a trusted source in your niche through valuable content and expertise, you can enhance your search presence, attract more targeted traffic, and ultimately grow your SaaS business.

What is Semantic Clustering & How Does it Help Build Topical Authority?

Semantic clustering refers to grouping together related content based on semantic similarities (just like we did in our post on SaaS SEO). In other words, it’s about organizing your website’s information in a way that makes sense to both search engines and users. By grouping similar topics together, you create a strong topical authority that search engines love. But how exactly does semantic clustering help improve topical authority?

When search engines crawl a website, they use various algorithms to determine its relevance and authority on a specific topic. Semantic clustering helps search engines understand the context and relevance of your content by organizing it into distinct clusters or categories. By grouping related content together, you create a clear and logical structure that search engines can easily navigate.

Semantic clustering also helps to establish topical authority. When search engines see that you have a comprehensive collection of content on a specific topic, it signals to them that you are an expert in that field. This ultimately improves your website’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).

How Does Semantic Clustering Work?

So, how does semantic clustering actually work? Let’s say you have a website about fitness and you want to improve your topical authority on the subject of “strength training.” Instead of having scattered content about strength training across your website, you can create a dedicated cluster specifically for this topic. This cluster would include subtopics like “strength training exercises,” “benefits of strength training,” and “strength training equipment.” By linking these pages together within the cluster and optimizing them with relevant keywords, you create a strong topical authority on strength training.

In order to implement semantic clustering effectively, you need to use relevant and consistent keywords throughout the content within each cluster. This helps search engines understand the relationship between the different pages within the cluster, reinforcing the topical authority you’re aiming for.

Go through these pages, and look at how we did semantic clustering:

• Guide to On-Page optimization for SaaS
• Complete Guide to Off-Page SEO for SaaS companies
• Practical Guide to SaaS Link Building & 25 Tactics to Win Links for Your Website
• Guide to Technical SEO for SaaS Companies & 5 Low Hanging Fruit You Can Tackle Today
• Ultimate Guide to SaaS Keyword Research & 5 SaaS SEO Success Stories
• How to Create Your SaaS SEO Strategy in 10 Actionable Steps
• How to create a profitable SaaS SEO roadmap
• How to Create Your Winning B2B SaaS SEO Strategy with a Full-Funnel Approach
• How to Improve Your 7 Core SEO KPIs, According to SEO Experts
• Guide to SaaS Conversion Rates & How to Improve Them

Semantic clustering not only improves your website’s visibility and authority in search engine rankings but also enhances user experience. When your content is logically organized and easy to navigate, users are more likely to stay on your website, engage with your content, and ultimately convert into customers.

To learn more about semantic clustering and its impact on SEO, I recommend checking out this comprehensive guide on Moz. It provides valuable insights and practical tips on how to implement semantic clustering effectively and achieve higher topical authority in your niche.

How does Topical Authority & E-E-A-T Content Help SaaS Companies Generate Profitable Traffic?

In today’s digital age, where competition is fierce and attention spans are short, it’s crucial for SaaS companies to find effective ways to generate profitable traffic. One powerful strategy that has proven to be successful is building topical authority.

Topical authority refers to establishing oneself as a go-to source of information and expertise on a specific topic or industry. By creating high-quality, informative content centered around a particular theme, SaaS companies can position themselves as leaders in their respective niches. This not only helps to build credibility and trust among potential customers but also plays a significant role in driving profitable traffic.

When a SaaS company becomes a topical authority, search engines recognize its expertise and relevance in a particular field. As a result, the company’s content is more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages, leading to increased visibility and organic traffic. With higher rankings, the company can attract a targeted audience actively searching for solutions or information related to its offerings.

Furthermore, being a topical authority enables SaaS companies to tap into the vast potential of content marketing. By consistently producing valuable content that addresses the pain points and challenges of their target audience, these companies can attract and engage potential customers throughout their buyer’s journey. This helps to build a strong brand presence, establish thought leadership, and ultimately drive qualified leads and conversions.

The value of being a topical authority in search engines cannot be understated for the growth of a SaaS company. It allows the company to differentiate itself from competitors, as well as establish a unique selling proposition based on expertise and knowledge. By being the go-to resource for industry-specific information, SaaS companies can attract a loyal and engaged customer base.

Moreover, being a topical authority opens the door to various opportunities for collaboration and partnerships. Other industry players may seek to collaborate with the SaaS company, leading to increased exposure, access to new audiences, and potential business growth.

Building topical authority is a highly effective strategy for SaaS companies to generate profitable traffic. By establishing themselves as experts in their fields and creating valuable, relevant content, these companies can attract a targeted audience, rank higher in search engine results, and drive qualified leads. Being a topical authority not only helps in building credibility and trust but also opens doors to collaboration and partnership opportunities. So, if you’re a SaaS company looking to grow, investing in building topical authority is a must.

If you’re thinking of investing in SEO for your SaaS company, or increasing your SEO budget, check out our framework to guide SaaS SEO budget creation, and how you can create a profitable SEO operation for your company.

If you’re looking for an actionable, personalized guidance on how to improve your B2B SaaS SEO, feel free to request your action plan from our team! We help companies create profitable SEO operations that are designed to provide returns for years if not decades!