Google continually makes changes to improve their search results each day. Most changes aren’t noticeable but when an update contains actionable information, Google gives advanced notice and advice on how to respond those updates.
Recently, Google posted a blog with reminders about their recent core updates and how to deal with them. Broader changes to search algorithms, which are made several times a year as opposed to daily, are referred to as “core updates.” Broad core updates can affect a website’s ranking in search results.
Google’s search algorithms aim to reward websites with good, quality content. They hire thousands of raters to manually review webpages and evaluate how well their search algorithms are working based on relevancy of search engine results.
These raters use Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines to provide insights on how the algorithms are performing and any area they could use improvement.
Although not a specific algorithm, one concept dictates search engine rankings for nearly all websites. First introduced in 2014, the E-A-T concept has become a staple in the Search Quality Guidelines. Short for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness – this standard ensures that websites with quality content are rewarded with high search rankings.
E (Expertise): According to the Search Quality Rater Guidelines (section 4.5), “The standard for expertise depends on the topic of the page.” Google wants to know that the creator of the website page’s main content is an expert in that area.
A (Authoritativeness): This means your website’s content has good authority, your property is a good source of information.
T (Trustworthiness): People are able to trust your website to provide accurate, credible, information.
Because Google specifically mentions E-A-T in their recent update and 135 times throughout their guidelines 167 pages, this should be a hint about what their focus is moving into 2020.
As hospitality marketers, it should be a priority to evaluate website content for clear expertise, authority, and trust. A good rule of thumb is to regularly assess properties website content and ensure it is up to date, accurate, and credible.
Establishing and/or improving E-A-T on your property’s website can be done with these simple strategies:
- Work on a back-link strategy. Earn links and mentions from other websites with good authority and link to other credible sites.
- Update your website’s content regularly to ensure information provided is accurate and relevant.
- Be in it for the long-haul. You can’t plaster content that is E-A-T worthy on your website & expect immediate results. Improving your website’s trustworthiness takes time and effort.
For more information about your property’s ranking on Google, contact Vizergy!
