Definitive Guide for E.A.T and Y.M.Y.L.
You already know that the text found on each of your web pages must serve a practical purpose. Without the proper focus and information that readers can use, Google is not likely to be impressed. Fortunately, there's a wealth of information that helps you understand how to serve your readers well while enjoying higher rankings in Google search results.
Among that information, you will learn about what's known as Google YMYL and EAT. These acronyms are not merely buzzwords designed to capture interest. They actually stand for things that are important. Here's some information to help you get a better idea of what constitutes a YMYL site and how the concept of EAT will make a difference for you, your readers, and your rankings.
Exploring the World of EAT
EAT is an acronym that stands for "Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness." On the surface, you understand the general meaning for each of these words. As they relate to your web pages and their rankings, it helps to have an idea of what Google means by each one.
1. Expertise: This component of EAT has to do with establishing yourself as an expert. The goal is to establish in the mind of the reader that you have training, education, and a background that has to do with the page's subject matter.
The way that you demonstrate your expertise depends a great deal on the nature of those pages. In some cases, a short bio that establishes why you are an expert on the information provided will suffice. With less formal content, you may note events or activities within the text itself that establishes that you have expertise in the topic under consideration. You can even use some sort of tag line or slogan that indicates that you are the person to come to when the reader is seeking information on this particular subject.
2. Authoritativeness: This part of the EAT acronym can and often does include references to your expertise. However, authoritativeness is about more than knowledge obtained from study. It also has to do with events that deepened your understanding and appreciation for the topic. For example, your website or blog may be all about tips for operating a home. You have expertise, in that you've managed your home for years. The authority aspect comes in when you provide reviews for home appliances, cleaning supplies, and other things that you've used. That usage makes you something of an authority on those goods and products. Same may be applicable to various guides, say, for basement renovation or an expert opinion on how to save money in Canada.
3. Trustworthiness: This part of EAT is about earning trust. Readers must feel that they can trust the site's content and also any interaction that they choose to initiate while on your pages. One of the easiest ways to understand the need for trust is if you operate some sort of e-commerce site. Visitors want to know that the site's secure and that no one will have an easy time of getting to their credit card information after they place orders.
Trust combines with your expertise and authoritativeness and gives readers a reason to come back again. They will want to see what's new, order something else, and in general keep up with what's going on at your site because they feel comfortable, safe, and secure. As the 2018 Medic update focused on providing more favor for health, fitness, and medical sites that provided all three of these components, you can bet that the concept of EAT will apply to any type of website or blog.
Google YMYL and Providing Value to Your Readers
While EAT is great, don't stop there. You also need to understand how those three components pave the way for what's known as "Your Money of Your Life." YMYL sites that are the most successful offer quite a bit of EAT on every page. Whatever the subject matter, the YMYL site provides information that is direct, up to date, factual, and impacts the reader. More to the point, data found on YMYL sites provides a recognizable benefit to the reader.
What are some examples of YMYL sites? One would be an online store that provides the goods readers are seeking and makes it easy to place a secure order. Another would be a YMYL site that provides specific types of advice, such as how to parent a teenager or some sort of counsel on how to manage a chronic health condition. You'll find YMYL sites that are dedicated to helping people with specific types of financial issues, such as learning how to manage money while in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy or how to consolidate your debt.
The content on a YMYL site is designed to do more than provide overviews. It may include specific test cases as a way to illustrate points. It could use links to direct the reader to other authoritative information that's relevant to what they are seeking. There's room for some type of YMYL SEO within the content. In fact, it's essential. The thing to remember is that YMYL sites which receive the most love from Google use that YMYL SEO judiciously. The keywords or phrase are not shoe-horned into the text. Instead, the flow is natural and fits right in with whatever the topic happens to be.
The Correlation Between EAT and Google YMYL
The connection between EAT and Google YMYL is a direct one. If you want to add value for yourself and for your readers, you have to EAT. Without EAT, even the best attempt at YMYL SEO will produce no more than marginal results at best.
How do owners of YMYL sites achieve this? If you're not an expert, you either acquire personal experience and knowledge, or you hire professionals who already have those attributes to prepare your content. You make sure that your YMYL site is properly secure and there's evidence of that fact for your readers to see. You stay on top of which keywords and phrases are currently trending and happen to be relevant to what your website or blog is all about, then incorporate them logically into your YMYL SEO efforts.
As you can tell, making the most of EAT and Google YMYL involves more than writing something off the top of your head. It means putting real effort into what you publish and how it will benefit your readers. Without that effort, your YMYL SEO won't accomplish much.
Expert Help Will Get You There
If you feel a little overwhelmed by the ideas of EAT and Google YMYL, don't feel alone. There are ways to achieve the goal. One way is to call in an expert who can evaluate your current pages and determine to what degree EAT and Google YMYL is already in use. There's some chance that you've incorporated them to some extent without realizing it.
Once the evaluation is done, the expert can help you with the intentional use of EAT and Google YMYL. That enhances whatever good your pages are already providing to readers and sets the stage for attracting more visitors. This will likely mean more efficient use of SEO and possibly covering some related topics that your site does not currently address.
Do expect more specific efforts on Google's part to enhance user experience, much like the company did with the 2018 Medic update. Even if your focus is on something other than health, fitness, and medical subjects, learning how to EAT efficiently improves the potential for reaching more interested readers.
As you EAT with greater proficiency, don't be surprised if those YMYL SEO efforts end up providing more feedback from readers about what topics or products they would like to see on your pages. Paying attention to that feedback could take your online presence to a level that you never dreamed possible.