Google recently rolled out its commonly known ‘EAT Update’ which has significantly affected the ranking. When some leading brands witnessed erratic changes in their organic search visibility, some other brands saw complete wipe out of their visibility. The update which is covered by 164-page long report provide major guidelines of this update. The guidance explains how Google’s search quality teams should assess whether a search result contains expert content on subject matter and whether the content is reliable or not.
The power of effective content hierarchy
Content hierarchy is not a new concept but it is one that was brought to the fore following the updated search guidelines by EAT update. The guidelines emphasize on the importance of the main content along with subsidiary content. The main content should be clear and rich enough to convey all the essential information and it should be created by an expert in the field with credibility in that particular area. Subsidiary or supplementary content, on the other hand should add value to the user without divert them from main content.
Four qualities of EAT-friendly content
To understand this, we need to see the bigger picture. It is not just about well-crafted content but about content that can demonstrate four key qualities—accuracy, honesty, thoroughness and humility.
The content should be accurate, well researched and impartial. It should cover everything that is expected to be told and it should do it in an honest way. There are several companies that have their own brand slogans or mission statements about “helping” the customer and this sense of corporate humility has gained prominence now.
Make sure to provide content which is clear, easy to understand and customer centric. The important details about the major products should display on the main page to give a clear idea. There are companies that think lengthier content is the key but it is not the case, lengthier content is not bad but it must be placed in right place as part of the customer journey.
Google’s EAT update should not be seen as a huge sea-change in the search industry but rather, it should be simply seen as reinforcing what brands already know about dealing with their customers. The poor experiences that turned customers away in the offline world is also applicable in the online world. So companies should try their best to provide a flawless user experience to each customer as Google’s EAT update is nothing more than a reflection of customers’ expectations.
