In the dynamic world of e-commerce, visibility on Google is key to success. One of the fundamental concepts that influences Google’s assessment of the quality of a page, and consequently – its position in search results – is E-E-A-T. Although it is not a direct ranking factor in the technical sense, understanding and implementing its principles is crucial to building trust, authority and long-term success of an online store.
What is Google E-E-A-T?
E-E-A-T is an acronym for:
Experience: A new element added to the previous E-A-T. It refers to the practical, real-life experience of the content creator or company in a given topic. Has the creator actually used the product, visited the place, or experienced what they are writing about?
Expertise: The level of knowledge and skill in a given field. Is the content created by someone who really knows what they are talking about?
Authoritativeness: Reputation and recognition in the industry. Are your brand and authors seen as a trustworthy source of information?
Trustworthiness: Overall trust in the site, brand, and content. Can users rely on the information, security of transactions, and quality of service?
Google uses these guidelines to assess whether a site provides valuable, reliable, and trustworthy information, which is especially important for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) sites, which are often considered online stores.
How to Implement E-E-A-T Principles in an Online Store?
Implementing E-E-A-T is a multi-dimensional process that includes content, technical aspects, marketing, reputation, operations, and performance analysis. Below are the key areas and actions based on the provided guidelines:
1. Content Factors:
Publish High-Quality, Expert Content:
Hire subject matter experts or professional copywriters to create error-free and factually correct content.
Regularly publish engaging blog content (e.g. how-tos, comparisons, case studies) that answer customers’ questions at different stages of the purchase funnel (Top-of-Funnel).
Create current content that demonstrates thought leadership in your industry, avoiding clickbait titles.
Create Rich and Unique Product Pages:
Avoid copying manufacturer descriptions. Create your own comprehensive descriptions that go beyond the basics.
Enrich pages with product videos, 360-degree photos, comparison charts, and other decision-making elements.
Provide after-sales care content (how-tos, maintenance guides) and link to it from product pages.
2. Building Trust and Transparency:
Create a Reliable “About Us” Page: Tell the story of your brand, present your mission, values and what makes you stand out. Show that there are real people behind the store.
Showcase Your Team: A “Meet the Team” section with photos and short biographies builds credibility and shows expertise.
Provide Detailed Customer Service Information: Clearly present the rules for shipping, returns, complaints. Make sure they are easy to access and understand (e.g. use HTML tables instead of images, consider using Schema FAQ).
Make Contact Easy: Provide clear contact information (phone, email, form, physical address if available). Don’t make it difficult for customers to ask questions or report problems.
3. Technical Aspects Supporting E-E-A-T:
Secure Your Site with an SSL Certificate (HTTPS): This is an absolute must for e-commerce, protecting customer data and building trust (Google also prefers HTTPS sites).
Make No Broken Links: Regularly check (e.g. with tools like Screaming Frog) and fix broken internal and external links. A neglected site reduces credibility.
Design a Perfect User Experience (UX): Ensure a professional look, intuitive navigation, responsiveness (mobile-first!), helpful product filters. Invest in user testing to identify and remove barriers.
Make a Clean Information Architecture: A logical structure (e.g. Hub and Spoke for categories and subcategories) helps users and search engines understand the hierarchy and subject matter of the page.
Control Indexation: Avoid so-called “Index Bloat” – indexing of many low-quality pages by Google (e.g. results of filtering with URL parameters). Monitor the Coverage report in Google Search Console and use appropriate directives (e.g. noindex, canonical).
4. Marketing, Reputation and Links:
Monitor Online Reputation: Check what is being said about your brand online (e.g. using the operator -site:yourdomain.com “Your Brand” in Google). Analyze and respond to reviews.
Build a Valuable Link Profile: Try to acquire natural backlinks from reputable, thematically related sites. Avoid spammy link building techniques and consider disavowing toxic links from the past.
Use a Google Business Profile: This is a great tool for presenting your company in search results, building local visibility and interacting with customers. Keep your data up to date.
Use Independent Review Systems: Positive reviews on external platforms (e.g. Trustpilot, Opineo, Ceneo) build social proof and credibility. They are an important reputation indicator for Google.
Encourage Positive Mentions and Branded Searches: Building a strong brand will make customers search for it and associate it with specific products/topics.
5. Operational and Business Activities:
Stand Out from the Competition: Offer something unique – a product, service, level of service. Communicate your advantages on the site.
React to Negative Reviews: Respond professionally and try to solve the customer’s problem. This shows commitment and concern for satisfaction.
Offer a Fair and Transparent Pricing Policy: Avoid hidden costs (e.g. shipping that appears only in the cart). Clear rules build trust.
Avoid Over-Optimization: Forget about keyword stuffing or unnatural linking. Focus on the user and valuable content. Remove unnecessary blocks of SEO text (e.g. at the bottom of category pages).
Show Off Awards and Achievements: Display your certifications, industry awards – this is a strong signal of positive reputation.
6. Measure and Optimize Performance:
Measure Customer Satisfaction: Use tools (e.g. Hotjar) to measure metrics such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) to understand customer satisfaction.
Meet the Needs of Your Target Audience: Analyze why customers visit your store and whether they find what they are looking for (relevant products, comprehensive information, easy purchase process).
Introduce Feedback Mechanisms: On-page surveys, “Was this page helpful?” buttons allow you to collect valuable data for optimization.
Create a Question and Answer Section (FAQ) on Product Pages: This allows you to not only answer customer concerns, but also identify gaps in information. Consider using Schema FAQ.
Use Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): Treat CRO not just as a way to increase sales, but as a way to improve the customer journey through the website. Test (A/B), analyze (heat maps, session recordings) and remove “friction points” in the purchasing process.
Conclusion
E-E-A-T is not a magic formula for an instant top spot in Google. It is rather a philosophy and a set of guidelines that help build a valuable, trustworthy and user-centric online business. By focusing on delivering real value, expertise, building authority and transparency, you will not only gain the favor of Google algorithms, but above all, you will build a loyal customer base and a strong brand. Implementing E-E-A-T principles is an investment in the long-term success of your online store.
Sources of knowledge
- https://www.designcart.pl – polish website about e-commerce
- https://www.web.pc.pl – blog about e-commerce
- https://www.designstudiowww.pl – website about web technologies
- https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/ – blog about e-commerce
