A marketing strategy grounded in EEAT helps establish your brand as a credible and trustworthy source.

The principles of EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) are often considered a SEO content strategy, but they extend well beyond that. The reason they play an important role in SEO, is because they are critical in shaping effective marketing and sales strategies, guiding how brands build reputation, engage audiences, and convert prospects into customers.

When your content consistently demonstrates expertise and first-hand experience, it reassures potential customers that your business understands their needs and offers reliable solutions. This trust is a key factor in both attracting and retaining customers, which directly supports sales objectives.

Sales teams benefit from EEAT-aligned marketing assets. For example, case studies, testimonials, and expert-led webinars can be used as proof points during sales conversations. These materials help address buyer concerns about credibility and reliability, making it easier for sales professionals to build rapport and move prospects toward a purchase decision.

A strong online reputation, supported by positive reviews and transparent responses to customer feedback, is central to both marketing and sales. Monitoring and responding to reviews not only signals trustworthiness to new customers but also provides valuable insights for refining sales approaches and improving customer service.

What Is EEAT?

EEAT is a set of guidelines used by Google’s Search Quality Raters to assess whether content is reliable, accurate, and helpful. It’s particularly important for topics that affect people’s health, finances, or safety, but it applies to many types of content.

The four components of EEAT are:

• Experience: This measures whether the content creator has first-hand or real-world experience with the topic. Including personal stories, case studies, or practical advice can demonstrate this.
• Expertise: This relates to the depth of knowledge the author has. Content created or reviewed by individuals with relevant credentials or subject matter expertise tends to perform better.
• Authoritativeness: This reflects the reputation of the content creator and the website. Recognition from other experts, backlinks from reputable sources, and mentions in industry publications contribute to authoritativeness.
• Trustworthiness: This focuses on how reliable and safe the website and its content are. Secure websites (using HTTPS), clear contact information, and transparent author details help build trust.

By integrating EEAT principles, marketing efforts become more credible and persuasive, while sales teams are equipped with the trust signals needed to close deals more effectively. This alignment ultimately leads to stronger brand reputation, higher conversion rates, and long-term business growth.

How EEAT Is Used by Google

Google employs human quality raters who evaluate pages and websites based on EEAT guidelines. Their feedback helps Google refine its search algorithms to better prioritize content that meets these quality standards. While EEAT itself isn’t a direct ranking signal, websites that demonstrate strong EEAT characteristics tend to perform better, especially for sensitive topics often referred to as “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) content.

Why EEAT Matters for Marketers

EEAT helps Google identify content that users can rely on. For marketers, this means that focusing on these four areas can improve user trust, enhance your site’s reputation, and support better search performance over time. To strengthen your website’s EEAT profile, consider the following:

• Start by highlighting experience through sharing real-world examples, case studies, or user testimonials. This shows that your content is grounded in practical knowledge.
• Next, showcase expertise by including detailed author bios with relevant credentials and by referencing reputable, up-to-date sources within your content.
• Building authoritativeness involves earning backlinks and mentions from trusted industry sites and participating in relevant industry events or publications.
• Finally, enhance trustworthiness by securing your website with HTTPS, providing clear contact information and transparent “About Us” pages, and ensuring your content is accurate, well-cited, and regularly updated.

EEAT Checklist for Business Marketers

EEAT offers a useful framework for creating content that both users and search engines can trust. By focusing on experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, marketers can develop content that stands out for its quality and reliability. This approach helps improve search visibility and fosters stronger connections with your audience – everywhere, nit just in SEO.