You know that feeling when you're trying to get your website seen and everyone keeps talking about E-A-T like it's some magic spell? Yeah, I totally get it. After working with businesses here in Colorado Springs and seeing how different search platforms look at expertise, authority, and trust, I've learned something important: E-A-T isn't just a checklist. It's about really building trust and credibility that shows up everywhere your customers might look for you.
So, let's chat about what I've found regarding how E-A-T plays out on different search engines and platforms. More importantly, I'll share how you can actually build it in a way that makes a real difference for your business.
E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trust – three big factors Google really started pushing after their "Medic Update" back in August 2018. But here's the cool part that many folks miss: even though Google came up with the name, this whole idea of credibility applies to how people (and the algorithms behind the scenes) judge you on *all* platforms.
Think of it like this: when someone's trying to find a local SEO service right here in Colorado Springs, they're not just looking at Google anymore. Nope! They're probably checking out your Google Business Profile, maybe peeking at reviews on Yelp or Facebook, probably swinging by your social media, and definitely landing on your website. Every single place they see your business, you need to show them that you really know your stuff, that you're well-regarded in your field, and that they can totally trust you with their hard-earned money.
Seriously, recent data shows that a whopping 88% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as a personal recommendation from a friend. And get this: 72% of customers won't even *think* about taking action until they've read some reviews. That's not just a Google thing; that's true for *everywhere* your business shows up online.
Google's way of handling E-A-T is probably the most talked about, thanks to their Quality Rater Guidelines. They're basically looking for content that has a "beneficial purpose," and it needs to be created by folks who truly know what they're talking about.
When it comes to expertise, Google wants to see that you've got the knowledge or skills to really speak confidently about your topic. This doesn't always mean fancy degrees, by the way—sometimes real-world experience and just showing you know your stuff can be even more important. If you're running a local SEO agency, for instance, Google wants proof that you understand search optimization, the unique challenges local businesses face, and how digital marketing actually works.
Authority is all about your reputation in your industry or field. Google checks for mentions of you or your business all over the web, looks at good quality links pointing to your site, and seeks recognition from other respected places. It's not just about getting *any* links; it's about getting the *right kind* of shout-outs.
Trust is where Google gets super particular, especially for what they call YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics. Even though SEO might not sound like a YMYL topic on the surface, local businesses often handle their clients' marketing budgets and business growth. So, showing you're trustworthy becomes a really big deal.
Here's what I've noticed Google really pays attention to:
Bing doesn't use the *exact* E-A-T name, but you can bet they're checking out similar credibility stuff. What's super interesting is that Bing seems to lean a bit more on social signals and how users engage with your content than Google does.
From what I've seen with clients who do well on Bing, the platform really values:
Social media presence and engagement: Bing pays extra attention to how active you are on social platforms and how people are actually interacting with what you post there.
User behavior signals: Stuff like how long people stay on your site, if they bounce right away, and if they come back for more—these seem to carry more weight in Bing's secret sauce.
Local business verification: Making sure your Bing Places for Business is verified and that your info is consistent across all your local listings.
The cool part about Bing is they're often more open about what they're looking for. Their webmaster guidelines actually give you some pretty straightforward advice on building credibility.
Every social platform has its own little quirks for building trust, and knowing these differences can really help you get more strategic about how you build your authority.
LinkedIn is basically the king of professional credibility. Their algorithm loves content from people who have fully fleshed-out profiles, tons of industry connections, and who are regularly engaging. For service businesses like yours, LinkedIn's take on E-A-T includes:
Facebook is all about community engagement and local vibe. Their local business features give a shout-out to businesses that have:
Instagram is totally about visual storytelling and keeping it real. For businesses, this means sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses, showing off your team, and highlighting actual customer results. Their credibility signals include how much people engage with your posts, how many finish watching your Stories, and if users are creating content about you.
Platforms like Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, and those industry-specific directories each have their own unique ways of deciding who's credible.
Yelp's algorithm looks at how good your reviews are, how quickly you respond to messages, and if you've uploaded photos. They also care about the *reviewer's* credibility – reviews from long-time Yelp users carry more weight than those from brand new accounts.
The Better Business Bureau really zeroes in on how you handle complaints, how long you've been around, and how transparent your business practices are. Their whole accreditation process is basically a formal E-A-T check, if you think about it.
Industry directories often check for things like your membership status, reviews from other pros in your field, and any specific professional certifications you might have.
Okay, here's the real secret: you don't need to cook up a totally different credibility strategy for every single platform out there. The trick is to build a rock-solid foundation of genuine expertise, authority, and trust that just naturally shines through on *all* your channels.
You just can't fake expertise forever. Seriously. So, really focus on truly knowing your stuff and being able to *show* that knowledge. This means:
Stay on top of industry trends: Read those industry publications, hit up conferences, take some courses. The digital marketing world is always changing, so your expertise needs to keep up!
Document what you know: Write helpful, detailed blog posts, put together case studies, share your insights on social media. The idea isn't just to show off; it's to genuinely help people while showing how much you understand.
Specialize in something: Being a generalist is fine, but if you can be *the* go-to expert in a specific area, it helps build your authority way faster. For instance, here at Casey's SEO, we zero in specifically on Colorado Springs local SEO instead of trying to be everything for everyone.
Authority kinda blooms when others start recognizing your expertise. This definitely takes a bit of time, but there are ways to speed things up:
Get active in your professional community: Join industry groups, jump into online forums, maybe even speak at some events. The more you give back to your professional community, the more people will start to notice you.
Team up with other experts: Think guest posts, appearing on podcasts, or even doing joint projects. These collaborations help you reach new audiences and gain credibility by being associated with others who are already well-known.
Look for media opportunities: Local news, industry magazines, and podcasts are always on the hunt for expert sources. Position yourself as someone who can offer genuinely helpful insights.
Trust is probably the trickiest part of E-A-T to build because it's all about being consistent over time. But for local service businesses, it's also the absolute most important.
Be totally transparent about who you are: Use real photos, give out all your contact info, and be super upfront about your background and what makes you qualified.
Show off real results: Case studies, testimonials, and those awesome before-and-after examples really help people see what they can expect when they work with you.
Respond to feedback: Whether it's a glowing review or a not-so-great one, *always* respond. How you handle criticism speaks volumes about how trustworthy you are.
Keep your info consistent: Make sure your business name, address, phone number, and all those other little details are *exactly* the same everywhere online. Inconsistencies are like big red flags waving at potential customers (and algorithms!).
I've seen businesses trip up on the same E-A-T mistakes over and over again, and these blunders really hurt them on *all* platforms, not just Google.
Trying to game the system by buying fake reviews, making up credentials, or stretching the truth about your experience? Trust me, it *always* blows up in your face eventually. Platforms are getting super smart at spotting these tricks, and once you're caught, trying to earn back that trust is almost impossible.
Instead, just focus on building real authority, step by step. Yeah, it takes more time, but it's the only way to build something sustainable that actually helps your business grow for the long haul.
For local businesses, getting involved in the community and earning local recognition are *massive* trust signals. I see way too many businesses hyper-focused on their online presence but completely forgetting about their reputation right here in their own town.
So, get out there! Join local business groups, maybe sponsor a community event, and build genuine relationships with other local business owners. All that 'offline' authority totally translates into 'online' credibility.
Your expertise and authority should basically sound the same no matter where someone finds you. But often, I see businesses acting like totally different companies on different channels. This just confuses everyone – the algorithms *and* your potential customers.
So, figure out a super clear message about what you're good at and who you are, then make sure you stick to it everywhere you show up online.
While your main E-A-T foundation should be rock-solid and consistent, you can definitely tweak things a bit to shine on each platform's specific preferences.
For Google, really focus on:
For social platforms, make sure you:
For review sites, it's smart to:
You know the drill: you can't really make things better if you're not tracking them. So, here are the metrics I keep an eye on to see how well our E-A-T efforts are doing:
Search visibility: How high you're ranking for your main keywords on different search engines.
Brand mentions: How often your business gets talked about online, whether there's a link or not.
Review metrics: The number of reviews you have, your average rating, and how quickly you respond across all platforms.
Social engagement: Likes, shares, comments, and how fast your follower count is growing on social media.
Website authority: Your domain authority score, the quality of your backlinks, and how much organic traffic you're getting.
Local visibility: Your local pack rankings, insights from your Google Business Profile, and how well you show up in local directories.
E-A-T isn't going anywhere; in fact, it's only going to become *more* important as AI and machine learning get smarter. Platforms are getting seriously good at sniffing out real expertise and kicking out low-quality content.
The businesses that truly shine will be the ones focused on genuinely helping their customers and building real, honest-to-goodness expertise in their field. It's not about trying to trick algorithms; it's about being genuinely great at what you do and making sure people actually know it.
I'm also noticing a much bigger push for local expertise, especially for service businesses. Platforms really want to connect users with businesses that truly get their local market and can offer super relevant, helpful service.
Building E-A-T across all platforms definitely isn't an overnight thing, but you can totally start making progress today! Here's what I'd recommend:
Do a quick audit of your current online presence: Check out how your business looks on Google, Bing, social media, and all those review sites. See if there are any weird inconsistencies in your info, your message, or how you present yourself.
Fill out those profiles: Make sure every single platform where your business shows up has complete, super accurate info. This means your Google Maps listing, all your social media profiles, and every directory you're listed in.
Get a content calendar going: Plan out regular content that really shows off your expertise. This could be blog posts, quick social media updates, or even some video content.
Start building relationships: Reach out to other pros in your industry, join some local
