W.T.F is E.E.A.T? And why it’s crucial for being found online.
Sorry guys, this isn’t a blog about eating. But it’s definitely a blog you need to consume if a website is an important part of your business.
As AI search engines evolve, they’re placing less emphasis on technical SEO tricks and more on content quality signals. One key framework that underpins how Google and other AI-driven platforms assess quality is E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust. It’s absolutely crucial for being found. Here's how to build it into your website:
1. Show your experience
Make it clear that your content is written by someone who has actually done what they’re writing about. Add personal stories, case studies, behind-the-scenes photos, or practical walkthroughs that demonstrate real-life use, not just theory. AI tools value first-hand knowledge—it’s harder to fake and far more trustworthy.
2. Highlight expertise
Use content created or reviewed by people with legitimate credentials or experience. If you’re in a specialist field (health, finance, law, sustainability, etc.), make sure to include qualifications, certifications, or a history of relevant work. Even linking to a LinkedIn profile or professional portfolio helps AI and human readers understand your authority. Google is intelligently reading ad reviewing your website copy. Keyword stuffing is seriously 2024, guys.
3. Build authoritativeness
Be visible beyond your website. Aim to be quoted, referenced, or linked to by other respected sites or people in your industry. Appear on podcasts, write guest posts, or get featured in industry roundups. When search engines see others referring to your brand as a go-to source, they view your site as authoritative. And yes, we know this isn’t always easy to achieve, but there are specialist PR (public relations) folk out there (including some in Hawke’s Bay we highly recommend) or (gasp) you can even ask ChatGPT to help you craft a strategic plan around achievably achieveing some of the above. And yes, I know that’s bad grammar and sentence structure, but I’ve thrown that in just to remind you you’re reading words written by a real-life human, not an AI tool.
4. Prioritise trust
Trustworthiness is critical. Use HTTPS (a secure version of a website), have clear privacy and cookie policies, and be transparent about affiliate links or sponsored content. Include real contact information, publish up-to-date content, and avoid clickbait headlines or misleading claims. AI is trained to detect signs of spammy, low-trust behaviour — and penalise it.
5. Add human elements
Put real names and faces to your content. Use author bylines, profile pictures, and detailed bios. Even small things like a quote from the author or links to their social profiles reinforce the credibility and personality behind the words—something AI tools are increasingly trying to detect and reward.
All sound too hard? At Natter, we do professional copywriting (and no, ChatGPT is NOT what we consider professional….not yet, anyway!). Whether you have a website that needs some fresh strategic thinking around copy, you need to reconsider how it’s presented in a holistic sense (design/copy/visuals) or you just want to start from scratch using our specialist skills in Squarespace website design, just get in touch. We’re not a fancy-pants, over-priced, big-city marketing agency. We’re just a couple of clever Hawke’s Bay humans who know how to tackle the www head-on.
