On 1 August, Google rolled out one of its largest core updates in years. Websites in health, finance, law and other specialist areas saw significant ranking movements, in both directions.
The update has been nicknamed the "Medic Update" because health sites were disproportionately affected. But the signals apply much more broadly: Google now places greater weight on who stands behind the content, not just what the content says.
The term dominating the discussion is E-A-T: Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.
What is E-A-T?
E-A-T is not a new algorithm. It is a set of quality criteria Google has included in its Search Quality Rater Guidelines since 2014, but which now appears to carry more weight in actual rankings.
Expertise means the content is written by someone with genuine knowledge of the subject. An article about plumbing written by a certified plumber carries more authority than a generic text with no clear author.
Authoritativeness is about reputation, not just on the page, but externally. Is the author or business mentioned elsewhere? Do credible sources link to the site? Is the brand known and respected in its field?
Trustworthiness means the site is one users can rely on. Is contact information clear? Is it obvious who owns and runs the site? Is there a privacy policy? Is the content accurate and up to date?
Why were health sites hit hardest?
Google refers to content that can affect people's health, finances or safety as YMYL ("Your Money or Your Life"). For this type of content, E-A-T requirements are higher because the consequences of poor information are greater.
An article about symptoms, medications or treatments should ideally be written by a medical professional. If it is not (or if it is not clear who wrote it and why they are qualified) it sends a weak E-A-T signal.
What does this mean for typical SMB websites?
Most small businesses are not health sites. But the principles apply regardless.
An accounting firm's website with nothing about who the staff are, what their experience is and which clients they have helped sends weak authority signals. The same is true of a law firm without clear areas of specialisation, a trades business without references, or a consulting site where it is impossible to find out who actually delivers the work.
Many business websites are anonymous in a way that works against them. "We" are an agency, a firm, a company, but who are the people behind it? What do they know? Who have they helped?
Practical steps
Write about pages that actually say something Who are you? What is your background? What experience do you have? An about page with names, photos and a brief professional background does more for E-A-T than most technical adjustments.
Put an author on expert content Blog posts and articles should have a clear author with a short introduction. It is a concrete signal that the content was written by a person with relevant expertise.
Build external authority Are you mentioned in trade publications, local press or industry sources? Do credible websites link to yours? External mentions are among the strongest authority signals available.
Keep content up to date Outdated content sends a negative credibility signal. Review service pages and articles regularly and update anything that is no longer accurate.
Make contact information easy to find Address, phone, email: accessible and visible. Not hidden behind a form.
E-A-T is about more than SEO
What is interesting about E-A-T is that it is not just an SEO concept. A website that communicates clearly who stands behind it, what they know and why they can be trusted is simply a better website, for visitors and for search engines alike.
Google is trying to reward websites that deserve the trust of their users. For businesses that genuinely have the expertise but are not showing it clearly enough, that is an opportunity.
Want to know whether your website communicates your expertise and credibility effectively? Get in touch: we will review the site and give you concrete recommendations.