SEO and Data Driven News

 

Links have been one of the most important elements of SEO for many years. It still is. But links are not just "a voice on your website". It has become a much more nuanced signal, which Google I .a. user in their new EAT ratings. But what is EAT rating, how does Google interprets link signals and authority today, and why are data-driven news stories one of the best methods you can work with today to create better and more stable results? And how do you do that? All that I will take a closer look at in this post.

What is Google EAT?

EAT is an abbreviation for Expertise, Authority, and Trust - three factors that Google has increased its focus on in the last few years. Through a very large team of external Quality Raters, Google continuously evaluates worldwide websites and search results based on the EAT parameters and use it to improve its search algorithms. The consequences of this we saw me .a. in 2018 when many Danish websites in the healthcare sector were hit hard by declining visibility in Google - while others progressed a lot. 

So far, Google has focused mostly on rolling out EAT ratings on the industries that matter most to our lives and health, such as the economy, health, and disease. But it is my clear assessment that in the coming years we will experience that EAT "hits" many more industries. So no matter what industry you are in, I would highly recommend that you start optimizing your website for EAT - then you are at the forefront of development, and your competitors.

EAT optimization of technology, content, and links

Of course, it is not entirely easy for Google to objectively and automatically evaluate websites on the basis of EAT. Expertise, authority, and trust are to a large extent some "soft" values. But they are actually getting really good at it - as i.a. the health case from last year clearly shows.

As always, when it comes to the ongoing development of Google's algorithms, we have of course also followed very closely what signals they are looking at in practice when making their EAT rating. And roughly speaking, it can be divided into three groups of factors - technical optimization, content optimization, and links. Fortunately, many websites already have some control over the technical optimization. But far from all. In this connection, our Profseoservices Business customers are in a very fortunate position, because the platform is optimized by default on all the most important technical parameters. If you are not so lucky to have a Profseoservices Business website then you need to talk to your developers or web agency to ensure that your website is properly EAT optimized.

Content optimization is a little more complex. It is both about general things like that it is quite clear who you are, who your company is, and that it can be verified - both internally in text and Schema data, and externally via valid sources, but also specifically in relation to that content you publish and the links and references you use. In short, it's becoming more important than ever that your content expresses quality and expertise in your field. In this context, health care is a very clear case - that Apoteket.dk went forward, and a lot of less valuable affiliate sites and questionable self-ordered health sites went back is not surprising. And personally, I'm actually pretty happy with that. And then we come to the last thing - links, and authority. As I said, links have been a very important and dominant element in SEO for many years. The new thing is that now - with EAT it is even more closely linked to "authority", "expertise" and "trust". You can still improve a lot of your rankings with "old-fashioned" link building. But in addition to that, it also becomes much more important to strengthen your real authority and validate your expertise. One of the best sources to increase both the authority and the expertise factors is to get coverage in the major and well-established news media.

But how do you achieve that?

Data-driven news creates natural publicity

One of the most effective methods of getting good publicity in the major news media is what we call data-driven news. It is a completely legitimate method with respect for both the media, readers and Google. But what is data-driven news? In short, it involves using data from your own and related markets as a starting point for making analyzes and stories with sufficient news value for the major media to bring the stories. It is definitely not about creating some. On the contrary. Good data-driven news is generally perceived positively by the media and journalists. They also benefit from the fact that we - as professionals in our fields, help them with knowledge about important topics, which they can then deal with journalistically. In the same way, readers benefit from having the topics covered seriously. And Google can use it in their EAT ratings. In principle, there is nothing new in data-driven news. Large companies and organizations have for many years used the method to raise awareness of their interests. What is new is the special optimization that we add to the strategy so that it has a more direct effect on Google EAT. To succeed with this strategy, there are several things that need to be in place, including The right data must be obtained. It can be data from your own systems but definitely does not need to be limited to it. The story must be designed so that it lives up to the news value requirements of the media - so that they can bring your story. The material must be implemented on a boat that ensures that the effect is as high as possible - which is a special challenge that requires a lot of knowledge about both media and SEO. The story must be "sold" to the right media. It can not be done by simply sending out a press release en masse. You must be in direct dialogue with the right journalists and editorial staff. In the long run, the strategy should be optimized in order to get as broad a coverage as possible. In short, it is better to be mentioned once in all the country's newspapers, than 50 times in Ekstra Bladet.

Triple effect for the same price

A good data-driven news strategy does not just have a positive impact on Google's EAT rating. Appearing in the media as an expert in your field, with valid research and insight, is in itself good. Both me and Waimea have also benefited greatly from it. When I have been lucky enough to appear in the TV newspaper as an expert in my field or being quoted in the major dailies, it strengthens the positive perception people have of me and my company. Some of them are potentially people we can one day sell something to and existing customers are confirmed that they have hired the right experts.

And when the media mentions Waimea or me, it also creates increased traffic on our website and the phones ring a little more. So even if Google did not exist at all, data-driven news would often pay off. That we then, with the right strategy, can also affect your visibility in Google just makes it even more attractive and financially sound.