The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) is a distinguished international association of board-certified plastic surgeons. Each quarter, they publish Aesthetic Society News, a newsletter that provides information, innovations, and updates surrounding plastic surgery that helps surgeons and marketers expand their reach and stay up-to-date on the latest industry developments.
This quarter, Plastic Surgery Studios contributed an article about adapting to Google’s recent E-A-T algorithm updates in the Summer 2019 Issue of Aesthetic Society News (page 83).
Adapting to Google’s E-A-T Update
Google regularly makes updates to its search algorithm to create the best possible user experience and to ensure the best possible content is making it to their users. When these changes are made, it is imperative that content is readjusted to excel in the new search landscape.
Otherwise, your position in search engines could drop, and all of the hard work you put into building your presence could potentially be lost in the new formula.
3 Areas That Will Impact Search Engine Rankings
Google’s new algorithm focuses on three main components: expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T). Let’s take a look at each of those pieces individually:
1. Expertise
Google prefers to have information from people who are deemed knowledgeable and reputable to ensure accurate information is being presented to their users. In the plastic surgery web ecosystem, plastic surgeons are considered to be the most reliable source of information on plastic surgery, so it is essential that your content meets SEO standards to ensure you are capitalizing on your expertise.
2. Authority
Authority refers to the credibility of the website itself. The credibility is determined by third-party testimonials and reviews as well as the site owner’s qualifications. Highlighting outside ratings are a great way to rise in the Google search ranks since all of these factors are taken into consideration whenever results are shown to a user.
3. Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness focuses on the technical parts of the website, such as SSL certification, security, and site accessibility. Sometimes, websites will focus on cramming as many keywords into a webpage without worrying about curating useful or accurate content. Under this new algorithm, this practice of “keyword stuffing” is now detrimental to a site’s search rankings.
Do’s and Don’ts in the New Algorithm
Here are a few strategies you can focus on when developing new content for your site so the Google E-A-T update will favor it:
Do:
- Create educational blogs and web pages
- Cater to your audience’s preferences
- Write using conversational language
- Produce concise, unbiased content
- Supplement content with visual elements
Don’t:
- Write duplicate or highly similar content
- Use obsolete or irrelevant information
- Be overly wordy or technical
- Create crowded, busy, or displeasing designs or formats