Improving Google EAT for Your YMYL Pages: Tips and Examples

If you're running a website that falls into the YMYL category, then it's important to make sure that your Google Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EAT) is as high as possible. What is YMYL? YMYL stands for "Your Money or Your Life," and refers to websites that deal with topics like finance, health, and law. These pages are held to a higher standard by Google because they can have a serious impact on people's lives. That's why it's so important to make sure that your website is up to snuff in terms of quality and trustworthiness. Below, learn more about how your YMYL content affects SEO, and how to improve your YMYL SEO quickly.

YMYL Content YMYL content falls into the category of "must-have" content. This is the type of content that people rely on to make important life decisions, and as such, it needs to be of the highest quality. Google knows this, which is why YMYL pages are held to a higher standard when it comes to EAT. If you want your YMYL pages to rank well, you need to make sure that your EAT is up to par.

EAT When it comes to YMYL content, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness are the three main pillars that you need to focus on. If your content is seen as trustworthy and authoritative by Google, then you're more likely to rank well. Here are a few ways that you can improve your EAT:

1. Make sure that your website is up-to-date and accurate. This means regularly checking your facts and figures, and updating your content as needed.

2. Write in a clear, concise, and easy-to-understand style. YMYL content can be complex, but it's important to make sure that your readers can understand it.

3. Make sure that your website is designed in a way that instills trust. This means using a clean and professional design, and including things like testimonials and customer reviews.

Improve EAT By Focusing Efforts on Quality Rater Guidelines There's no point in taking a stab in the dark and hoping your efforts are targeting the right metrics. The Quality Rater Guidelines (QRG) is a great resource that can help you zero in on exactly what Google is looking for when it comes to YMYL content. By understanding what raters are assessing, you can target your efforts to specific improvements for your content and website.

Key EAT Improvement Examples All of this can sound a bit vague, but there are some specific off-the-shelf items to check off that can improve your EAT factors. Having author bios and profiles can help, but is not always the game-changer you might be looking for. Links from authoritative sites are an absolute must and can be an instant boost. Plus, anything that improves your brand and reputation that Google can scan for will help immensely.

Don't Dismiss Non-YMYL Your site might host both YMYL and non-YMYL content. It's important to remember that the EAT factors of your YMYL content can be impacted by the quality of your non-YMYL content. This means that if you're hosting low-quality, spammy content on your website, it could hurt the reputation of your YMYL content. You should apply the same principles and efforts you do to your YMYL content as you do the rest of your site, or those efforts might be thrown out the window.

YMYL SEO Is a High-Stakes Game There's no doubt that YMYL content is important. But with that importance comes a lot of responsibility. You need to make sure that your YMYL content is of the highest quality, or you could be penalized by Google. Thankfully, there are some steps that you can take to improve your YMYL SEO quickly and effectively, in tandem with a professional SEO services company. Don't second-guess your next optimization - book a consultation with a professional SEO services company like WSI so you don't miss anything.