The SEO Charity podcast recently tackled a fresh perspective on Google’s E-E-A-T framework, which stands for expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Hosted by Olesia Korobka and Anton Shulke, the episode featured Amanda Walls, the founder of Cedarwood Digital in Manchester, UK. Walls emphasized that E-E-A-T is not simply an element to add to a website; instead, it revolves around activities creating external signals that Google can associate with these core concepts. This aligns with what Google’s John Mueller noted about the essence of E-E-A-T.
Applying Aristotle to SEO
Amanda introduced intriguing concepts drawn from Aristotle’s rhetoric — ethos, pathos, and logos. These principles serve as foundational strategies to persuade both site visitors and potential customers:
- Credibility (Ethos): Establish your authority and trustworthiness in your niche.
- Emotional Appeal (Pathos): Connect with your audience’s feelings. Engaging storytelling can resonate deeply with users.
- Logical Reasoning (Logos): Provide compelling arguments and data to convince your audience about your offering.
These principles form the backbone of Amanda’s approach, focusing on creating circumstances that generate positive external signals correlating with E-E-A-T concepts.
The True Value of SEO
Central to Amanda’s message is the notion that SEO should prioritize driving leads and conversions over merely securing high rankings. This perspective shifts the conversation away from vanity metrics.
In an industry often saturated with buzz about traffic numbers, Amanda stresses that the ultimate goal is business returns. She pointed out a crucial observation: “SEO is more than just rankings; it’s about conversion. It’s about business return.” Bringing visitors to a site means little if they do not convert into customers. Visitors need to engage positively with a brand, making their conversion journey a priority.
“We don’t just want to bring people to the website; we want them to engage and love your brand and have a really, really good reason to go through and fulfill the conversion journey.”
Reputation Management as a Cornerstone
Another critical topic Amanda touched on is reputation management. She noted that businesses must actively manage their image across reviews, online mentions, and media portrayals. Important statistics bolster her argument:
- 87% of consumers will reconsider a purchase if they encounter negative information about a brand.
- 81% of consumers conduct extensive research before making a purchase, often spanning up to 79 days.
Amanda frames successful search optimization around three key components: findability, credibility, and persuasion. She poignantly emphasized the necessity of not just being found, but actively convincing potential buyers to make a purchase.
“We’re working on SEO to help people find us, and then most importantly, we are convincing them or we’re persuading them to actually go and purchase our product…”
Monitoring Off-Site Signals
Amanda advocates for regular assessments of a brand’s online presence, which includes understanding user sentiment and media coverage. Poor sentiment can significantly hinder users’ journeys through the conversion funnel. Thus, keeping a finger on the pulse of off-site signals is essential for maintaining a favorable brand image.
Managing On-Site Signals
On-site signals are equally important. Amanda recommends leveraging the “About Us” page to share relatable stories that evoke positive feelings. She describes this as creating an emotional appeal that resonates with users. Authentic narratives about the brand can lead to stronger connections with potential customers.
User-Generated Content and Authenticity
In today’s digital landscape, user-generated content (UGC) is a vital asset for businesses. Brands that encourage customers to share reviews and images foster a greater sense of trust among prospective buyers. Amanda illustrates this point effectively:
“And then also from a pathos perspective, you know, really getting that kind of user-generated content, getting people to connect… because fundamentally humans, they buy from humans.”
Effective Journalism Outreach
Amanda also emphasized the importance of effectively pitching story ideas to journalists, an area where many link-building companies miss the mark. Drawing from her extensive experience in SEO and link building, she expressed the need for a shift in focus away from merely obtaining links towards cultivating meaningful relationships with journalists.
The aim should be brand exposure and understanding what resonates with a journalist’s audience. This way, a brand can secure coverage that might not always include a direct link but indeed influences consumer searches and brand recognition.
“92% of journalists say that understanding their audience is crucial for them to consider a story pitch.”
Understanding what motivates a journalist’s readership is instrumental in improving outreach efficacy, leading to higher approval rates for story pitches.
Tuning into Analytics and Conversion Metrics
Walls’ insights into online reputation, engagement, user experience, and interactions boil down to one clear takeaway: success in SEO is no longer just about rankings; it’s about crafting an authentic, compelling, and trustworthy brand presence online. Amanda’s philosophy highlights the critical intersection between SEO strategy, audience engagement, and tangible business outcomes.
Watch the SEO Charity episode on E-E-A-T:
Reimagining E-E-A-T with Amanda Walls
Featured Image by Shutterstock/Ollyy
