Do you want your law firm to become a household name? EAT. Do you aspire to rise to the top of Google’s organic search results? EAT. Are you searching for a content marketing strategy that has staying power, even as Google’s algorithms are constantly changing? You have already found it. EAT. In search engine optimization terms, EAT stands for “expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.” EAT is as essential to the success of a business website as another indicator named for an essential life function, namely NAP, which stands for name, address, and phone number. All the fancy graphics and elegant prose in the world are useless if your website does not show Google, and by extension prospective visitors, what your business is called, where it is located, and how to contact it. Likewise, a website full of bells and whistles will not impress Google unless you back up its content with credibility. Professionally written legal blog content can enhance the EAT factor of your law firm’s website.
EAT to Enhance Your Law Firm’s SEO Rankings
EAT is not one criterion on which Google’s algorithms base their rankings of a website; rather, it is a principle that underlies all of the criteria that determine your website’s place among organic search results. Keywords, time on page, and other SEO criteria are merely measures of what really counts, namely expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. In other words, Google’s algorithms endeavor to rank websites according to the knowledge and credibility of the authors of their content. Any SEO ranking criterion is simply a proxy for EAT.
Unfortunately, there is no quick fix that will instantly transform you into a leading authority in your field. The only way to gain credibility is to provide accurate information again and again and to be transparent about where you found it. All the content marketing best practices, such as readable writing, links to other credible sources, and avoiding exaggerated and unverifiable claims, enhance your EAT, but none of them will get you a seat at the VIP table overnight.
EAT Like Your Clients’ Wellbeing Depends on It
While some websites can subsist on gimmicks, and some even thrive on clickbait, YMYL sites, including law firm websites, must EAT to live. YMYL stands for “your money or your life,” and it refers to websites that people visit in order to make financial decisions and other major decisions. Examples of YMYL sites are sites of businesses that provide medical, legal, and financial services, news websites, and websites that sell products directly. Twitter and the successors to I Can Has Cheezburger still serve their purpose even if their content is not factually accurate, but in the case of law firm websites, credibility is all you have.
EAT in Style With Professionally Written Legal Blog Content
While there is no shortcut to enhancing your professional reputation online, regularly updating the blog on your law firm’s website with well researched blog posts helps.
The legal content writers at Law Blog Writers will create blog content to help cement your law firm’s reputation for expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.