In 2023, it’s not possible to operate a successful business and not have an online presence. But today, search engines are looking for more than just a website that you update every now and then. Google expects businesses to showcase their expertise and build authority online, which is needed to attract customers, improve rankings and increase conversions.
The Value of Sharing Your Expertise
Traditional marketing often fails because people today are more discerning; they want more detail when making purchasing decisions or working with one business over another. Customers today have higher expectations for the organizations they work with and the content those businesses are publishing. They want expert perspectives and proof that businesses can deliver on the claims they’re making. To stay competitive online, you need to maintain high standards and ensure that your website serves as a resource for high quality content.
One of the most important factors for Google right now is meeting its E-E-A-T guidelines, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. This instructs quality rates on how to evaluate the expertise of the content creator and while it’s not a definitive ranking factor, it can help to improve traffic because Google will see your site as a resource. But while you may well be an authority in your respective industry, how do you transfer that expertise to your online presence? Here are a few tips to ensure the content you’re publishing meets the right standard and showcases you and your business in the right light.
Let Visitors get to Know Your Team
An ‘About Us’ page doesn’t just humanize your business, but it also fosters familiarity and trust. Your audience wants to know that you have the qualifications, experience and knowledge to provide them with the solutions they’re looking for, and by extension, Google looks to sites that can deliver this proof so it knows your site is a valuable resource.
“Search engines are more likely to reward content with higher rankings if they can trust the source”, explains Justin Aldridge, Technical Director at Artemis Marketing, “If the author is a known person, known to Google as someone who has expertise in a certain field, then it’s more likely that this content will rank above “anonymous” content”. It’s a good idea to not only create an informative ‘About Us’ page but also feature author bios at the end of blogs that further highlight the expertise the writer has on the topic in question.
Distribute High Value Content
Not all content is created equal and when it comes to highlighting your knowledge, the more valuable resources you can create, the better. Be intentional about the content you create and how it might reflect the expertise you’ve accumulated over the years. From top tips and ideas you can share with your audience to practical strategies and workshops, you want to make each piece of content on your site as informative and helpful to the reader as possible.
Maybe you host Live Q&As on social media, which you can then record and upload to your website; perhaps you guest post on other sites or create monthly newsletters with valuable insights. Whichever format you choose, think about how the advice you’ve gleaned from years of working in your industry can be packaged up for your audience as a resource they can use and share.
Keep Active on Social Media
The amount of time we spend on social media has steadily increased over the years, and it’s now a large part of how many of us spend our day. A strong social media following creates an online community of people who can vouch for your business, your knowledge and raise awareness of what you have to offer. In fact, the very fact that we have influencers now is evidence of just how valuable we find the information expressed by content creators online.
For those looking to make more of an impact online and use their knowledge to gain visibility, social media could just be the perfect platform. In addition to creating useful content, you also want to engage with your followers and answer questions they may have in the comments, guest post on industry pages and join groups on the likes of Facebook and LinkedIn.
Optimize for your Expertise
If someone is looking for an expert on a particular topic or a resource to help them resolve an issue, one of the first places they’ll go is Google, and when they search they’ll use specific terms to find what they’re looking for. Optimizing your site to drive more targeted traffic, based on these terms, can make you and your business easier to find online. For example, if you’re a career coach and have a wealth of expertise in this area, targeting keywords such as ‘career coach’ or ‘career coach in [location]’ can make it easier for people to find you and the knowledge you have to offer.
Ultimately, SEO can help ensure your content is reaching as wide an audience as possible and that the people who need to see it can find it easily. Optimizing blogs, web pages and your social media posts with the right keywords and phrases will get your voice and your brand out there and makes it very clear to those who find it what your area of expertise is.
One of many drivers for directing quality inbound traffic to your website, showcasing your expertise can help to develop stronger brand awareness and bring in higher quality leads to your site. By sharing your expertise, you’re making it clear to your audience and to Google why you’re an authority in your industry and why people should engage with your organization.
Providing evidence of your expertise is crucial to attracting customers, getting ahead of the competition and increasing your online visibility, but it’s an ongoing task. As your skills and experience in your industry continues to grow, you need to stay on top of updating author bylines and continuing to push out fresh content that will maintain your authority and keep you at the forefront of your sector.
