In August 2018, Google released an algorithm update which impacted the core methodology of Google’s search. The purpose of this was two-fold.
- To resolve “fake news” from unreliable sources (primarily shopping, health, wellness and financial) and,
- To protect consumers from misleading web pages, products and offerings.
Google’s John Mueller said in the 166 page General Guidelines document that the purpose of the program was to increase search quality ratings; “Your ratings will be used to evaluate search engine quality around the world. Good search engines give results that are helpful for users in their specific language and locale.”
The general guidelines has been structured around a coined term called Your Money Or Your Life pages which has been a focus of Google’s search quality index for over 6 years. However, since 2018 Google has been taking action, essentially refocusing its efforts to ensure a better internet through weeding out low quality sources and supporting high quality websites.
“You now need to be an expert in your field, show that you are an authority and show users they can trust the creator or company of the content to be given true value from Google.”
What is Google’s Your Money Or Your Life (YMYL)?
Ignoring the focus on the “M” – Money, YMYL pages are about more than just money. Per Google, a website or URL which provides information which can impact someone’s health, happiness, safety, or financial stability is a YMYL page. If you’ve got a website that offers stock tips, the pages that include those tips are YMYL pages.
That’s a lot of websites. It also covers the security of retail sites which request payment information.
Image explanation from the Google General Guidelines Document of E-A-T Search Quality Rating.
How To Fix Google E-A-T Penalties
Taking analytics from Massive’s client media portfolio we analyzed drops on brand recognition, search traffic and consumer interaction right after the 2018 Google update. We found that all websites were well designed with best SEO practices applied and a great UX. YMYL guidelines however, were all in check.
What was found:
- About Page with no people on it,
- Executives associated with the brand were not immediately visible,
- Poorly setup LinkedIn, Crunchbase etc.,
- No connection could be made to a person who had established Expertise, Authority or Trust,
- The Brand was not digitally associated with high authority publications
Massive’s Executive Leadership Branding (ELB) is the solution to E-A-T penalties and a sure way to recover and go up and beyond search expectations.
The ELB program secures the front-facing executives and company representatives with authorship profiles on the leading national and international publications. This translates to the People of the Brand becoming online thought leaders within their own industry.
- If you are in Healthcare then its Forbes Health, Huffington Health, CNN Health, Entrepreneur Magazine and Menshealth mag.
- In Finance its Bloomberg, MarketWatch, Financial Times, Investing.com and dozens of others.
- In the Tech industry? Try Mashable, Techcrunch, Forbes Tech, CNBC, LifeHack and so many more.
The remedy is caused through a “power” (or credibility) flow-through. Much like page rank, the authority of these platforms coupled by the association with executive names, the brand itself and the links to the brand’s social and official website gives Google the authority, trust and expertise verification they need.
Leading publication have their reputation with Google because they are pre-vetted, editorial publications which ensures their quality and appropriateness for the mark.
Additional Benefits of Executive Leadership Branding
The benefits of ELB go far beyond just E-A-T fixes. The program is used by executives and corporations of all sizes for a multitude of reasons, specific only to their internal strategies.
Executive Reputation Management
- Saturate an executive’s Google page 1 & 2 with relevant, high authority media entries.
- Suppress negative press and replace it with the executive’s voice
- Build executive credibility online
Corporate Communications Strategies
- Leverage national and international publications to do the talking for you
- As the owner or spokesperson for the brand, use your authorship to share your brand’s ideologies and talk about what matters.
SEOs & SEMs
- Every article published is a link back to your company website
- Topical discussion about your industry boosts authority and ranking for the search terms you are targeting
- Lead generation through the executive bios
Public Relations
- No need to pitch, just publish.
- Define and shape the image of the brand through your publications
- Publish as often as you like.
