Google's increasing emphasis on EEAT - Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness has left many brilliant professionals, innovative entrepreneurs, and thriving businesses in a challenging predicament
Without it, you are, in essence, the world's best-kept secret, and in an era dominated by ever-evolving algorithms and the insatiable appetite of search engines, being the best simply isn't enough anymore.
If you're not also the best known, you risk being left hungry, or worse, completely consumed by the competition.
So, how do you ensure your exceptional work isn't just a delicious secret, but a celebrated feast for all to see?
Let’s explore the critical elements of EEAT to reveal how a strategic approach, powered by the credibility of awards, can prevent you from being eaten alive by your competition.
The Ever-Hungry Algorithm - Understanding EEAT
Google's primary objective is to deliver the most reliable and valuable information to users. To achieve this, it has developed sophisticated criteria, now encapsulated in EEAT. This isn't just a fleeting trend; it's a fundamental shift in how online credibility is assessed, particularly with the advent of AI summaries topping the search results.
Let's dissect what each letter in EEAT signifies and why it's the core ingredient for your profile-building success.
Experience: Have You Eaten at the Restaurant?
Experience is the foundational layer. It asks, quite simply, "Has the content creator genuinely lived this?"
If you are dispensing advice on scaling a business, have you built one yourself?
If you are a coach guiding others through career transitions, have you navigated similar waters?
Google is increasingly looking for first-hand knowledge, the kind that can only be gained through practical application and real-world involvement. It's about showing, not just telling, that you've been in the trenches and understand the nuances of your sector, industry or niche. And yes, it’s even more vital today to choose your lane and stick to it.
Expertise: The Chef's Secret Sauce
Expertise delves into the depth of your knowledge and skill within your field. Are you merely familiar with a topic, or are you truly a connoisseur?
This could be demonstrated through formal qualifications, such as a chartered accountant discussing financial planning, or through extensive, practical knowledge accumulated over the years, like a seasoned property developer sharing insights on market trends. It could be that you’ve authored a book on the topic, or you host or appear on podcasts all about it. It's about demonstrating that you possess the profound understanding required to provide accurate and insightful information.
Authoritativeness: The Michelin Star Recognition
Authoritativeness speaks to your reputation as a go-to source. Are you considered an authority in your field? Do other respected voices and reputable sources reference your work, link to your content, or mention you as a leader? Have you won awards for what you do? This is where external validation becomes paramount. It's not enough to claim authority; it must be recognised and acknowledged by your peers and the wider industry. This recognition acts like a Michelin star, signalling to both Google and your audience that your establishment is of exceptional quality and worthy of attention.
Trustworthiness: A Meal You Can Always Rely On
Perhaps the most critical component, trustworthiness, hinges on whether your content and your overall online presence are accurate, honest, secure, and dependable. Can users rely on your advice without fear of misinformation or harm? This encompasses everything from the factual accuracy of your content to the relevance of the content on your website and the transparency of your operations. In an age rife with misinformation, trustworthiness is the cornerstone of a sustainable online presence, ensuring that your audience feels safe and confident in consuming what you offer.
The Peril of Being Best Kept Secret.
Without a robust EEAT profile, even the most exceptional professionals and businesses risk fading into obscurity. Imagine cooking the most exquisite meal, but no one knows your restaurant even exists. This is the fate of many who fail to build a profile and neglect their online credibility. For entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and professional service providers, this can feel like a constant battle where you are being starved of opportunities that your competitors are eating up.
Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome and the Feast of Opportunity
One common hurdle is impostor syndrome - the nagging doubt that you're not good enough or haven't done enough to warrant recognition. This self-doubt can be a significant barrier to actively building your EEAT.
However, profile building offers a powerful antidote. Winning or even being a finalist in a reputable awards programme provides concrete, third-party validation of your experience and expertise. This external recognition can be the catalyst needed to overcome internal doubts and confidently showcase your achievements in blogs, articles, social media and on podcast interviews. Awards are not merely about ego; they’re about leveraging validated success to fuel further growth and visibility, making you and your brand a tasty treat for your audience
For startups and newcomers, the "Am I ready?" question is often accompanied by the fear of being too small or inexperienced. Yet, many awards programmes offer categories specifically for new businesses, innovative concepts, or emerging leaders and over 90% of awards don't ask for financial records. These low-cost or even free entry opportunities can help you gain early credibility and stand out even before you’ve served up the main course.
For established businesses, awards are a vital tool to enhance existing credibility and achieve branding by association with prestigious organisations. This aligns your brand with excellence and boosts your reputation significantly.
Beware Biting Off More Than You Can Chew
Building a strong EEAT profile, especially through strategic award participation and leveraging them to build a credible, trusted brand profile, can seem like biting off more than you can chew. Just a quick Google of awards you could enter will return hundreds of options. Then you have to gather all of the documentation, data and evidence to support your claims, write the entry and submit it, then figure out how to leverage it while you wait for the awards results. And what do you do if you don't win? Was it all worth it?
This is where the expertise of professional award writers and profile builders becomes invaluable. At The Audacious Agency, we understand that awards are not a one-and-done affair but rather a crucial element of a consistent, long-term marketing strategy. Like making and decorating a cake, you need to set a solid foundation to build your brand on, with consistent layers of reputation-building activities, entering awards and leveraging them into EEAT content, spreading that crema nd topping to level up the tiers of your expertise. Our approach revolves around three core pillars: Reputation, Recognition, and results.
1. Reputation: Choosing Your Feast Wisely
Not all awards are created equal, and entering every single one is a recipe for exhaustion and wasted resources. The first step is to meticulously identify awards and categories that are most relevant to your audience and what they truly respect. This means aligning with awards that resonate with your target market, whether they focus on innovation, customer service, industry change, or business growth. Consider which awards will make the most sense to your audience and provide the most impactful validation for your specific niche. It’s not just about winning, but how you will leverage the awards to build that all-important EEAT - you can’t have your cake and eat it too - you need to keep crafting your profile and building a brand over time.
2. Recognition: Crafting an Award-Winning Palate
Once the relevant awards are identified, the real work begins: crafting an entry that captivates judges and tells your unique story. This is where professional award writers excel. You need to transform your accomplishments into a compelling narrative, ensuring it aligns perfectly with the award criteria, while also concisely answering the questions and providing compelling evidence to the judges.
3. Results: The Sweet Taste of Sustained Success
Winning is fantastic, but the true return on investment comes from leveraging your award recognition to its fullest potential. This isn't just about polishing a trophy; it's about amplifying your impact and building a lasting legacy.
Don't wait to see if you win, start leveraging from the moment of submission. Some awards take 3, 6 or even 12 months to announce, so why wait for that all-important EEAT to build your profile?
Share that you are a nominee, finalist or non-finalist, use relevant hashtags and engage with the awarding bodies to maximise visibility.
A well-crafted award entry is a goldmine of content. Repurpose sections into blog posts, articles, videos, and social media content, ensuring your story reaches a wider audience and reinforces your thought leadership. They also provide the perfect opportunity to highlight your team or client achievements that underpinned your winning entry, turning them into powerful case studies with their permission.
Being an award winner opens doors to connect with other recognised professionals, fostering collaborations and expanding your network. Make sure you connect and engage with other entrants and finalists online and attend the awards events to maximise your moment in the spotlight.
Consistently entering awards and actively leveraging your participation creates a snowball effect, building momentum, enhancing your credibility, and solidifying your reputation as an industry leader. This continuous effort attracts more clients, partners, and opportunities, opening doors and helping you create more impact.
Don't Starve Your Potential
If you want to be seen and noticed, found online and recognised by Google as the go-to leader, having a strong EEAT profile is not just an option, it's a necessity. It’s about ensuring that your hard-earned experience, deep expertise, authoritative voice, and unwavering trustworthiness are not only recognised but also celebrated by your target audience.
Don't let your valuable contributions go unnoticed, leaving you to starve while others feast on the opportunities you deserve.
Don't let your valuable contributions go unnoticed, leaving you to starve while others feast on the opportunities you deserve. Take a strategic, sustained approach to awards and profile building to achieve the recognition that will elevate your brand, attract new clients, and ultimately, ensure your success is anything but secret.
The digital world is a hungry beast, constantly seeking the most reliable and authoritative information. By understanding and actively building your EEAT through strategic award writing and consistent leveraging, you can ensure your expertise is not just seen but truly devoured by your audience and the algorithms that guide them.
If you want to start feasting on the success you've earned we can help you with a profile building plan, including interviewing you to discover your UPP - Unique Profile Position, then mapping out all of the perfect awards to enter, along with 12 months of marketing content you can leverage to become well known, well paid and wanted.
