How Can Luxury Brands Demonstrate E-E-A-T?
When purchasing products online, you need to be sure you’re using a trustworthy site. By now, we’re so used to the internet that trust comes as a gut feeling rather than a mental checklist of ‘trustworthy elements’. But behind the scenes, a lot of work goes into making a site look reputable and trustworthy — particularly in the eyes of Google. Enter: E-E-A-T.
By following E-E-A-T principles, online retailers can improve their search engine rankings, enhance user experience, and increase conversions.
What Is E-E-A-T?
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This is a set of criteria used by Google to evaluate the quality of content on websites. Originally established in 2014, the criteria initially only included expertise, authoritativeness, and trust, as E-A-T. After acknowledging the importance of user experience, the second E was added in 2022.
Since Google’s 2024 core update, the principles of E-E-A-T have been integrated into the search engine’s wider ranking factors. The update aimed to reduce the amount of spam in search results, requiring creators and brands to do more to prove themselves as a quality site.
Each component of E-E-A-T is separate but works together to strengthen your SEO and build customers as an ecommerce site. Here’s a closer look at each component:
Experience: The firsthand experience of a user. Reading genuine experiences from real people can make content more helpful and reliable for consumers. This means showcasing reviews, testimonials, and user-generated content that demonstrate real experiences with the products.
Expertise: Proving yourself as an expert in your specific field. This includes having detailed and accurate product descriptions, well-researched, up-to-date information, and extra content (like blogs) created by experts in the field.
Authoritativeness: The perception of your site as a reliable source of information and quality ecommerce site within your field. Earning high-quality backlinks from other sites, providing consistent content, and sharing positive reviews can all help build authority.
Trustworthiness: Is your website and its content safe? You need efficient security measures, especially around payment, transparent return policies, a clear privacy policy, clear contact information, and positive customer reviews.
Why Is E-E-A-T Important For Retail Websites?
While E-E-A-T is an important consideration for all website creators, it’s especially crucial for retail and ecommerce sites.
When indexing pages, Google recognizes some sites as YMYL - ‘your money your life’. These are sites that could “potentially impact the future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety of users”. Many retail sites come under this umbrella, as they encourage people to spend money and handle users’ sensitive information.
YMYL pages are held to a higher standard than other sites by Google and therefore need to have strong E-E-A-T to rank higher on results pages.
When it comes to luxury ecommerce, E-E-A-T is even more important. As luxury comes with a high price tag and online shopping handles customers' sensitive financial information, Google will not prioritize these sites unless they have strong and proven reliability. If you sell any products that could impact people’s health and wellbeing – eg. cosmetics, dietary supplements, or children’s products – there’s a chance your site will face even more scrutiny.
This isn’t a reason to worry, though! So long as you have a strong E-E-A-T, Google’s powerful algorithms will be able to recognize your trustworthiness and rank your site higher on results pages.
How to Demonstrate E-E-A-T on Your Luxury Site
Now you know all about E-E-A-T and just how integral it is to your SEO strategy, let’s take a closer look at applying each component to your luxury shopping site.
CREATE INFORMATIVE PRODUCT PAGE COPY
Selling a black handbag? Don’t just write ‘black handbag’ and leave it at that. Product page copy should go beyond basic descriptions and provide detailed information.
For luxury items, this means highlighting the unique features that set your products apart — the design process, materials, craftsmanship, etc. Perhaps you could even add a section on styling tips and links to other products. You’ll need high-quality images and videos where possible.
PROVIDE PRODUCT AFTERCARE CONTENT
When selling items with a high price tag, consumers want as much information as possible. Offer detailed instructions to help customers maintain their new products. This can include cleaning tips, storage recommendations, and advice on how to handle wear and tear.
This helps to show your expertise as a brand and also reinforces the value of the product by emphasizing its longevity. You want customers to see their purchase as a valuable investment, in order for them to leave positive reviews.
SHOWCASE CUSTOMER REVIEWS TO BUILD TRUST
Proof of positive customer experiences is essential to build trust and credibility as a brand. Encourage satisfied customers to leave detailed reviews, then integrate a star-rating system on your product pages. Highlighting reviews from verified purchasers, especially those that include photos or videos, can significantly enhance trustworthiness from Google’s point of view.
Plus, it’ll make other users more likely to go through with a purchase! Some brands even offer small discounts on future purchases or competition entries to customers who leave a review.
USE UGC
User-generated content is another important component of the ‘Experience’ element of E-E-A-T. Photos, videos, and social media posts from your customers will add a layer of authenticity and trust to your brand. UGC goes much further than standard stock images to help sell your brand.
Encourage customers to share their experiences with your products and showcase this content on your website and social media channels. For example, create a gallery on your site where customers can upload photos of themselves using your products. Then, feature a hashtag campaign on Instagram and display a feed of the latest posts using that hashtag on your website.
MAKE IT EASY TO CONTACT YOU
Clear contact information is crucial for building trustworthiness. Create a ‘contact us’ page on your site, where you can provide multiple ways for customers to reach you: phone, email, live chat, and social media. Here, you should also include a contact form. Clearly display your response times and customer service hours, including time zones, so customers have a realistic expectation of when they can hear back from you.
BE OPEN ABOUT DELIVERY AND RETURNS
Customers want a realistic promise about delivery timeframes. Provide detailed information about shipping times, costs, and options, both on your product landing pages and on a dedicated shipping FAQ page.
Also, clearly outline your return policies. Where possible, offer free returns and exchanges, and provide a prepaid return label with every order. Transparency in these areas helps build trust while reducing customer anxiety about big-ticket purchases.
PROVIDE MULTIPLE TRUSTED PAYMENT OPTIONS
Offering a variety of secure payment methods will increase trust with your customers – and with Google. Include options such as credit/debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.
As a luxury brand selling higher-ticket items, it may also be worth exploring the option of financing plans for customers, like Afterpay or other Buy-Now-Pay-Later providers.
Ensure your payment process is secure by using encryption and displaying trust badges from recognized security providers.
PUBLISH GUIDES AND FAQS
Build out your site so it isn’t just a shopfront. Create a wealth of content that aims to preemptively answer anything that may come up in the browsing, shopping, and purchasing process. This could include comprehensive guides and FAQs to address common questions and provide valuable information about your products and services.
A classic FAQ page should cover sizing, materials, care instructions, contact info, delivery and shipping times, and order tracking.
HAVE A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT WRITE EDITORIAL CONTENT
Another great way to expand the content on your site is with editorial content written by experts within your niche or industry. This helps to enhance credibility and could include blog posts, articles, and guides related to your products and industry.
Be sure to use SEO best practices for these articles to get as many eyes on them as possible and help your Google ranking. These blog posts will look different depending on your niche within the luxury ecommerce industry, but some examples include:
How to style a silk scarf
How to choose the best perfume for you
What fashion pieces are trending for spring 2024
HAVE AN AUTHOR BIO ALONGSIDE EACH EDITORIAL PIECE + AUTHOR PAGES
Include a bio for each author at the end of their articles, which links to dedicated author pages. These pages should list all articles written by each author and provide more in-depth information about their background, qualifications, and experience.
This helps signal to the Google algorithm that this content is reliable, trustworthy, and of a high quality.
HIGHLIGHT YOUR BRAND HISTORY AND REPUTATION ON YOUR ABOUT US PAGE
Create an “About Us” page that tells the story of your brand, highlighting its history, values, and achievements. This helps build authority and trust by showcasing your brand’s legacy and reputation.
You don’t want it to read like a boring LinkedIn page, though. Create an engaging narrative that outlines the origins of your brand, key milestones, and the vision behind it. Perhaps you could include photos from different stages of your brand’s development, testimonials from long-time customers, and mentions of any awards or recognitions you have received.
Get Started With E-E-A-T
By focusing on E-E-A-T, luxury e-commerce brands can significantly boost their credibility, search engine rankings, and customer trust. Since E-E-A-T was integrated into the wider Google algorithm in 2024, it’s even more essential for brands to nail their SEO strategies.
To take your site's E-E-A-T to the next level, partner with Block & Tam’s SEO team. Our experts will help you craft an authoritative and trustworthy online presence that stands out in the competitive market. Contact us today to learn more.
