{"id":8160,"date":"2022-11-09T12:28:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-09T09:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/?p=8160"},"modified":"2022-11-09T12:28:02","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T09:28:02","slug":"how-to-e-a-t-ethically-with-digital-pr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/fr\/how-to-e-a-t-ethically-with-digital-pr\/","title":{"rendered":"How to E-A-T Ethically with Digital PR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s an old marketing cliche that people buy from people, not brands, and if you spend any amount of time on LinkedIn, you\u2019ll be inundated with personal branding gurus explaining to you exactly why that is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, it all comes down to trust \u2014 the T in Google\u2019s E-A-T<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People are more likely to trust a brand or organization with a real human face. In a crowded e-commerce space, that trust (or lack thereof) can make or break a website\u2019s fortune in the SERPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This, combined with a move away from historic link-building activities, such as link exchanges or broken link building, has seen brands of all sizes from household names to e-commerce start-ups jump on the thought-leadership bandwagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free and easy-to-access tools such as HARO and the Twitter #journorequest hashtag offer a low barrier to entry and give the misleading impression that this is an easy route to links in top-tier publications \u2014 without the need to invest in a long-term strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When done right, this type of digital PR can deliver a range of benefits for both SEO and brand awareness, but building trust both with search engines and consumers takes time and consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below I\u2019ve included some examples of best practice, as well as explained how to avoid common pitfalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About who?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A strong \u201cAbout Us\u201d page<\/a> is one of the most important on-page trust signals for a content SEO strategy when it comes to E-A-T. Whether you\u2019re using the page to introduce one subject matter expert or a whole team, make sure to include a decent headshot and a bio clearly outlining their credentials, role, and expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Huel \u201cAbout Us\u201d page is a great example featuring a photo and quick bio of their founder Julian Hearn:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t invent a subject matter expert just to put a face to the website and suggest that content is written with authority. And don\u2019t be tempted to use a stock photo on an \u201cAbout Us\u201d page or author profile \u2014 we all know how easy it is to reverse image search a profile picture. If a journalist is impressed with an expert’s credentials, and reaches out for a phone or Zoom interview with someone who doesn\u2019t exist, it\u2019s going to be very awkward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t fake it until you make it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Google has made it clear that it values everyday expertise<\/em>, so there really is no need to fake a doctorate. Instead, find an authentic way to present real, lived expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google\u2019s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines<\/a> state:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome topics require less formal expertise. Many people write extremely detailed, helpful reviews of products or restaurants. Many people share tips and life experiences on forums, blogs, etc.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huel is a nutrition brand but its founder is honest about his area of expertise, which is business and start-ups. The Huel website doesn\u2019t attempt to present him as a qualified nutritionist in hopes of landing links or impressing Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This level of transparency is best practice whatever the industry, but is especially important for financial or medical experts, which leads us on to…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health and wealth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Google has been very open about setting a higher bar for what it deems \u201cYour Money or Your Life\u201d (YMYL) pages. This is any page that, according to the Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, could impact the<\/em> future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety of users<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This doesn’t just apply to the websites of banks or healthcare providers. Health and wealth could cover a multitude of e-commerce industries, from websites selling CBD products, vapes, or supplements, to online casinos and loan services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google wants to see that this content is written by those with authority on these topics. Digital PR can play a crucial role by positioning on-site authors as subject experts and having them cited elsewhere \u2014 whether that be in newspapers, academic studies, or on government websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When outreaching content, it\u2019s always best to assume that both Google\u2019s algorithm and a journalist\u2019s instincts are going to be well trained in identifying a real expert from a phony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Content conflict<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Digital PR is still PR \u2014 yes we\u2019re here to build links, but those who adopt a \u201clinks at all costs\u201d approach will often find it comes at the detriment of a brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s nothing wrong with using a strong soundbite to get coverage in the press, and there is nothing wrong with being controversial when appropriate. Some start-ups deliberately build a reputation on being outspoken and disruptive, but you must always consider how a quote will reflect on the brand, and crucially, whether it will contradict company ethos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reactive PR, especially newsjacking, is fast-paced, and this can make abiding by tone of voice guidelines feel like wasted time. But remember: you\u2019re not just building links, you\u2019re building a reputation. This means you run the risk of doing serious reputational damage if you ignore a brand’s vision and values in the quest for links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a world of screenshots and digital \u201creceipts\u201d, being caught saying one thing in the press and one thing on site can make a brand or expert look at best a bit silly and at worst untrustworthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huel are open on their About Us page about Julian’s expertise, and they take the same approach in the press. Julian is cited as talking about business and start-ups in business publications, not talking about nutrients in science journals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also worth bearing in mind whether a brand or expert can add real value to a story, especially when the news centers around real human suffering such as a school shooting or the invasion of Ukraine. Sometimes it’s better to just sit a story out \u2014 there are bigger things than SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t sleep on socials<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to trust signals, social profiles can often be overlooked. After all, it\u2019s not usually something that falls under digital PR\u2019s remit. However, when you\u2019ve got a real subject matter expert on page, you’re going to want to ensure that both journalists and Google know this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you contact a journalist with commentary or analysis from an on-page subject expert, the likelihood is they will Google them, and a public-facing social profile (LinkedIn, Twitter, or even TikTok) that demonstrates industry or subject knowledge will make the journalist feel more comfortable including them in an article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure that the About Us page links out to these social profiles, and don\u2019t forget to include a link back to the site in the bio of the social profiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The perfect E-A-T circle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Google sets its Search Quality Raters on a website, they will cross the web looking for signals confirming expertise and authority \u2013 including everything from news articles to Wikipedia pages \u2013 meaning even non-linked citations have value here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where a holistic thought-leadership for digital PR strategy that incorporates newsjacking, About Us pages, and social profiles can start helping both Google and journalists connect the dots on a thought-leader’s expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A subject-relevant news article that cites an expert’s name, or better yet, links to an About Us page, means that the next time a journalist Googles them, they\u2019ll see even more evidence that they are an expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This should result in more coverage, more evidence of authority on the topic, and ultimately more trust signals for Google. The perfect circle of expertise, authority, and trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: https:\/\/moz.com\/blog\/ethical-digital-pr<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s an old marketing cliche that people buy from people, not brands, and if you spend any amount of time on LinkedIn, you\u2019ll…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8160"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8162,"href":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8160\/revisions\/8162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evenzia.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}