Is E-E-A-T a ranking factor? Erika Varangouli joins the SEO Rant Podcast to solve this question once and for all... not really. Instead, we chat about:
Even if E-E-A-T isn't a ranking factor how does it "factor" into the SEO equation?
Does it even matter if E-E-A-T is a ranking factor?
Author bylines, should SEOs even care?
Does It Even Matter If E-E-A-T Is A Ranking Factor?
Is E-E-A-T a ranking factor? To me it's just one of those annoying debates that never ends and at this point... I don't even care!
Why? Because I've been saying this for years but the DOJ leaks verified it... quality is a meta-factor. Quality is looked at before the weighing of the various factors. So asking if E-E-A-T is a ranking factor isn't even a legitimate question. At least it's not a nuanced enough question. The real question should be: Is E-E-A-T part of the quality assessment the algorithm runs?
To the point of getting too wrapped up in splitting hairs, there's been a lot of debate about the SEO value of author bylines. Are author bylines a direct ranking factor? No. However, could they be seen as part of page/domain transparency (which is a concept that I do believe is part of the quality equation)... why not? Could you imagine a scenario where CNN removed all author bylines and replaced them with "staff" and it not having an impact? Even if it didn't... it well should because content transparency is a real concept that people are looking for.
And that really hits on the main point... what E-E-A-T represents is steering your content to align with the user's quality expectations. So who cares if it's a "ranking factor" or not?
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For more of the SEO Rant Podcast check out our previous episode on: The need to democratize SEO