SEO: 12 Ways to Improve E-E-A-T for Freelancers

Last updated on October 17th, 2024.

In a recent article, I introduced you to the concept of E-E-A-T and the Search Quality Rater Guidelines.
E-E-A-T is the acronym for the below:

• Experience
• Expertise
• Authoritativeness
• Trustworthiness

The E-E-A-T concept is extensively described in Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines. The guideline helps Search Quality Raters evaluate the quality of content on websites.
Search Quality Raters are people who evaluate websites manually.

Today, I’m sharing 12 actionable ways to demonstrate E-E-A-T to your users (and to Search Quality Eaters). They’re especially helpful if you work with WordPress.

That’s quite a list. Let’s take a closer look at each item.

1. Create an About Me page showcasing your expertise.

An About Me page is an excellent place to showcase your expertise and experience. Provide information such as your education, track record, and accomplishments. Remember, it’s not bragging if it is based on facts (Hi, to my fellow #IamRemarkable friends😀).
You can include outbound links to provide additional information and context for your readers.

Here are a couple of About Me pages I enjoyed reading because they give a good understanding of who the person is, yet with a personal touch: About Lidia Chia | About Allie Decker

2. Add a Person schema to your About Me page.

Additionally, adding a Person schema to your About Me page helps search engines better understand your credentials and qualifications better.

Here’s how the Person schema for my About Me page looks:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "<https://schema.org/>",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Corina Burri",
  "url": "<https://corinaburri.com/>",
  "image": "<https://corinaburri.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Corina-Burri-SEO-Headshot.jpg>",
  "sameAs": [
    "<https://twitter.com/corinaburri>",
    "<https://www.linkedin.com/in/corina-burri/>",
    "<https://www.youtube.com/@corinaburri>"
  ],
  "description": "I am a Digital Analytics lead and SEO Freelancer from Zurich. My career began in the FMCG industry before moving on to tech and finance. The tech industry has influenced my work style, and I’ve embraced a lean and data-driven approach. I’m passionate about SEO and have contributed to publications such as SEOFOMO, Forbes, or iPullRank. Inclusion and Diversity are important to me, too. I am an active member of the Women in Tech SEO community and a certified Google #Iamremarkable Facilitator. I work in English, German, Spanish, and French. And socialize in Catalan, Italian and Swedish, too.",
  "knowsAbout": ["SEO", "Content Marketing", "Analytics"],
  "knowsLanguage": ["English", "German", "Spanish", "French", "Catalan", "Italian", "Swedish"],
  "gender": "female",
  "birthDate": "xxxx-xx-xx",
  "birthPlace": "birthPlace",
  "nationality": "Swiss",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "addressLocality": "Zurich",
    "addressCountry": "Switzerland"
  },
  "email": "email",
  "telephone": "+41-44-508-0438",
  "alumniOf": [
    {
      "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
      "name": "Universitat Pompeu Fabra",
      "sameAs": "<https://www.upf.edu/>"
    },
    {
      "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
      "name": "Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW)",
      "sameAs": "<https://www.fhnw.ch/>"
    },
    {
      "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
      "name": "Hochschule Luzern (HSLU)",
      "sameAs": "<https://www.hslu.ch/>"
    },
    {
      "@type": "CollegeOrUniversity",
      "name": "HWZ Hochschule für Wirtschaft Zürich",
 "sameAs": "<https://www.hwz.ch/>"
    }
    ]
}
</script>

You can ask Chat GPT to help you create the Person Schema or use Merkle’s Schema Generator.

How to add schema markup to WordPress without a plugin?

You can add the Person schema manually by adding a Custom HTML snippet to your code.

1. In the visual editor, click on the plus icon ⊞.
2. Click on Custom HTML.
3. Paste your personal schema code in there.
4. Click on Update.
5. Go to Schema Validator and enter your URL.
6. Preview the page to ensure the schema is working properly.
7. Do you see a Person schema without errors like in the screenshot below? Great job!

3. Include your author bio at the end of your article.

The author box is another excellent resource to showcase your expertise. Plus, it provides readers with a way to learn more about you and connect with you on a personal level. Don’t forget to add a link to your About Me page so readers can easily access additional information about your qualifications and experience.

On WordPress, you don’t need a fancy plugin.

Here’s how to add the author box on WordPress:

1. On your WordPress dashboard, click on Users.
2. Click on Edit below the author’s name.
3. Fill in the names and biographical information.
4. Add the profile picture.
5. Click Update Profile.
6. Then head over to your Customize CSS to style the appearance of your author box. Word of caution: You should be an advanced WordPress user to tweak your CSS.

4. Add an author schema to your articles.

This is an easy one if you have the Yoast plugin up and running (the free version is sufficient).

On your article, head down to the Yoast section. Select Schema and then for the Page type, use Web Page, and for Article select Blog Posts.

5. Get backlinks for any awards or mentions.

Have you been awarded in the past? Check out if there’s a digital press release floating around and ask for a backlink.

Unlinked mentions are also an opportunity. For me, Ahrefs’ Yep Search engine worked well to find unlinked mentions. But there are also other tools, such as BuzzSumo, that you can use to track mentions.

6. Create a Google My Business profile and ask former clients to leave a review.

Create a Google My Business profile and ask former clients to leave a review. This demonstrates the quality of your services and it helps with your local SEO too!

Here’s the direct link to create your Google My Business profile: https://business.google.com/create

7. Provide contact information and a physical address to show your website is legitimate.

Include a physical address on your website. This could be in the footer or on the contact page. Googles Search Quality Rater Guidelines state that websites with a physical location can be considered higher quality than those without one. Additionally, having a physical address can help with local SEO, as it can help your website appear in local search results.

8. Include your freelancing services in your LinkedIn headline.

If you haven’t yet done so, update your LinkedIn headline and mention your freelance status.

Here’s how to edit your Linkedin headline: linkedin.com/edit-your-headline

9. Add services to your LinkedIn profile.

Adding services to your LinkedIn profile can contribute to your E-E-A-T too. It shows that you have a strong online presence.

Here’s how to do so: linkedIn.com/create-a-service-page

10. Engage in subject-matter discussions on social media.

Social signals matter; engage in subject matter discussion, be helpful, and demonstrate expertise.

11. Create a reference page on your website where you share testimonials.

Creating a reference page on your website where you share testimonials can help improve your E-E-A-T . Testimonials from satisfied clients or customers can provide social proof, demonstrating that others trust and value your services or products.

12. Engage in comments on your blog posts.

Regularly moderating comments and responding to questions shows engagement and care for your users. It helps you build trust.

What is the result of improving E-E-A-T ? Does organic traffic increase?

Short answer: no. I intentionally worked on showcasing E-E-A-T and implemented all the measures above in February and March 2023.

Yet, to date (End of April 2023), organic traffic hasn’t increased (yet).

But the work paid off in a different way. For instance, I received more inquiries for collaboration and even a speaking invitation. This is great. Because it will further position me as an expert. Which is, as you know, important for the Search Quality Raters 😀.

Hope you enjoyed the read! What measures did you take to demonstrate E-E-A-T? Share in the comment.
Speak soon.