Here is a thread paraphrasing the new E-A-T-related updates from Google at #SearchOn
- Providing relevant and credible information is Google's responsibility
- People turn to Google to find info they can trust
- Misinformation is a growing problem
- Google's algorithms are designed to reward high-quality content, but for *critical topics* (YMYL), Google elevates authoritativeness to make sure users can find content they can trust.
- Users don't just want quick facts, they want to really understand the information
- Google is continuing to invest in *information literacy features* based on research and best practices from experts (!!!)
- Google's new feature, "About This Source" has been used 400 million times since launch...
- Google will be expanding "About This Source" to include more information about the brand, including *what the site says about itself,* *what others say about the brand,* and any information that Google feels is missing (!!!)
SEO tools are great for surfacing keyword & content opportunities based on existing data (ranking URLs, monthly search volumes, etc.)
Where they fall short - and will always fall short - is being able to provide guidance on *actual subject matter expertise.*
(thread)
The problem arises when many SEOs rely on the same set of tools for their research, b/c the tools are all working with the same data sets (more or less)
If everyone blindly follows the advice of SEO tools, it will ultimately lead to content that basically all says the same thing
The same can be true for copywriters without actual subject matter expertise; if writers are relying on Google searches to inform the articles they are writing, they are all looking at the same sources of information and probably ultimately all just saying the same things.
The new FS for 'Lupus' not only pulls in content from the ranking page (Mayo Clinic), but also appends this "Symptoms" call-out, which is *not* taken from text on this page.
The word "pericarditis" appears nowhere on the page. 🤔
Also, I'm seeing multiple examples Featured Snippets appear on desktop, but refreshing and switching to a mobile user-agent makes the FS go away.
Google only appears to be asking for feedback about whether the FS is helpful on desktop.