Here’s my answers from the latest #semrushchat I participated in last week on Twitter. If you want to rank well on Google you need to build Expertise, Authority. and Trust to your website, so this discussion goes into some detail on some ways to incorporate these into your overall SEO strategy. I was trying to answer all the questions first so thus the #semrushchat #lighteninground was born!

Before you read the answer to this question, you should know that in the simplest terms, “authority” is a predictor of how well a site will rank. It provides a glimpse into the SEO “strength” of a website.

If you’re curious, I use Ahrefs to evaluate a website’s authority, along with Majestic & Mozbar which allow you to analyze domain authority as well.

I focused on the fastest way here. Sure, “quality” is subjective but if you can create stellar content about a variety of subjects related to subject matters you intend on ranking for – your website will rank better! Bill Slawski so eloquently answered:

Question two moves to on-site areas for building trust and authority. Very frequently I see people making all kinds of mistakes with their on-site SEO that prevent them from ranking (webmasters and agencies alike)

To start, you just can’t go wrong with providing people with relevant answers to stuff they were searching for. Plus showing off positive customer reviews is also something you should prioritize because this is a great way to build trust ( plus this will increase your conversions! )

Question 3 is nothing new. Google’s E-A-T factors have been well known for several years and it boils down to content and links 😉.

When I speak to clients about who they want to attract to their websites, and what they want to sell to these people – there’s often a big disconnect regarding what those potential customers really care about. If you zero in on users intent your website will perform much better!

Local businesses like Realtor and Plumbers often face a slew of competitors with similar content and websites, most of them all repeating the same mistakes. In order to really stand out in those markets you have to show people why you’re unique, what your competitive advantages are. I find customers are more likely to listen to you if you can quickly show them you understand their problems.

Generally speaking, brand authority has to do with the extent to which people know of, believe in, and trust the ideas of a particular company. However, as a concept, it is largely subjective and therefore difficult to define and measure.