by Trevor Waddington M.Ed., Principal, Truth Tree
My 8-year-old is obsessed with the prospect of
driving a car. She reads books about driving, knows every rule of the road (including every time I exceed the speed limit), and she’s pretty darn good at those arcade racing games.
In an emergency, would you choose my daughter or me to take you to the hospital?
Hmmm, well, you did say you speed, so…
You would choose me because I have experience driving a car.
For years, Google’s website ranking formula went by E-A-T: Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
- Expertise = the website content is well-versed on a topic
- Authoritativeness = the website content is a go-to source of information on a topic
- Trustworthiness = the website content is legitimate and accurate
On December 15, 2022, Google released its latest update on the quality rater guidelines. This new release included a new “E” for Experience.
So what does “experience” actually mean? Google wants to see a content creator with first-hand, real-world experience with the discussed topic.
Why This Matters For School Marketing
This is a big deal for school marketers because you have potential content creators right down the hall: teachers, specialists, and academic administrators.
Here’s an example where your faculty’s experience in content creation could produce significant traffic to your site.
Open a new tab and Google “how to teach algebra to students.”
Here is the first organic search result: Algebra 1 Is a Turning Point. Here’s How to Help Incoming Students.
The author is a staff writer for Education Week who “also worked at a middle school.”
She’s not completely without experience, but the article states, “For this story, Education Week spoke with a dozen instructional experts, teachers, parents, and students…”
That’s great, but the content creator does not provide first-hand, real-world experience Google now holds in high regard.
How Do You Demonstrate Experience For School Marketing SEO?
Here are our recommendations
- Ensure the author’s title, degrees, and awards related to the subject matter are in the byline.
- Include links to the author’s profile page on your website, Linkedin, and other sources that demonstrate experience.
- In the copy, use terms like, in my experience, as a math teacher, and over my 21 years teaching Algebra, I have found that…
- If the author has written previous content, update it with the recommendations above. Then link relevant information between the two articles.
An article written by my 8-year-old could have all the information a reader is looking for, but without experience, Google will not rank it as highly as in the past. SEO for schools now has to reflect this authentic experience for optimal impact.
Therefore, activate your academic experts as content creators and incorporate the E-E-A-T principles. Then watch your school’s content marketing strategy kick it up a notch, improving your school website’s overall search engine rankings, visibility, and reputation.
If you’d like more information about Truth Tree’s content creation and distribution services, please contact us.
