Google published a new edition of its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines.
The update clarifies that the Your Money Your Life (YMYL) category now covers election and voting information, along with other government and civics topics that affect people’s lives.
What’s New
The YMYL framework now uses the label “YMYL Government, Civics & Society,” with the definition calling out “election and voting information” and other informational topics about government and civics.
That takes the YMYL definition beyond the broader societal-impact wording you may remember from earlier editions.
Google’s changelog for this release lists three items: updated YMYL definitions, additional examples for clarity, and minor textual fixes.
A Quick Refresher On YMYL
YMYL topics are subjects where misinformation could significantly affect health, finances, safety, or the welfare of society. Pages on YMYL topics require the most scrutiny for Page Quality ratings.
The guidelines group YMYL into four buckets: Health or Safety, Financial Security, Government/Civics & Society, and Other.
Reminder: Quality raters follow these guidelines to evaluate search results, but their ratings don’t directly affect how any individual page ranks. Google uses the ratings to check whether its systems are producing helpful results and to guide improvements over time.
Why This Matters
If you cover elections, voting procedures, candidate information, or local civic processes, your pages are now treated as YMYL.
That raises the bar for accuracy, sourcing, and author credentials. The guidelines also stress reputation signals from experts in the field when evaluating YMYL topics.
What To Do Next
Take some time to review your current civic and government pages to ensure they’re accurate and thorough. Highlight the author’s experience so visitors can trust the content, and be sure to cite primary sources when possible.
For information that can change quickly, such as registration deadlines or polling places, consider setting up a maintenance plan and keeping update logs.
When it comes to reputational signals on YMYL pages, it’s helpful to link to expert references and independent coverage instead of relying solely on traffic snapshots or general popularity.
Looking ahead
This edition runs 182 pages and is the first major update to these guidelines since January.
By aligning your civic content with these standards, you’ll be better positioned to meet user expectations and adapt to any changes Google makes in the future.
Expect continued revisions as Google refines examples and rating guidance.
What follows is my explanation of the six elements, followed by a side-by-side table comparing the three extensions.
Title of page
The title tag is the most important on-page optimization element because search engines use it to understand the page’s purpose. Descriptive and keyword-focused page titles improve and diversify organic rankings.
The title tag appears in the browser tab and is not necessarily visible on the page.
Meta tags
Two types of meta tags are key for search engine optimization:
A meta description does not directly impact rankings, but it may appear in search snippets and thus affect click-throughs.
HTML headings
HTML headings such as H1, H2, and H3 organize on-page content. This article includes HTML headings: “Title of page,” “Meta tags,” “HTML headings,” et cetera. The headings, while optional, help readers digest the content and assist crawlers in identifying relevant info for searchers’ queries. Using keywords in HTML headings serves both purposes.
Links, internal and external
Internal links signal to search engines the importance of a page: the more internal links pointing to a page, the higher its significance.
Internal links also help search engines understand the linked page. The link’s anchor text is the strongest signal, although its surrounding words also send relevancy signals, per Google. Improving internal linking structure is often a quick way to streamline crawlability and increase organic search visibility.
External links to authoritative sites add credibility to the page, especially in “Your Money Your Life” niches.
Images
Images enhance visitor engagement, a Google ranking factor, and improve visibility in image search results.
Image alt tags are essential for both visually-impaired visitors and search engines. Compressing images enhances page speed and thus Core Web Vitals, another ranking factor.
Structured data
Structured data helps search engines and AI platforms understand a site, its pages, and the owner. Schema.org’s “vocabulary” of structured data is the most popular. Google and Bing recognize it as well as other methods.
Browser Extensions
You can quickly see all of these elements using one or more of the following browser extensions:
Feature
Devaka Tools
Site Inspector
SEO Meta
Browser
Many
Chrome
Chrome
Title of page
Yes
Yes
Yes
Meta tags
Yes
Yes
Yes
HTML headings
Yes
Yes
Yes
Links: internal, external
Yes
Yes
Yes (plus highlighting nofollow links)
Images
Yes
Yes
Yes
Structured data
Yes
Yes
Yes
Excel export
Yes
Yes
Yes
Notes
Can highlight keywords, show image alt text, reveal hidden text. Provides links to tools such as Schema.org validator and Search Console.
Can keep sidebar open to automatically load data.
Provides a page summary with word count, headings, images. Can export a page’s copy. Includes a page preview and Schema.org validator.
Google’s Search Relations team says generic login pages can confuse indexing and hurt rankings.
When many private URLs all show the same bare login form, Google may treat them as duplicates and show the login page in search.
In a recent “Search Off the Record” episode, John Mueller and Martin Splitt explained how this happens and what to do about it.
Why It Happens
If different private URLs all load the same login screen, Google sees those URLs as the same page.
Mueller said on the podcast:
“If you have a very generic login page, we will see all of these URLs that show that login page that redirect to that login page as being duplicates… We’ll fold them together as duplicates and we’ll focus on indexing the login page because that’s kind of what you give us to index.”
That means people searching for your brand may land on a login page instead of helpful information.
“We regularly see Google services getting this wrong,” Mueller admitted, noting that with many teams, “you invariably run across situations like that.”
Search Console fixed this by sending logged-out visitors to a marketing page with a clear sign-in link, which gave Google indexable context.
Don’t Rely On robots.txt To Hide Private URLs
Blocking sensitive areas in robots.txt can still let those URLs appear in search with no snippet. That’s risky if the URLs expose usernames or email addresses.
Mueller warned:
“If someone does something like a site query for your site… Google and other search engines might be like, oh, I know about all of these URLs. I don’t have any information on what’s on there, but feel free to try them out essentially.”
If it’s private, avoid leaking details in the URL, and use noindex or a login redirect instead of robots.txt.
What To Do Instead
If content must stay private, serve a noindex on private endpoints or redirect requests to a dedicated login or marketing page.
Don’t load private text into the page and then hide it with JavaScript. Screen readers and crawlers may still access it.
If you want restricted pages indexed, use the paywall structured data. It allows Google to fetch the full content while understanding that regular visitors will hit an access wall.
“It doesn’t have to be something that’s behind like a clear payment thing. It can just be something like a login or some other mechanism that basically limits the visibility of the content.”
Lastly, add context to login experiences. Include a short description of the product or the section someone is trying to reach.
As Mueller advised:
“Put some information about what your service is on that login page.”
A Quick Test
Open an incognito window. While logged out, search for your brand or service and click the top results.
If you land on bare login pages with no context, you likely need updates. You can also search for known URL patterns from account areas to see what shows up.
Looking Ahead
As more businesses use subscriptions and gated experiences, access design affects SEO.
Use clear patterns (noindex, proper redirects, and paywalled markup where needed) and make sure public entry points provide enough context to rank for the right queries.
Small changes to login pages and redirects can prevent duplicate grouping and improve how your site appears in search.
This post was sponsored by MarketBrew. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.
Is Google using AI to censor thousands of independent websites?
Wondering why your traffic has suddenly dropped, even though you’re doing SEO properly?
Between letters to the FTC describing a systematic dismantling of the open web by Google to SEO professionals who may be unaware that their strategies no longer make an impact, these changes represent a definite re-architecting of the web’s entire incentive structure.
While some were warning about AI passage retrieval and vector scoring, the industry largely stuck to legacy thinking. SEOs continued to focus on E-E-A-T, backlinks, and content refresh cycles, assuming that if they simply improved quality, recovery would come.
But the rules had changed.
Google’s Silent Pivot: From Keywords to Embedding Vectors
In late 2023 and early 2024, Google began rolling out what it now refers to as AI Mode.
What Is Google’s AI Mode?
AI Mode breaks content into passages, embeds those passages into a multi-dimensional vector space, and compares them directly to queries using cosine similarity.
In this new model, relevance is determined geometrically rather than lexically. Instead of ranking entire pages, Google evaluates individual passages. The most relevant passages are then surfaced in a ChatGPT-like interface, often without any need for users to click through to the source.
Beneath this visible change is a deeper shift: content scoring has become embedding-first.
What Are Embedding Vectors?
Embedding vectors are mathematical representations of meaning. When Google processes a passage of content, it converts that passage into a vector, a list of numbers that captures the semantic context of the text. These vectors exist in a multi-dimensional space where the distance between vectors reflects how similar the meanings are.
Instead of relying on exact keywords or matching phrases, Google compares the embedding vector of a search query to the embedding vectors of individual passages. This allows it to identify relevance based on deeper context, implied meaning, and overall intent.
Traditional SEO practices like keyword targeting and topical coverage do not carry the same weight in this system. A passage does not need to use specific words to be considered relevant. What matters is whether its vector lands close to the query vector in this semantic space.
How Are Embedding Vectors Different From Keywords?
Keywords focus on exact matches. Embedding vectors focus on meaning.
Traditional SEO relied on placing target terms throughout a page. But Google’s AI Mode now compares the semantic meaning of a query and a passage using embedding vectors. A passage can rank well even if it doesn’t use the same words, as long as its meaning aligns closely with the query.
This shift has made many SEO strategies outdated. Pages may be well-written and keyword-rich, yet still underperform if their embedded meaning doesn’t match search intent.
What SEO Got Wrong & What Comes Next
The story isn’t just about Google changing the game, it’s also about how the SEO industry failed to notice the rules had already shifted.
Don’t: Misread the Signals
As rankings dropped, many teams assumed they’d been hit by a quality update or core algorithm tweak. They doubled down on familiar tactics: improving E-E-A-T signals, updating titles, and refreshing content. They pruned thin pages, boosted internal links, and ran audits.
But these efforts were based on outdated models. They treated the symptom, visibility loss, not the cause: semantic drift.
Semantic drift happens when your content’s vector no longer aligns with the evolving vector of search intent. It’s invisible to traditional SEO tools because it occurs in latent space, not your HTML.
No amount of backlinks or content tweaks can fix that.
This wasn’t just platform abuse. It was also a strategic oversight.
SEO teams:
Many believed that doing what Google said, improving helpfulness, pruning content, and writing for humans, would be enough.
That promise collapsed under AI scrutiny.
But we’re not powerless.
Don’t: Fall Into The Trap of Compliance
Google told the industry to “focus on helpful content,” and SEOs listened, through a lexical lens. They optimized for tone, readability, and FAQs.
But “helpfulness” was being determined mathematically by whether your vectors aligned with the AI’s interpretation of the query.
Thousands of reworked sites still dropped in visibility. Why? Because while polishing copy, they never asked: Does this content geometrically align with search intent?
Do: Optimize For Data, Not Keywords
The new SEO playbook begins with a simple truth: you are optimizing for math, not words.
The New SEO Playbook: How To Optimize For AI-Powered SERPs
Here’s what we now know:
AI Mode is real and measurable. ✅You can calculate embedding similarity. ✅You can test passages against queries. ✅You can visualize how Google ranks.
Content must align semantically, not just topically. ✅Two pages about “best hiking trails” may be lexically similar, but if one focuses on family hikes and the other on extreme terrain, their vectors diverge.
Authority still matters, but only after similarity. ✅The AI Mode fan-out selects relevant passages first. Authority reranking comes later. ✅If you don’t pass the similarity threshold, your authority won’t matter.
Passage-level optimization is the new frontier. ✅Optimizing entire pages isn’t enough. Each chunk of content must pull semantic weight.
How Do I Track Google AI Mode Data To Improve SERP Visibility?
It depends on your goals; for success in SERPs, you need to focus on tools that not only show you visibility data, but also how to get there.
Profound was one of the first tools to measure whether content appeared inside large language models, essentially offering a visibility check for LLM inclusion. It gave SEOs early signals that AI systems were beginning to treat search results differently, sometimes surfacing pages that never ranked traditionally. Profound made it clear: LLMs were not relying on the same scoring systems that SEOs had spent decades trying to influence.
But Profound stopped short of offering explanations. It told you if your content was chosen, but not why. It didn’t simulate the algorithmic behavior of AI Mode or reveal what changes would lead to better inclusion.
That’s where simulation-based platforms came in.
Market Brew approached the challenge differently. Instead of auditing what was visible inside an AI system, they reconstructed the inner logic of those systems, building search engine models that mirrored Google’s evolution toward embeddings and vector-based scoring. These platforms didn’t just observe the effects of AI Mode, they recreated its mechanisms.
As early as 2023, Market Brew had already implemented:
Passage segmentation that divides page content into consistent ~700-character blocks.
Embedding generation using Sentence-BERT to capture the semantic fingerprint of each passage.
Cosine similarity calculations to simulate how queries match specific blocks of content, not just the page as a whole.
Thematic clustering algorithms, like Top Cluster Similarity, to determine which groupings of passages best aligned with a search intent.
This meant users could test a set of prompts against their content and watch the algorithm think, block by block, similarity score by score.
Where Profound offered visibility, Market Brew offered agency.
Instead of asking “Did I show up in an AI overview?”, simulation tools helped SEOs ask, “Why didn’t I?” and more importantly, “What can I change to improve my chances?”
By visualizing AI Mode behavior before Google ever acknowledged it publicly, these platforms gave early adopters a critical edge. The SEOs using them didn’t wait for traffic to drop before acting, they were already optimizing for vector alignment and semantic coverage long before most of the industry knew it mattered.
And in an era where rankings hinge on how well your embeddings match a user’s intent, that head start has made all the difference.
Visualize AI Mode Coverage. For Free.
SEO didn’t die. It transformed, from art into applied geometry.
To help SEOs adapt to this AI-driven landscape, Market Brew has just announced the AI Mode Visualizer, a free tool that simulates how Google’s AI Overviews evaluate your content:
Enter a page URL.
Input up to 10 search prompts or generate them automatically from a single master query using LLM-style prompt expansion.
See a cosine similarity matrix showing how each content chunk (700 characters) for your page aligns with each intent.
Click any score to view exactly which passage matched, and why.
This post was sponsored by RollerAds. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.
Want more visibility in Google Discover?
Not sure how to get into Google’s personalized news feeds?
Discover isn’t like search. You don’t rank for keywords.
You get selected.
And that means the best way to get featured isn’t to optimize for keywords; it’s to optimize for specific algorithmic signals.
In this guide, we’ll cover the core ranking signals that help Google determine which content belongs in Discover feeds, and how you can naturally boost those signals using tools like push notifications.
Google Discover Optimization Tips: Which Signals Tell Google Your Content Belongs in Discover?
Google Discover uses a different algorithm from traditional search results.
While it still considers many of the same quality indicators, Discover visibility depends less on keywords and more on how your content performs in the real world.
Here are the most important content quality signals for Discover.
Experience: Firsthand, real-world familiarity with the subject.
Expertise: Deep knowledge and skill in your content niche.
Authoritativeness: Recognition from other trusted sources.
Trustworthiness: Accurate, unbiased, and reliable information.
2. Engagement Metrics
These tell Google your content resonates with users and may be worth promoting more widely.
3. Strong Visuals & Headlines
Discover is highly visual, so if you don’t stand out immediately, the users are likely to scroll past your content.
Take your time to polish headlines to get attention, but make sure they accurately reflect the content of your article, post, or whatever you’re writing right now.
Engaging headlines, images, and videos perform better, especially when those assets are optimized for mobile.
4. Technical SEO & Mobile Optimization
While you don’t need to “rank” per se, you do need a well-optimized site, which includes:
Fast load times: Consider page speed and overall efficiency. Use PageSpeed Insights to ensure your web pages are optimized for user performance.
Mobile-friendly layouts: Google Discover is only available on mobile devices, as there is currently no desktop version.
Structured data: Google relies on structured data to categorize content and provide relevant suggestions for users. To attract more engaged and relevant users, you need to add tags and structure data so that Google can better recognize and categorize your content.
Internal linking & link building: It will help you create your own network of content. This concerns old articles, too, as they might serve as a gateway to newer pieces of content.
RSS or Atom Feed: Allow users to follow you to receive updates quickly. Google generates a feed for you automatically, but you can connect your own.
Google Web Stories: Similar to Instagram, these stories appear under the Visual Stories banner on mobiles and serve to expand your reach. Stories are easy to create, engaging, interactive, and fun.
Track, test, improve. Use Google Search Console (GSC) to monitor your performance and statistics. Unlike Google Analytics, it has a dedicated tab for monitoring Google Discover traffic.
5. Freshness & Topical Relevance
Valuable content addresses and solves pain points.
For content to have a better chance of showing up in Discover feeds, it should be:
Accurate.
Timely.
Trending.
Helpful.
Continuously updated.
This is especially powerful if your content is tied to current events or spikes in interest, as shown in Google Trends.
To discover what users search for, try:
Google Search: Enter a query and scroll down to view related and popular requests.
Google Search’s Autocomplete: Start typing a search and observe the suggested autocomplete queries; these are the queries that many others regularly search for.
Google Trends: Identify how popular a content direction is in any part of the world. This is also great for identifying seasonality.
How Google Discover Works
Google Discover suggests your content, which should include all the positive signals mentioned above.
The Google app user engages with your content within Google Discover, adding to Google’s knowledge of how users interact with your website.
These engagements (visitor volume, time on page, user experience, etc.) indicate to Google that your content is well-suited for similar readers.
Google increases your reach and visibility on Google Discover.
Those new viewers engage with your content in a similar pattern.
The cycle repeats, spreading your optimized content to more Google Discover timelines.
This is known as a positive loop because your content consistently passes positive ranking signals back to Google’s Discover algorithm, thereby continuing to increase in engagement.
How Do I Create A Positive Loop & Show Up In Google Discover?
We know that Google Discover places your content based on:
High-clickthrough rates.
Long time-on-page.
Repeat visitors.
So, how can you increase those metrics?
By getting a dedicated reader base that is always ready to consume your new content.
Push notifications are a great way to alert your dedicated readers that new content is out.
And they will feed your Google Discover algorithm data.
How To Use Push Notifications To Boost These Google Signals
Many publishers avoid push notifications, believing they’re too promotional or might harm user experience (UX).
However, modern push notification platforms allow you to take a more hybrid approach, combining editorial updates with monetization to boost visibility.
Why Hybrid Push Notifications Help Boost Discover Visibility
Done right, push notifications help your content get discovered organically by:
Increasing CTR with a second wave of distribution.
Driving fast engagement shortly after publication.
Bringing back repeat readers to increase session depth.
Boosting behavioral signals that Google uses to judge quality.
In other words, push notifications support the very engagement metrics that can lead to more Discover visibility.
When users receive a mix of informative and promotional pushes, each message feels fresh, encouraging clicks and boosting your CTR.
Higher engagement signals to Google that your content is valuable, increasing the chances of it being featured on Discover.
And since Discover traffic is largely made up of new visitors, each one becomes a fresh opportunity to grow your subscriber base.
Once users opt in, you can keep re-engaging them, creating a cycle of rising visibility, CTR, and traffic.
Image created by RollerAds April, 2025
How to Implement Hybrid Push Format to Get on Discover Faster
In a recent case study, one RollerAds publisher increased their revenue from $0 to $60,000 per month by pairing great content with hybrid push notifications and Discover-optimized distribution. The key was creating content that signals quality and leveraging distribution to show it.
With a tool like RollerAds, you can gain a streamlined way to:
Send personalized push notifications for your latest content.
Mix promotional and editorial messaging without spamming your readers.
Increase engagement, retention, and revenue simultaneously.
Simply register your site, get a custom strategy from your account manager, and start boosting content visibility, without compromising user experience.
Even better? You can monetize this traffic directly with ad formats designed for Discover audiences, no intrusive pop-ups or poor user experience. Just clear, engaging content with a side of revenue.
For SEJ readers, use the code SEJ30 to add +30% to your funds before July 1st, 2025.
Just show the code to your account manager on RollerAds before your first payment.
Getting featured on Google Discover isn’t just about luck; it’s about strategy.
From creating high-quality, relevant content to optimizing visuals, headlines, and mobile performance, every step counts. However, to truly stand out and amplify your chances, pairing content strategy with smart tools, such as hybrid push notifications from RollerAds, can make all the difference.
Engaging your audience through push updates not only drives more clicks but also signals content quality to Google, boosting your Discover reach. With the right monetization tools, you can convert that traffic into substantial revenue.
Image Credits
Featured Image: Image by RollerAds. Used with permission.
In-Post Image: Images by RollerAds. Used with permission.
Google instructs its human quality raters to apply “EEAT” when evaluating a page on search results. “Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness” are quality indicators, per Google.
Google cites EEAT in its documentation, prompting many search engine marketers to advertise “EEAT optimization” services. Unfortunately, I’ve seen tactics that fabricate EEAT with fake authors, bios, and experience.
Moreover, many marketers claim better EEAT can overcome losses from Google’s “helpful content” ranking algorithm. Yet Google has offered no such recovery method.
Humans, not Algorithms
The rise of “EEAT optimization” services has reached the search giant. In the January 2025 update to its quality guidelines (PDF), Google instructs raters to detect fake authors, fake profile pictures, and fake expertise via:
A webpage or website with “fake” owner or content creator profiles. For example, AI generated content with made up “author” profiles (AI generated images or deceptive creator descriptions) in order to make it appear that the content is written by people.
Factually inaccurate and deceptive information about creator expertise. For example, an author or creator profile inaccurately claims to have credentials or expertise (e.g., the content creator claims falsely to be a medical professional) to make the content appear more trustworthy than it is.
The update — I added the bold words — confirms Google recognizes the problem of fake EEAT credentials and encourages raters to be on the lookout.
EEAT is for human evaluators. It’s not a direct algorithmic ranking factor. Beware of services that promise otherwise.
Instead, ensure your EEAT components are prominent and thorough. Most businesses overlook the opportunity and fail to disclose one or more of the following:
Founder(s) name, experience, education, awards, and achievements.
Collaborating companies (entities), such as key customers and vendors.
Citations and links in blog posts and marketing materials.
Links to the business’s social media profiles (containing key company details)
Genuine reviews or verifiable testimonials
Detailed contact info (mail, physical, and email addresses; phone number), not solely a generic contact form.
Include structured data markup (such as Organization schema) to help search engines and AI platforms access the above details.
Trust and authority are commonsense qualities of any reputable business, not just those looking for organic search visibility. Nonetheless, demonstrate to search engines, genAI platforms, and humans by:
Hiring or collaborating with knowledgeable writers and experts.
Investing in authority-driven content, such as research and surveys.
Keeping social media profiles active and engaging.
In short, EEAT may not directly improve organic search rankings. But fabricating the components will likely cause long-term harm. Consumers buy from authentic and honest businesses. Those qualities drive engagement and conversions.
This emerged out of their Search Quality Rater Guidelines, which emphasize the importance of providing users with reliable, valuable, and accurate information and a great website experience.
If you give users what they want, and they trust you enough to keep coming back, Google is more likely to reward you in terms of rankings and traffic.
These concepts hold the most weight when it comes to Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) content – brands that provide information related to people’s health, finances, and well-being. This content must be reliable and fact-checked.
Quality Content, Care, And User Experience
When it comes to E-E-A-T, your top priority should be creating content that your target audience wants or needs – content that offers true value.
Your content should also be accessible, easy to navigate, and adhere to high standards of accuracy and reliability.
Creating these pages for your website should help it perform better in Google’s search results.
And, yes, this is much easier said than done. First, you must have a clear understanding of what Google means by “high-quality content.”
What Is High-Quality Content?
Whatever content you create must have a purpose. Your content must benefit your clients, customers, users, or readers.
Common Traits Of High-Quality Pages
According to the Search Quality Rater Guidelines, high-quality pages are those that have:
High levels of experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
A satisfying amount of high-quality main content, including a descriptive or helpful title.
Satisfying website information and information about who is responsible for the website (for shopping pages or those that enable financial transactions, this includes satisfying customer service information).
Placement on a website that has a strong reputation for being one of the best resources for information on the topic.
A positive reputation for the creator of the main content, if different from that of the website.
The highest quality pages (including YMYL pages) will have an extremely high level of E-E-A-T, according to Google’s guidelines.
What Is Low-Quality Content?
Low-quality content is, as you’d expect, the exact opposite of high-quality content.
“Websites or pages without some sort of beneficial purpose, including pages that are created with no attempt to help users, or pages that potentially spread hate, cause harm, or misinform or deceive users, should receive the Lowest rating.”
If high-quality content helps your site rank higher, it logically follows that low-quality pages could hurt your Google rankings.
If your content is inaccurate, has no purpose, or includes elements that hurt the user experience, it’s unlikely that Google will feature your website prominently in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Common Traits Of A Low-Quality Page
Here are the characteristics of a low-quality page, according to Google’s guidelines:
The page has an inadequate level of experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
The quality of the main content is low.
There is an unsatisfying amount of main content for the purpose of the page.
The title is exaggerated or shocking.
Ads or secondary content distracts from the main content.
There is an unsatisfying amount of website information or information about the creator of the content for the purpose of the page (no good reason for anonymity).
The website or the content creator has a mildly negative reputation based on extensive reputation research.
In short, low E-E-A-T means bad content. Bad content means bad SEO, and bad SEO means you’re missing out on valuable traffic and conversions due to low rankings.
AI tools make it easier than ever to generate content at high volumes, and some use AI to mass-produce low-quality content that risks misinformation and generic insights.
To prioritize E-E-A-T, brands should create content backed by credible resources, research, and real-world expertise.
Gen AI can be useful in some respects, but you should never outsource your thoughts and insight to an AI tool.
Brands that publish original thought and prioritize human insight and expertise are in a better position to rank in search than those who rely on generative AI alone.
How To Improve Your Website’s E-E-A-T
So, how can you make sure your website content is high quality and also boost your on-page SEO efforts?
Here are some best practices to follow when creating new content.
1. Identify Your Authors With A Byline And Bio
Think about the last time you landed on a blog where some content was published by “Admin” or some random guy with no last name. Did you trust that site? Was the content amazing? No and no.
Google’s guidelines advise creating articles with “journalistic professionalism.”
Part of that professionalism means every piece of content you publish should have the writer’s name – their byline – attached to it.
Here’s how Search Engine Journal highlights the bylines of its articles:
Screenshot of Roger Montti’s author byline, Search Engine Journal, February 2025
Identify All Your Content Contributors
Ideally, you should highlight the biographical details of every person who creates content for you – whether that’s blog posts, articles, or question-and-answer pages.
Is the author of your content a recognized expert in your field? Then you definitely want to highlight that.
You can do so on a separate bio page that also contains the author’s past content, or you can even put it at the bottom of the article.
Search Engine Journal does both. At the bottom of any of its articles, you’ll see an author’s box.
Clicking on [Read full bio] leads to the full bio page with information that establishes who the author is and what they do:
Screenshot of Roger Montti’s profile, Search Engine Journal, February 2025
In this example, Search Engine Journal highlights that the author, Roger Montti, brings “25 years hands-on experience in SEO,” “recently presented at Pubcon” (a reputable marketing conference), and “served as a Head Judge at the U.S. Search Awards.”
This bio clearly establishes Montti as a subject matter expert and authority when it comes to talking about (and writing about) SEO, which provides E-E-A-T to Search Engine Journal’s articles.
What To Include On A Bio Page
Here are some essential elements of a good bio page:
Full name.
Headshot.
Title/position.
A detailed bio.
Contact information (e.g., email form, social media).
Doing all of this makes it easy for users (and Google) to know who created the content and assess their individual E-E-A-T.
2. Make Your Contact Info Easy To Find
When visitors arrive on your landing pages, is it easy to find your contact information?
Can they quickly determine how to get customer support?
Remember, E-E-A-T evaluates your website as a whole. The easiest solution is to make sure you link to your About Us and Contact Us pages in either your main or footer navigation.
If you don’t have those pages on your website, make them now!
3. Remove Or Improve Your Low-Quality Content
If you have content that is no longer useful – or is just so terrible that it’s not worth the time investment to update or improve it – then pruning that content is one quick way to improve your E-E-A-T.
Removing content should always be your last resort, but if it needs to be done, do it without hesitation.
Ideally, you want to identify any content that looks like it has low E-E-A-T and figure out ways you can reverse that.
Here are some ways you could increase E-E-A-T on old content:
Have a more authoritative person write the content.
Add quotes from experts, data, sources, or citations.
Make some simple edits to improve the readability, grammar, spelling, and structure.
Add more information to make it more comprehensive.
Write a new and better title.
Add some visual appeal, such as photos, charts, and screenshots (and make sure to optimize those images).
Add a video for people who prefer that format vs. text only (this has the added benefit of potentially keeping visitors on your site longer).
The process of elevating content definitely takes longer, but doing so will greatly improve your website’s E-E-A-T and performance. This process is especially crucial for any YMYL page.
4. Create A Positive Brand Reputation
A positive brand reputation is key to growing both your business and your E-E-A-T.
One way you can do this is through thought leadership by sharing insights that your target audience truly finds valuable.
High-quality thought leadership content is good for winning, keeping, and growing a business. It will also help you build authority in your niche and help Google trust you.
Thought leadership is incredibly powerful when done right, but to get it right, it needs expertise, experience and authority – all the things that represent E-E-A-T.
What’s Good For The User
Is E-E-A-T a ranking factor?
That is the wrong question to ask, in my opinion. Let’s forget about ranking factors for a moment and think about your audience instead.
If you’re doing everything outlined in Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines, then you’re creating informative, useful, high-quality content that your audience wants and helping them accomplish a task (e.g., acquiring knowledge, buying a product).
In other words, you’re providing a satisfying user experience.
Anything good for users is good for helping you be visible in Google – and driving the traffic and conversions you really want.
This post was sponsored by Unbounce. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.
Want to increase sign-ups, sales, or demo requests from your landing page?
How can you ensure your landing page is optimized for conversions?
Landing pages can make or break your conversions.
A well-designed landing page doesn’t just look good; it also seamlessly guides visitors toward action, such as signing up, purchasing, or booking a demo.
A high-performing landing page should align with your goals:
Capturing leads.
Driving sales.
Promoting an event.
The best landing page templates are designed with conversion in mind, featuring strategic layouts, persuasive copy, and clear calls to action.
So, let’s look at a few top-performing landing page examples to learn about why they work and how you should implement them.
1 & 2. FreshGoods & Radiant Yoga Studio: Great For A Clear & Compelling Unique Selling Point
The secret to beating the competition is positioning your brand so you’re the only one in your specific space.
These conversion-optimized landing page templates effectively highlight a USP throughout the design.
A clear and bold headline that immediately communicates the core benefit.
The supporting subheadline allows brands to reinforce the core USP message by expanding on the offer in a way that adds clarity without overwhelming visitors.
The strategic use of whitespace and strong typography ensures that the USP remains the focal point, making it easy for visitors to grasp the value of the offer at a glance.
How To Recreate These Landing Pages
Step 1: Define Your Unique Selling Proposition
A strong USP makes visitors feel like they’ve found exactly what they need. Instead of blending in with competitors, it positions your brand as the only choice.
Ask yourself: What is the one reason customers should choose you over others?
Example: FreshGoods & Radiant Yoga Studio’s landing pages showcase a crystal-clear UVP in their messaging and design.
Step 2: Craft a Compelling Headline & Supporting Headline
Your headline is your first impression, so you have to make it count. The supporting headline expands on that core message.
Best Practices:
Be specific: Instead of “The Best Marketing Tool,” try “Turn Clicks into Customers with AI-Powered Marketing in Minutes.”
Reinforce value: “No coding, no guesswork. Just smarter campaigns that drive real revenue.”
Step 3: Address Concerns with Reinforcing & Closing Statements
A reinforcing statement builds trust (“Trusted by over 10,000 businesses…”).
A closing statement eliminates hesitation (“Every second you wait is a sale you’re losing. Start your free trial now.”)
3 & 4. Vita Health & Orbit SaaS: Great For Hero Images & Visual Storytelling
Before visitors read a single word, visuals will capture their attention and convey meaning.
A strong hero image isn’t just decoration, it sets the tone, builds trust, and instantly reinforces your message. The right imagery makes your offer feel more tangible, relatable, and desirable.
A landing page’s imagery is a strategic tool that helps communicate your offer, build trust, and nudge visitors toward conversion. Choose visuals that don’t just look good but work hard to sell.
A well-chosen visual:
Supports the UVP.
Evokes an emotion that drives action
Showcases the product, service, or outcome in action
Makes the page feel polished, professional, and credible
In addition to the visual, the full landing page benefits from:
Strong hero image placement
An opportunity to reinforce the messaging conveyed with the hero image throughout the page
White space highlights supporting visuals
Visual hierarchy guides site visitors down the page to the parts that matter.
How To Recreate These Landing Pages
Step 1: Choose the Right Hero Image
Before visitors read a word, visuals capture attention. A great hero image should:
Support the USP
Evoke emotion & drive action
Showcase the product, service, or outcome
Step 2: Guide the Visitor’s Eye
Strategic use of visuals can nudge visitors toward your CTA:
Eye gaze: People follow where others are looking in an image.
Angles & positioning: Lines or arrows subtly direct attention to the CTA.
Contrast & color: Key elements should stand out.
Step 3: Reinforce Messaging with Supporting Imagery
Don’t rely on just one image. Use:
Icons & illustrations
Graphs & charts
Customer photos & testimonials
Short videos or GIFs
Bonus Tip:
Use A/B testing to find the ingredients for maximum impact.
The right image can make or break conversions, so test different options. Some images resonate better with your audience, drive more engagement, or feel more aligned with your brand.
Some elements to test include:
People vs. product-focused visuals.
Static images vs. motion (GIFs or videos).
Close-ups vs. wider perspective shots.
Different background colors or lighting.
5 & 6. Serene Vista & Digital Foundry: Great For Clearly Conveying Benefits
Visitors specifically care about what it does for them.
That’s why benefits should take center stage on a conversion-optimized landing page, not just a list of features.
The headshots paired with the social proof enhance trustworthiness and make a connection with site visitors because they can see themselves in the experiences being described.
The rounded shape and contrasting colors make the social proof stand out.
Located near the point of conversion.
How To Create This Landing Page
Step 1: Choose the Right Type of Social Proof
Customer testimonials & reviews
Case studies & success stories
Logos of recognizable brands
Ratings & review scores
Media mentions & awards
Step 2: Strategically Place Social Proof
Near the CTA: Reinforces trust before action.
Midway down the page: Nudges hesitant visitors.
In the hero section: Puts endorsements front and center.
9 & 10. Livewell Lifestyle & Inner Handyman: Great For Turning Interest Into Conversions With Calls To Action
A landing page without a strong CTA is like a roadmap without a destination.
Your CTA is the single most important element that tells visitors what to do next.
And if it’s unclear, compelling, and easy to find, you’ll lose conversions.
A compelling CTA is a combination of copy, design, and placement that removes hesitation and drives action.
CTAs can be customized to stand out and get attention
CTA sizing and positioning make them clear focal points despite having multiple elements on the page. It ensures you get the most conversion power in every pixel
The CTA buttons are placed where it matters throughout the page, making sure the page attempts the conversion when and where it matters most
How To Recreate These Landing Pages
Step 1: Craft a Clear, Compelling CTA
A high-converting CTA should be:
Action-oriented: “Start Growing Today” vs. “Submit”
Benefit-driven: “Unlock Exclusive Access” vs. “Sign Up”
Urgent (if appropriate): “Claim Your Spot Today”
Step 2: CTA Placement for Maximum Impact
Above the fold: First CTA visible immediately.
After key information: CTA follows value explanation.
Near social proof or benefits: Reinforces trust.
At the end of the page: Captures hesitant visitors.
Step 3: CTA Design That Stands Out
Color contrast: The CTA should pop from the background.
Size & positioning: Large enough to be noticeable but not overwhelming.
Whitespace & directional cues: Ensures the CTA is the focal point.
Bonus Tip:
A/B test your CTAs for better conversions.
CTAs aren’t one-size-fits-all. Even small tweaks can make a huge impact on conversions, so A/B testing different variations is essential:
Wording – Try “Get Started” vs. “Try It Free”
Color – A bold button color vs. a softer, branded one
Placement – Above the fold vs. midway down the page
Size and shape – Larger buttons vs. compact ones
Personalization – “Start My Free Trial” vs. “Start Your Free Trial”
Build High-Converting Landing Pages Faster
A great landing page isn’t just about design.
It’s about strategy.
Every element, from your USP and hero images to your social proof and CTAs, is critical in guiding visitors toward conversion. When these elements work together, your landing page drives action.
But building a high-converting landing page from scratch can be time-consuming and complex. That’s why using proven, conversion-optimized templates can give you a head start.
With Unbounce, you get access to 100+ professionally designed landing page templates built for maximum conversions. Whether capturing leads, promoting a product, or running a campaign, these templates help you launch faster, test smarter, and convert better—without needing a developer.
Ready to build an optimized landing page that converts?
Explore Unbounce’s best-performing templates and start optimizing today!
In 2025, the extent to which you adapt to emerging technologies, changing user expectations, and evolving search engine algorithms will determine if you’ll thrive or struggle to stay relevant.
Staying ahead of emerging trends is essential for maintaining a fast, secure, and user-friendly website.
Optimizing performance, strengthening security measures, and enhancing user experience will be key factors in staying competitive.
Artificial intelligence has transformed how websites interact with visitors, making online experiences more personalized, engaging, and efficient.
Use AI For Higher Conversion Rates
AI-driven personalization allows websites to deliver tailored content and product recommendations based on user behavior, preferences, and past interactions to create an intuitive experience.
The result? Visitors remain engaged, increasing conversions.
Chatbots and AI-powered customer support are also becoming essential for websites looking to provide instant, 24/7 assistance.
These tools answer common questions, guide users through a website, and even process transactions, reducing the need for human intervention while improving response times.
And they’re gaining in popularity.
71% of businesses in a recent survey either already have a chatbot integrated into their sites and customer service processes or plan to get one in the near future.
And they’re reaping the benefits of this technology; 24% of businesses with a chatbot already installed report excellent ROI.
Use AI For Speeding Up Website Implementation
AI is also revolutionizing content creation and website design.
Based on user data, automated tools can generate blog posts, optimize layouts, and suggest design improvements.
This streamlines website management, making it easier for you to maintain a professional and visually appealing online presence.
For example, many hosting providers now include AI-powered website builders, offering tools that assist with design and customization. These features, such as responsive templates and automated suggestions, can make building and optimizing a website more efficient.
2. Voice Search & Conversational Interfaces
Voice search is becoming a major factor in how users interact with the web, with more people relying on smart speakers, mobile assistants, and voice-activated search to find information.
To put this into perspective, ChatGPT from OpenAI reportedly holds 60% of the generative AI market, performing more than one billion searches daily. If just 1% of those are via its voice search, that equates to 10 million voice searches every day on ChatGPT alone.
Reports estimate 20.5% of people globally use voice search daily. And these numbers are increasing.
You need to adapt by optimizing for conversational SEO and natural language queries, which tend to be longer and more specific, making long-tail keywords and question-based content more important than ever.
To stay ahead, websites should structure content in a way that mimics natural conversation:
Google continues to refine its ranking algorithms, with Core Web Vitals playing a critical role in determining search visibility.
Implement Core Web Vital Data & Monitor Website Speed
These performance metrics, Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), measure how quickly a page loads, how responsive it is, and how stable its layout appears to users.
Websites that meet these benchmarks not only rank higher in search results but also provide a better overall user experience.
One study found that pages ranking in the top spots in the SERPs were 10% more likely to pass CWV scores than URLs in position 9.
Ensure Your Website Is Faster Than Your Competitors To Rank Higher
As part of the prioritization of performance, mobile-first approach remains essential; Google prioritizes sites that are fast and responsive on smartphones and tablets.
Ensuring faster load times through optimized images, efficient coding, and proper caching techniques can make a significant impact on search rankings.
Leverage Structured Data To Tell Google What Your Website Is About
Structured data, on the other hand, helps search engines better understand a website’s content, improving the chances of appearing in rich snippets and voice search results.
4. Mobile-First & Adaptive Design
With mobile devices accounting for the majority of web traffic, mobile optimization remains a top priority in 2025.
Google’s mobile-first indexing means that search engines primarily evaluate the mobile version of a site when determining rankings.
A website that isn’t optimized for mobile results in overall poor performance, lower search rankings, and a frustrating user experience.
To keep up, many websites are adopting:
Adaptive design – Ensures that websites adjust dynamically to different screen sizes, providing an optimal layout on any device.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) – Combine the best features of websites and mobile apps, offering faster load times, offline capabilities, and app-like functionality without requiring a download.
Best practices for a seamless mobile experience include responsive design, fast-loading pages, and touch-friendly navigation.
Optimizing images, minimizing pop-ups, and using mobile-friendly fonts and buttons can also greatly enhance usability.
5. Enhanced Website Security & Data Privacy
Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated.
You must take proactive measures to protect your websites from attacks, data breaches, and unauthorized access.
Implementing strong security protocols not only safeguards sensitive information but also builds trust with visitors.
Key security measures include:
SSL certificates – Encrypt data transmitted between users and a website, ensuring secure connections—something that search engines and users now expect as a standard feature.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – Adds an extra layer of security by requiring multiple verification steps before granting access, reducing the risk of compromised credentials.
Zero-trust security models – Ensures that all access requests, even from within a network, are continuously verified, minimizing potential security gaps.
Beyond technical defenses, compliance with evolving privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA is essential.
You must be transparent about how they collect, store, and process user data, providing clear consent options and maintaining privacy policies that align with current regulations.
6. Sustainability & Green Web Hosting
Every website, server, and data center requires energy to function, contributing to global carbon emissions.
Optimizing websites through lighter code, efficient caching, and reduced server load also plays a role in minimizing environmental impact.
Choosing a hosting provider that values sustainability is an important step toward a greener web.
AI tools can assist in creating blog posts, product descriptions, and videos with minimal manual input, helping businesses maintain a steady content flow efficiently.
Beyond static content, interactive features like quizzes, calculators, and AR are becoming key for user engagement.
These elements encourage participation, increasing time on site and improving conversions.
To integrate interactive features smoothly, a hosting provider that supports interactive plugins and flexible tools can help keep websites engaging and competitive.
8. The Role of Blockchain in Web Security
Blockchain is emerging as a tool for web hosting and cybersecurity, enhancing data security, decentralization, and content authenticity.
Unlike traditional hosting, decentralized networks distribute website data across multiple nodes, reducing risks like downtime, censorship, and cyberattacks. Blockchain-powered domains also add security by making ownership harder to manipulate.
Beyond hosting, blockchain improves data verification by storing information in a tamper-proof ledger, benefiting ecommerce, digital identity verification, and intellectual property protection.
9. The Importance of Reliable Web Hosting
No matter how advanced a website is, it’s only as strong as the hosting infrastructure behind it. In 2025, website performance and uptime will remain critical factors for success, impacting everything from user experience to search engine rankings and business revenue.
Scalable hosting solutions play a crucial role in handling traffic spikes, ensuring that websites remain accessible during high-demand periods.
Whether it’s an ecommerce store experiencing a surge in holiday traffic or a viral blog post drawing in thousands of visitors, having a hosting plan that adapts to these changes is essential.
Reliable hosting providers help mitigate these challenges by offering scalable infrastructure, 100% SLA uptime guarantees, and built-in performance optimizations to keep websites running smoothly.
Features like VPS and dedicated hosting provide additional resources for growing businesses, ensuring that increased traffic doesn’t compromise speed or stability. Investing in a hosting solution that prioritizes reliability and scalability helps safeguard a website’s long-term success.
Future-Proof Your Website Today
The digital landscape is changing fast, and staying ahead is essential to staying competitive.
From AI-driven personalization to enhanced security and sustainable hosting, adapting to new trends ensures your site remains fast, secure, and engaging. Investing in performance and user experience isn’t optional, it’s the key to long-term success.
Whether launching a new site or optimizing an existing one, the right hosting provider makes all the difference.
Bluehost offers reliable, high-performance hosting with built-in security, scalability, and guaranteed uptime, so your website is ready for the future.
Get started today and build a website designed to thrive.
