Before you question why we are writing a blog about giving your employees some credit, it goes deeper than just saying you need to be a more humble leader.
We are explaining how letting your experts do the talking (or writing) support your content marketing and SEO strategy.
Let us take you back
We have written about the E-A-T principle before, and this practice ensures that you meet all those criteria.
Search engines do not just take your website as the truth about your business. They piece together the employees that work for you and the customers that talk about you and use those other online cues as part of their ranking decision.
So what if your employees, the experts you hire, are not:
- Visible on your website?
- Contributing to the content about their specialism?
- Being used in comments in the press?
This is not uncommon. A lot of blogs do not have authors beyond Admin, Team XYZ or even just the marketing person that puts it all up. These sites are missing out on ranking points from search engines and kudos points from your customers.
Let your employees take the spotlight
Now we know that not everyone is comfortable with writing. Truth be told I (Nat) have three sets of eyes on my blogs before it goes out to sense check, capture any typos that have been missed and give me feedback on it. That doesn’t mean someone can’t contribute to the content that someone else will write on their behalf.
Regardless, by getting information from an expert (a brief if you will), that is then written and produced by someone else is a great way to let your expert shine without the anxiety or pressure of them having to produce their own web-ready piece. Then set up their author profile and start to attribute content to them.
For those that are terrible at even giving you bullets of content, why not try video instead? Just because someone is not a confident writer doesn’t mean they are not a confident speaker or able to produce an educational video.
Who are they?
Make sure that your experts are somewhere easily found on your website – the Team or About page is the most obvious option. Include photos, a bit about their knowledge and how people can connect with them.
Their author profile also has to be complete. If you can, use the author profile to feed through to the About or Team page to save you having to do the same job twice.
It's not just about onsite content
Expert comment in the press is another E-A-T cue to search engines.
- Trade press
- General press
- Local radio
- Academic reviews
- TV
- Social media activity
- Podcasts
- Online topical conversations and more
These are not only ways to get your business known and show off who you have working for you but also give clues to search engines that you have experts in your field on your site.
The elephant in the room
What happens if someone leaves?
You have two options:
- remove the content
- rewrite and reattribute
But never panic. Search engines are getting more and more advanced, they will see the path of the individual. So if they go into a job that is higher than the one they left but in the same field, that expert comment and content, is still just that.
So if you are looking for a way to boost your rankings with an “easy(ish)” task, this is the next to do on your list. The fact is by boosting your employee’s online expert profile will not only promote your business in the eyes of the SEO lords. Your potential will also get to hear from your expert team and it may be their voice or opinion that pushes them to make the call. Plus, its the right thing to do – give credit when credit is due.
Looking for help beyond employee branding? The Typeface Group can support your business’s visibility online with a clear communication and SEO strategy.
