How EEAT Influences Consumer Confidence and Your Sales

These days, you see marketers everywhere bragging about driving conversions. An SEO expert claims his content made a company millions. A paid ad specialist says he boosted a brand's revenue. In reality, no sale is due to a single action. Multiple factors come into play, and studies confirm it.

The two keys to developing consumer trust are:

1. The perceived reputation of the seller.
2. The perceived quality of the site.

This is what Google seeks to promote with its EEAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) concept. EEAT is not a ranking factor per se, but an acronym describing the actual attributes that good websites should display.

These attributes increase the perceived quality of the site and, of course, the reputation of the seller.

The seller's reputation starts elsewhere

Seller reputation doesn’t just start on the website. It begins well before, with advertising and media visibility. Ranking on Google for terms related to your buyers is another crucial aspect of SEO that is often overlooked. Consumers place a lot of trust in search results. For years, results on the first page of Google have usually been enough to eliminate the need to spend hours searching for information. AI will reduce this need even further in the future.

Ranking online is a signal of trust to customers. Once this trust is established, you are able to connect with a prospect, provide them with reliable information, and over time obtain their personal information such as their email address and even banking details.

This model can be applied to all industries, whether for quick conversions like for an emergency plumber, or for more in-depth industries like B2B where conversions can take months.

Marketing is more than conversions

To increase sales, it's not enough to think about conversions. We are dealing with human beings, not machines. That’s why it’s crucial to not just seek credit for conversions. The two best factors to consider are:

1. You can't convert without trust.
2. You can't convert people who aren't ready to buy.

Once you realize that digital marketing is truly a game of online nudges, you will start looking for opportunities to optimize and increase these nudges.

Building trust: the essential steps

1. Improve the quality of your site

Your website is often the first interaction a potential customer has with your brand. It should be clean, professional and easy to navigate. A poor user experience can quickly destroy trust. Here are some tips to improve the perceived quality of your site:

• Attractive and modern design : Invest in a professional design. A dated or poorly designed site gives the impression of neglect.
• Intuitive navigation : Make sure users can easily find what they are looking for. Use clear menus and well-placed links.
• Fast loading times : A slow site can frustrate users and cause them to leave. Use tools to optimize your site speed.
• Quality Content : Provide valuable, well-written information. Good content builds your credibility and shows that you are an authority in your field.

2. Strengthen your online reputation

Your online reputation is not limited to your website. It also includes what people say about you on social media, forums and other sites. Here's how to strengthen your reputation:

• Reviews and Testimonials : Encourage your happy customers to leave positive reviews. Authentic testimonials are very powerful.
• Public Relations : Use public relations to get articles in respected publications. This can significantly increase your credibility.
• Social Media Engagement : Be active on social media. Reply to comments, participate in conversations and show that you are attentive to the needs of your customers.

3. Use SEO to Rank on Google

Ranking well on Google for terms related to your buyers is essential to building trust. Here are some basic SEO strategies:

• Keyword Research : Identify the keywords your potential customers are using to search for your products or services.
• On-page optimization : Make sure your site is optimized for these keywords. This includes the use of keywords in titles, descriptions, image alt tags, and content.
• Quality Backlinks : Get links to your site from reputable sites. Quality backlinks increase your authority in the eyes of Google.
• Quality content : Post relevant and useful content regularly. A well-maintained blog can attract traffic and build your credibility.

4. Nudge marketing: the art of subtle incitement

Digital marketing is often a game of nudges, or subtle incentives, to push consumers towards purchasing. Here's how to optimize these nudges:

• Personalized Emails : Send targeted, personalized emails based on user behavior. Relevant emails are more likely to convert.
• Retargeting Ads : Use retargeting ads to remind users of products they saw on your site.
• Limited Offers : Create a sense of urgency with limited-time offers. This can motivate users to act quickly.
• Clear calls to action : Use clear and engaging calls to action on your site. Make sure they are visible and easy to understand.

In conclusion, developing consumer trust is crucial to increasing sales. It's not just a single action, but a combination of strategies to improve your seller's reputation and the quality of your site. By focusing on these aspects and continually optimizing your marketing efforts, you will be able to build trust with your customers and ultimately significantly increase your sales. If you have a brand and a decent budget and would like to explore how to develop that trust, please don't hesitate to contact me. In any case, starting by improving the quality and reputation of your site is always a great idea.