Amid the increasing number of SEO tools like AI writing tools that excel in SEO, “NEEATT” is gaining attention as an important element for future SEO measures.
NEEATT is a further subdivision of the elements of “EEAT,” allowing for a more detailed evaluation of website quality. By understanding NEEATT, it is believed that one can carry out more effective SEO measures for their site. This article explains the overview of NEEATT, its difference from E-E-A-T, and SEO impacts.
About “NEEATT”
NEEATT is said to be a new standard for search engines to evaluate the quality of web pages. In the second half of 2023, updates are being made almost every month, and some people may be struggling with SEO measures. Among them, information has emerged that it will change from EEAT to NEEATT in the Google update in November 2023.
In the Google update, “N (Notability)” and “T (Transparency)” are newly questioned. It is said on social media that it is pronounced “NEET,” but the information is still scarce and unclear. As of November 16, 2023, Google’s “General Guidelines” were updated. Also, according to the 2024 March Major Core Update, shows significance in notabilities and transparencies in your website contents.
Although there were no details on NEEATT, it was stated that EEAT in the YMYL (Your Money Your Life) industries (medical, insurance, financial, etc., industries with high impact on life and requiring accuracy) is required at a higher level.
Differences between “EEAT” and “NEEATT”
E-E-A-T, the current site evaluation standard of Google, is an acronym for the following:
- Experience
- Expertise
- Authoritativeness
- Trustworthiness
Originally, there was just “E-A-T” as an SEO evaluation standard, but it was announced on December 15, 2022, on the Google Search Central Blog that “Experience” was added. As an example of experience, it is checked whether there is a certain amount of experience, such as actually visiting the place or conveying someone’s experience.
If it is just a page that summarizes information, AI can write it now. Depending on user needs, they may seek actual testimonials or reviews of what kind of experience they had or what they learned or failed. AI cannot handle testimonials with emotions. Therefore, depending on the search results, content from people with actual experience in that industry may be ranked higher.
Notability in NEEATT
The first rumored addition, “N (Notability),” means how much a website or article is “noticed” or “famous” in a particular field. It is important for individuals and companies to spread their existence, products, and services. However, maintaining reliability and quality is necessary to gain continuous attention.”
Transparency in NEEATT
The second rumored addition, “T (Transparency),” evaluates whether information about the content and its author is open and clear. It is important to be honest with users to build trust. Hiding information or providing inaccurate information can cause you to lose trust from users.
Connection between NEEATT and SEO measures
Let’s take a look at the connection between NEEATT and how each element effects SEO measures
N (Notability)
Individuals and companies that achieve outstanding results or provide important information in a specific industry generally attract high attention. The information source is SEO-evaluated as potentially playing an important role in a specific market and is recognized as having greater influence. To increase notability, it is necessary to first clarify the target and give a sufficient impression to the intended users. For example, creating content and advertisements that match the information and values sought by the intended users can attract interest.
Some theme parks are good at arousing interest by featuring seasonal events such as Christmas on TV and magazines and advertising new products. Fans may be interested in the event, and those looking for a travel destination may consider visiting according to the event. By collaborating and partnering with other industries and fields in this way, it is also possible to create synergy and increase notability.
E (Experience) / E (Expertise)
In certain industries, there are individuals and companies with abundant experience and expertise. It is difficult for users online to find people and companies with the experience and expertise they want to know, and the more niche the field, the fewer media that are pinpointing information. Some users may struggle with finding only general information or not being able to find the information they want.
By analyzing and evaluating “how much they know about that field” and “how much experience they have,” users can easily find websites of people and companies with more experience and expertise when they search. However, it should be recognized that there are limitations to AI analysis, as sensitivity and insight are unique to humans and cannot be analyzed by mere numbers and data.
A (Authoritativeness)
Individuals and companies with influence in certain industries, such as influencers and experts in various fields, who are famous or have a wide range of knowledge, are considered authoritative. For example, when a researcher with authority in a specific field makes a new discovery, other researchers and experts will pay attention and refer to it.
In web media, using a site with high authority as a source of citation can be used to increase the credibility of your own media information. High authority makes it easier to be recognized as a central person/company in that genre. If your company’s content is supervised by a person with high authority, actively display it as a supervisor and send it out. Then, in the algorithm, a high authority score may be given, and the content may be displayed to more users.
T (Trustworthiness)
Google’s algorithm can estimate the trustworthiness of website operators and content creators by evaluating their actions and characteristics, and determine whether they are trustworthy sources of information for users. Being judged as trustworthy increases credibility within the genre and is evaluated as a trustworthy source of information.
However, there are also limits to the evaluation of trustworthiness by AI, and not only content creation targeted at AI but also content creation that is judged to be trustworthy based on human subjective judgment and experience is important. For example, if the profile picture of a blog or SNS is a photo of the person’s face, it is considered to be more trustworthy from the user’s perspective. Also, reviews and reputations from users who have actually used services, etc., that are convincing are likely to increase trustworthiness.
T (Transparency)
This is actually quite important for YMYL industries, if information about the content and its author is clear, it is SEO-judged to be transparent and honest to users. For example, “The background and philosophy of the company and information about the operator are described” and “Articles and reviews are written accurately.” Even if specific data is posted, if it is not written whether the numbers are from your company or quoted from others, the basis becomes thin, such as “Where did those numbers come from?”
Transparency also leads to improving the quality and trustworthiness of content and affects relationships with users. Therefore, transparency is an important element in an information society and one of the indispensable SEO measures. In addition, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) are also recommended for collecting the latest SEO information. We introduce recommendations in the following columns, so please refer to them.
Conclusion
This article explained the overview of N-E-E-A-T-T, its difference from E-E-A-T, and SEO measures. Although there was no mention of N-E-E-A-T-T in Google’s updated quality evaluation guidelines, it is necessary to take measures to increase notability and transparency for high-quality content for users. By conducting website ranking searches and analysis, more effective SEO measures based on N-E-E-A-T-T can be taken.