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In the nuanced world of search engine optimization (SEO), Google’s search engine plays a large role in determining the success of content creators and website owners. Being so, Google uses E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) as a factor in Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (SQEG). In other words, Google evaluates a website’s quality of content with those factors in mind to provide users with credible and popular content.

A consistent problem with Google’s SEO and E-E-A-T policies for link building is that Google consistently rewards larger sites compared to independent, smaller sites. Website owners and small business owners claim that large website owners and businesses have more resources to produce more high-quality content and have the network to generate quality backlinks, so smaller websites and businesses cannot compete with those pre-existing companies. Google’s search ranking practices have been widely criticized in many articles and social media posts, which has prompted Google’s representatives to respond to these comments.

Google’s Response

Danny Sullivan, a Google representative, acknowledges the criticisms and concerns about Google search engine guidelines and search diversity. Sullivan wrote that Google does not manually verify every claim concerning website checks and states that E-E-A-T is less of a checklist and more of a concept that aligns with Google search engine rankings. However, he also acknowledges that the potential concern of bias towards larger websites is valid, stating he has raised concerns to Google regarding this issue and that Google’s primary goal is to reward the best content, regardless of the size of the site. However, despite Danny Sullivan’s response, we have not seen a follow-up or an update on how Google handles this issue.

This ongoing problem has caused many skeptics and critics to flee to social media to raise further concerns and get more attention from Google’s Representatives by sharing their own experiences with the faults of Google’s evaluative criteria.

Rely on a Digital Marketing Partner for Help Navigating Google Search Results

For more information on Google’s best practices, and ways to optimize your website and content to grow and enhance your business, work with our trusted team of marketing professionals. Reach out to BluShark Digital today to learn more about how we can help.