For Tree Surgeons and landscaping businesses, navigating the complex world of online search can feel like trying to solve a puzzle in the dark. While Google keeps its exact ranking formulas a closely guarded secret, the principles that guide them are clear. At the core of modern search engine optimisation lies a critical concept known as E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
In a recent issue of Pro Arb Magazine, Chris London, owner of digital marketing agency Landscape Marketers, shed light on how tree surgeons and landscaping businesses can master this framework. This article summarises his insights, explaining how E-E-A-T provides a blueprint for improving your website’s value and ranking in local search results.
The Extra ‘E’: Why Experience Matters
Google first introduced the E-A-T framework around 2013, but the most significant update came in late 2022 with the addition of “Experience”. According to London, this change addressed a crucial gap in the original model.
“Originally, it was only expertise, authority and trust. The problem with that was that I might be an expert at writing about crown reduction or tree pests, but I’ve never climbed a tree or cut one down in my life,” he says. “So, Google brought in experience to highlight its role in content value and accuracy.”
For service businesses, this means your online presence must prove you don’t just talk about your services, but you actively perform them too. Chris suggests creating content that offers tangible evidence of your work, such as videos, photos, and case studies on specific tasks like crown reduction or safe climbing techniques.
He also recommends pairing this with a first-person narrative. “At Landscape Marketers, we try and make sure all written content we put on a client’s website uses first-person singular and collective pronouns (i.e., ‘I’ and ‘we’), because Google has signalled that this is an important way to show an author’s experience.”
Proving Your Expertise, Authority, and Trust
While experience is personal, the other pillars of E-E-A-T require a different approach.
Establish Expertise with Quality Content
Expertise is demonstrated through more formal means, like qualifications and the quality of your website content. “Expertise is much more the tangible things,” London states. “The Arb Approved accreditation, has a business got the right qualifications? This includes website content, such as blog articles on technical subjects. Also, a team page, showing who is in the team and their background.”
When creating blog content, focus on answering the questions your potential customers are asking. Effective topics might include practical advice like “what to do with an overgrown neighbour’s tree” or technical explanations about your services.
Build Authority Through Third-Party Validation
Authoritativeness is built when others vouch for your business. “This is a third party saying that a company is good,” London explains. This can be achieved through links to your website from other reputable sites, mentions in the press, and online reviews. For most local businesses, a steady stream of genuine customer reviews is the most effective way to build authority.
Earn Trust Through Transparency
Trustworthiness is about proving you are an honest and open company. This starts with having a verifiable physical address and phone number on your website and across all online profiles. Chris stresses the importance of NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) consistency.
“Having the same details everywhere, so that you don’t look shifty. A dodgy company is going to hide that information away.” Accreditations from bodies like Arb Approved or CHAS also build trust by providing external validation of your company’s standards.
A Note on AI-Generated Content
With the rise of accessible AI tools, Chris offers a clear warning: while AI can assist with ideas, it should not be the primary author of your content.
“Google says that AI content isn’t penalised, but it often produces poor quality articles that are generic and sometimes inaccurate, and that does hurt search ranking,” he cautions. Relying solely on AI text is risky because it undermines your unique experience and expertise. Instead, he suggests a more authentic approach: “Recording videos in your own voice and using AI for transcriptions is ideal; it captures your true voice and shows your expertise.”
Your Path to Better Visibility
Ultimately, Chris advocates for a comprehensive strategy. Since Google’s weighting of each E-E-A-T factor is unknown and always evolving, the best approach is to work diligently on all fronts. By consistently demonstrating real-world experience, deep expertise, third-party authority, and genuine trustworthiness, you will not only improve your chances of cracking Google’s algorithms but, more importantly, earn the confidence of your future customers.
