GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 31 - February 2015

Trust and trust optimization: The new SEO discipline By Nick Garner W hy do some sites rank really well on very few links and stay at the top of Google's search results forever? It's a big question, and the answer lies in whether you're trusted by Google. In the cover story of the Oct. 2014 GPWA Times Magazine, Joel Turner brilliantly ad- dressed the whole topic of E-A-T (Expertise / Authoritativeness / Trustworthiness) and how much of a deal Google makes if it. In this issue, we'll expand on Turner's article to add: • A layer of data to show Google favors E-A-T sites • Some examples of sites which seem to fit that mold • A look at the SEO discipline of trust optimization • How to's Since this is the GPWA, I want to give you very clear-cut examples taken from casino affiliates, but it is hard because there is so little to differentiate one affiliate offer from another. But hey, I do like a challenge! Examples of trusted websites I’m interested in sites which seem to have few referring domains but rank really well. In terms of online gambling websites, oper- ators get the lion's share, whereas affiliates just have to pick up the scraps. However, there are a few interesting exam- ples of affiliate websites which seem to fit the profile of a trusted site. simonsblogpark.com This site is a general blog ranking across lots of casino phrases, and while it’s focused on the U.S. market it still ranks really well in the U.K. In theory, the core purpose for an affili- ate is to help users make good choices on which product to buy. In my view the site feels trustworthy. Simon makes a big point about honest and useful infor- mation, and because there seems to be a real person behind this, I believe him. His big-money phrase is “casino bo- nuses.” And there are only four refer- ring domains with a trust flow of more than zero pointing into his money page: http://simonsblogpark.com / onlinegambling/best-casino-bonuses So far, Google seems to love that website. COVER STORY Trust and trust optimization: The new SEO discipline