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How to Skyrocket Your Google Rankings with Trust Rank in 2023

 

 

Google's Trust Rank algorithm has become one of the most important ranking factors in 2023. As Google continues to prioritize authoritative, trustworthy content, building a high Trust Rank is essential for ranking highly in search results.

In this comprehensive guide, you'll learn everything you need to know about Google's Trust Rank and how to improve it for your website.

 

What is Google Trust Rank?

Google Trust Rank is a rating that Google assigns to websites based on their trustworthiness, authoritativeness, expertise, and reputation. It aims to surface high-quality, credible content to searchers while demoting low-quality, spammy pages.

Trust Rank focuses on E-A-T metrics - Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Websites need to demonstrate expertise in their niche, authoritativeness through sources and references, and trustworthiness through a good online reputation.

Google does not publish Trust Ranks or exactly how they are calculated. Optimizing your content and website for E-A-T principles can build a Trust Rank over time.

 

Why is Google Trust Rank Important?

Google Trust Rank is one of the most critical factors for SEO success in 2023. Here's why it matters:

• Google Values E-A-T: Google's core search algorithm updates like BERT are prioritizing E-A-T metrics. A high Trust Rank signals you provide authoritative content.
• Outranks Low-Quality Results: A Higher Trust Rank can help you outrank spammy, thin content with greater visibility in rankings.
• Fights Misinformation: Google wants to surface trustworthy results to combat fake news and misinformation. A high Trust Rank shows you are a reliable source.
• Boosts CTR: Results with higher Trust Ranks tend to have better click-through rates as users favor authoritative sources.
• Gains Ranking Stability: Trust Rank provides more long-term ranking stability as algorithms evolve compared to tactics like keyword stuffing.

In short, optimizing for Trust Rank aligns perfectly with Google's mission to provide the best search results. It should be a top priority for all sites in 2023.

 

How To Check Your Google Trust Rank

Unfortunately, there is no direct way to check your overall Google Trust Rank or metric. Some third-party SEO tools may provide estimates based on different trust signals.
But here are a few methods to gauge it indirectly:

• Google Search Results: Check where you rank for important keywords relative to authoritative competitors. Higher positions indicate a higher Trust Rank.
• Click-Through-Rate: Use Google Search Console or analytics to check your CTRs. A higher CTR typically correlates with a higher Trust Rank.
• SERP Features: If Google displays rich results like knowledge panels for your brand, it suggests a strong Trust Rank.
• Backlink Profile: The quality of sites linking to you (edu, gov) indicates Trust Rank. Check-in tools like Ahrefs.

While not perfect, combining these signals can give you an idea of your overall Trust Rank and areas to improve.

 

How Google's Trust Rank Algorithm Works

While the exact details are not known publicly, these are the key factors believed to make up Google's Trust Rank algorithm:

Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness (E-A-T)

Google's quality raters assess these core factors to determine Trust Rank. Consider:

• Expertise: What credentials, qualifications, and experience does the site/author have? Are they a recognized authority in their field?
• Authoritativeness: Does content reference and link to credible external sources, data, and research?
• Trustworthiness: What is the reputation based on reviews/mentions, absence of policy violations, site security, etc.?

 

Citation Signals

Trust Rank considers where a site is referenced around the web similar to traditional link signals:

• High-quality citations from education, news, and government sites count more.
• The quantity of citations also matters, in addition to contextual relevancy.

Contextual Signals

The Trust Rank of the overall page matters, including:

• Source authority of content creators.
• Level of expertise demonstrated on the topic.
• Professional, well-researched information presentation.

User Engagement Metrics

Google also looks at real visitor engagement as a trust signal:

• The click-through rate on search results.
• Time spent on site and pages.
• Interactions like scrolling and clicks.
• Return visits.

Domain Trust Factors

Trustworthiness of the overall site/domain boosts page-level Trust Rank. This includes:

• Company longevity and reputation.
• Positive brand mentions and press.
• High domain authority.
• Lack of manual penalties, warnings, or policy violations.

While not a perfect science, optimizing for these broad algorithm categories can help maximize your Google Trust Rank. Let's look at specific optimization tips.

 

How to Improve Your Google Trust Rank Score

Here are the top 10 ways to improve your Google Trust Rank and authority signals:

1. Create High-Quality, In-Depth Content

• Demonstrate deep expertise with well-researched, comprehensive content on topics.
• Include credible citations and sources to back up claims.
• Ensure a professional tone and presentation that builds authority.

2. Obtain Backlinks from Reputable Domains

• Guest posts on industry authority sites like .edu and .gov domains.
• Gain press mentions on news/media sites.
• Request citations from recognized organizations.

3. Be Transparent About Your Brand Reputation

• List credentials, memberships, and certifications prominently.
• Share press features, brand mentions, and customer reviews.
• Maintain company pages on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

4. Optimize for Dwell Time and Engagement

• Improve page speed and UX to increase time on site.
• Add click depth with related links, multimedia, and interactives.
• Use readability best practices for scrolling and consumption.

5. Develop Domain Authority Over Time

• Publish more high-quality content to build domain authority.
• Acquire more reputable .edu, .gov, and .org backlinks.
• Reduce linking to low-quality domains.

6. Promote Expertise Through Personal Branding

• Build individual authority through personal websites, and social media profiles.
• Link author profiles to demonstrate credentials.
• Participate actively in industry conferences, and events.

7. Fix Technical Errors and Issues

• Eliminate site errors, broken links, and other technical issues.
• Improve site speed and performance.
• Maintain high site security standards.

8. Comply With Google's Webmaster Guidelines

• Avoid paid links, hidden text, doorway pages, and other violations.
• Follow Google Disavow Tool recommendations.
• Tag sponsored and affiliated content properly.

9. Leverage Knowledge Panels

• Optimize brand pages for key details like founding year, and # of employees.
• Add social media accounts to flesh out the brand profile.
• Request a knowledge panel through Google Search Console.

10. Proactively Manage Online Reputation

• Monitor and address negative reviews, and brand mentions.
• Maintain consistent NAP information.
• Participate in customer review platforms like Yelp.

By improving these trust signals consistently over time, you can build long-term authority and Trust Rank with Google. However, it requires an ongoing investment and site maintenance strategy.

 

Trust Rank vs. PageRank: What's the Difference?

PageRank and Trust Rank are both important Google ranking factors, but have some key differences:

Trust Rank	PageRank
Assesses overall website reputation and authoritativeness.	Measures popularity based on quantity and quality of links.
More directly aligned with "expertise" in the topic.	More general signal of site importance and authority.
Focuses on E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness).	Based on link graph analysis and citation network.
Harder to manipulate with links alone.	Can be manipulated through low-quality link building.
Provides more long-term value.	Value can diminish quickly if low-quality links point to the site.
The core signal used by Google's search quality team.	Classic algorithm dating back over 20 years.

In summary, PageRank is helpful but Trust Rank better evaluates the true expertise and trustworthiness of a searcher. Investing in Trust Rank has become more important in recent years.

 

Trust Rank Case Study: IMPACT On Medical Advice Site

Let's look at a real example of how Trust Rank helped a health advice site rank higher in Google.

John operated a medical advice website that had plateaued outside the Google top 10 for competitive keywords. Existing content was thin, relied heavily on keywords, and lacked authoritative citations.

To build Trust Rank, John took several steps:

• Hired MDs and PhDs to create thoroughly researched, evidence-based health content.
• Added 30+ references per article linking to studies on PubMed and medical journals.
• Created contributor bio pages highlighting author credentials.
• Published 200 pillar articles targeting all major health topics.
• Promoted site writers as experts with personal outreach for backlinks from hospitals and .gov sites.
• Created a physician review board that vetted all content.

Within 5 months, the site gained visibility in the Google top 3 for high search volume keywords in health and wellness. Traffic from Google searches increased by 73%. By demonstrating expertise, building citations, and improving reputation signals, the site increased its Trust Rank dramatically.

This example highlights the power of optimizing your content and authority building to level up your Google Trust Rank.

 

FAQs About Improving Google Trust Rank

Q: What is the highest Google Trust Rank score?

A: Google does not publish an official Trust Rank scale, so the maximum value is unknown. Top authorities likely exceed a score of 8/10 or higher based on the most optimal trust signals.

Q: How long does it take to improve Google Trust Rank?

A: There is no set timeframe, but expect 6-12 months minimum to move the needle significantly in competitive niches by building high-quality content, backlinks, and engagement. Trust Rank accrues slowly over time.

Q: Can bad links hurt your Google Trust Rank?

A: Yes, low-quality links from spammy or suspicious sites can negatively impact domain reputation and Trust Rank. It's smart to disavow bad links using Google's disavow tool.

Q: Should I follow sponsored or affiliated links?

A: Absolutely - use nofollow on paid links, sponsored content, etc. This protects the Trust Rank by showing independence from commercial relationships.

Q: How often does Google update its Trust Rank?

A: Google makes algorithm updates periodically throughout the year which can recalculate Trust Rank. There's no set schedule, but expect fluctuations 1-2 times per year.

 

The Takeaway: Invest in Building Long-Term Trust

With Google's laser focus on quality, authority, and trust in 2023, having a strong Trust Rank is no longer optional. It needs to become a core pillar of your long-term SEO strategy.

While boosting Trust Rank takes time and effort, the payoff can be enormous in sustainably higher organic visibility and conversion rates from Google traffic.

By implementing our guide's best practices for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, you will move up the ranks and become a trusted resource for searchers in your niche.

The sites that invest diligently in Trust Rank today will reap the rewards over the months and years ahead. Don't leave it as an afterthought - let Google know your site and content can be trusted.

 

Conclusion

Optimizing for Google's Trust Rank algorithm needs to be a top priority in 2023 and beyond. While boosting expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness takes sustained effort, the long-term dividends are immeasurable.

Use this comprehensive guide to set your site on the path to gaining Google's trust and earning permanent placement at the top of the search results for your most valuable keywords. With the right focus on Trust Rank, your rankings can skyrocket higher than ever this year.