# E-E-A-T Strategy: Personal Finance Blog

**WEBSITE:** BudgetWise.com - Personal finance advice for millennials
**NICHE:** Personal Finance (YMYL - High E-E-A-T importance)
**GOAL:** Increase organic traffic and rankings for money-related keywords

---

## E-E-A-T AUDIT SUMMARY

| Signal | Current State | Priority |
|--------|---------------|----------|
| Experience | Weak - No first-person stories | 🔴 High |
| Expertise | Medium - No credentials shown | 🔴 High |
| Authoritativeness | Weak - Few quality backlinks | 🟡 Medium |
| Trustworthiness | Medium - Missing trust signals | 🔴 High |

---

## EXPERIENCE SIGNALS

### Current Gaps:
- Content reads like generic advice
- No personal financial journey shared
- Missing real examples and case studies

### Action Plan:

**1. Add First-Person Experience to Key Articles**
- Rewrite top 10 articles to include personal anecdotes
- Example: "How I Paid Off $47K in Student Loans in 3 Years"
- Add "I tested this" sections to product reviews

**2. Create Experience-Based Content Series**
- "My Money Diary" - Monthly financial updates
- "I Tried It" - Testing financial products/strategies
- Reader case studies and success stories

**3. Document Your Journey**
- Add "About" section with your financial background
- Share specific numbers and timelines
- Include failures, not just successes

---

## EXPERTISE SIGNALS

### Current Gaps:
- No author credentials displayed
- Missing professional qualifications
- No expert contributors

### Action Plan:

**1. Author Bio Optimization**
```
Current: "Written by Sarah"

Improved: "Written by Sarah Mitchell, CFP®
Certified Financial Planner with 8 years of experience in personal 
finance. Former financial advisor at Fidelity. Featured in Forbes, 
NerdWallet, and The Wall Street Journal. Connect on LinkedIn."
```

**2. Credential Display**
- Add certifications to author box (CFP, CFA, etc.)
- Link to LinkedIn profile and credentials
- Display "Reviewed by [Expert Name]" on key articles

**3. Expert Contributor Program**
- Recruit 2-3 credentialed experts for guest posts
- Add expert quotes to existing content
- Create "Expert Panel" for controversial topics

**4. Credentials Page**
- Create dedicated /about/credentials page
- List all qualifications, certifications, experience
- Link to verification sources

---

## AUTHORITATIVENESS SIGNALS

### Current Gaps:
- Low Domain Authority (DA 25)
- Few mentions from authoritative finance sites
- No media coverage or features

### Action Plan:

**1. Strategic Link Building (Priority Targets)**

| Target Type | Examples | Approach |
|-------------|----------|----------|
| Finance Publications | NerdWallet, Bankrate, Investopedia | Guest posts, expert quotes |
| News Sites | Forbes, Business Insider | HARO responses, contributor apps |
| Government/Edu | .gov financial literacy sites | Resource page outreach |
| Industry Associations | NAPFA, FPA | Member directories, contributions |

**2. Digital PR Campaign**
- Create original research/surveys on millennial finances
- Pitch findings to finance journalists
- Target: 5 media mentions in 6 months

**3. Build Topical Authority**
- Create comprehensive hub pages for core topics
- Internal linking strategy (pillar + cluster model)
- Cover topics exhaustively before expanding

**4. Brand Mentions**
- Set up Google Alerts for brand monitoring
- Convert unlinked mentions to links
- Increase branded search through social/PR

---

## TRUSTWORTHINESS SIGNALS

### Current Gaps:
- No visible editorial policy
- Missing fact-checking process
- Limited contact information
- No trust badges or security indicators

### Action Plan:

**1. Trust Pages (Create These)**

| Page | Content |
|------|---------||
| /editorial-policy | How content is created, reviewed, updated |
| /fact-checking | Verification process, sources used |
| /corrections | How errors are handled, correction log |
| /affiliate-disclosure | Clear, honest disclosure policy |
| /contact | Full contact info, response time promise |
| /about | Team bios, company history, mission |

**2. On-Page Trust Signals**
- Add "Last Updated" dates to all articles
- Include "Reviewed by [Expert]" badges
- Add source citations (link to primary sources)
- Display "Fact-Checked" indicator

**3. Technical Trust**
- Ensure HTTPS across entire site
- Add security badges if applicable
- Display BBB rating or industry accreditations
- Implement schema markup for authors and organization

**4. User Trust**
- Add testimonials and user reviews
- Display social proof (subscriber count, social followers)
- Create transparent affiliate disclosure
- Respond to comments and build community

---

## TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION

### Schema Markup (Add These)**

```json
// Author Schema
{
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Sarah Mitchell",
  "jobTitle": "Certified Financial Planner",
  "credential": "CFP®",
  "alumniOf": "University of Michigan",
  "sameAs": ["linkedin.com/in/...", "twitter.com/..."]
}

// Article Schema
{
  "@type": "Article",
  "author": {"@type": "Person", ...},
  "reviewedBy": {"@type": "Person", ...},
  "datePublished": "2024-01-15",
  "dateModified": "2024-03-20"
}

// Organization Schema
{
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "BudgetWise",
  "foundingDate": "2019",
  "sameAs": [...social profiles...]
}
```

---

## 90-DAY ACTION PLAN

### Month 1: Foundation
- [ ] Create all trust pages (editorial policy, about, contact)
- [ ] Optimize author bios with credentials
- [ ] Implement schema markup
- [ ] Add "Last Updated" to top 20 articles

### Month 2: Content
- [ ] Rewrite top 10 articles with experience signals
- [ ] Add expert review to 5 YMYL articles
- [ ] Launch "My Money Diary" series
- [ ] Create 2 original research pieces

### Month 3: Authority
- [ ] Execute link building campaign (target: 10 quality links)
- [ ] Submit to 3 expert contributor programs
- [ ] Pitch original research to media
- [ ] Build out topical hub pages

---

## SUCCESS METRICS

| Metric | Current | 90-Day Target |
|--------|---------|---------------|
| Organic Traffic | 15K/mo | 25K/mo |
| Domain Authority | 25 | 32 |
| Referring Domains | 89 | 130 |
| Core Web Vitals | 2 passing | All passing |
| Trust Pages | 0 | 6 |
| Expert-Reviewed Articles | 0 | 10 |