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Hiring subject-matter experts (SMEs) as authors for a website’s content—mainly blogs and articles—helps increase the credibility and authority of the website; for both users and search engines. Expert writers are good for E-E-A-T<span class="material-symbols-outlined">open_in_new</span>. In case you don't have enough reasons to hire an SME to create your content, scroll to the bottom of this page to see a list of benefits.
Prospects and clients ask us about content quality and E-E-A-T... a lot. Questions like:
Does quality really matter?
Answer: Yes. Quality content attracts a quality audience no matter the channel.
But does it really matter for SEO?
Answer: Well, what are your SEO goals, and do your SEO goals include anything additional to ranking in search results? If yes, then yes it really does matter for SEO. Bad content won't convert. Inaccurate content will harm your brand in the long run. But if the only SEO goal is ranking high in search results, then I don't think SEO is something you should be spending time and resources on.
<div class="post-note-cute" role="note">We are not paid for our endorsement of Ahrefs products. Actually, we pay full price for Ahrefs, and we're writing about it because we think it's a really good tool.</div>
Enter the main topic we’re trying to create content about. For most scenarios, we'll start with the “All pages” filter, but if the brand is a true publisher, we might want to start with the “News” filter.
Link to Ahrefs Content Explorer<span class="material-symbols-outlined">open_in_new</span>
Some notes to consider in the Content Explorer "Author" tab:
Regardless of the status of the “@” column, let's grab the author’s name and find them on Google search.
Sometimes there will be a lot of noise around an author’s name like in this example for Nicole Cosgrove, a pet writer:
We're going to make a note that Nicole Cosgrove doesn’t have the primary authority in search for her name. But, it’s not a deal-breaker. By the way, there's a free template link at the end of this guide to help you organize, analyze, and rank prospective writers.
Next, we’ll refine our search in hopes of finding the Nicole Cosgrove we're looking for—the one who is a pet expert:
There are some positive signals here—three websites rank above the fold:
These three results tell us the author is specialized within our parent topic: pets. There are also signals that Nicole Cosgrove is a writer open to work, because she has content published on multiple websites.
We are going to grade the author’s content against a simple rubric.
<div class="post-alert">If the author's content doesn't pass this test, throw them out as a prospect. It's too risky that they are either: A) not an SME, B) not a good writer, and/or C) using generative AI (like ChatGPT or Jasper.ai) to writer content.</div>
Preferred methods are either personal website or LinkedIn.
<div class="post-note-cute">If you're having trouble finding SMEs using the methods above, consider posting job listings on freelance websites, such as Upwork and Freelancer. Be sure to include a detailed description of your project, how much you can pay, and the minimum professional qualifications you need the SME to hold.</div>
<div class="post-alert">Really serious note: It’s our job to execute due diligence when referring or hiring a writer. To properly research whether a writer is a subject matter expert, make sure to complete the following.</div>
If you're not an Ahrefs subscriber, here's some other ways to find SMEs that are 100% free or free to try. Choose a method below and once you have a list of writers, execute steps 3, 4, and 5 above. You'll get a similar result.
This is manual and can get tiresome, but the bonus is you'll see articles that meet SEO requirements right away. You're job will be to figure out if the author has value or if it's the website that's holding the author up. Make sure you read and analyze the quality of the published content!
SparkToro<span class="material-symbols-outlined">open_in_new</span> has a free membership level that allows you to perform basic audience research tasks. The free tier is likely enough to help you start a list if you're efficient with your searches. SparkToro is an all-around fantastic tool for understanding your audience, so support them if you can. (No, we're not paid by SparkToro for kind words either)
This is a manual process, and it is best when you know the desired job title or organization the author works for. But, if you have really good patience and drive, just start searching and make a list.
After you have a list, follow steps 3-5 above to analyze and vet the writers.
Use Twitter search, Twitter lists, and follow relevant topics. This is also a manual process, and you'll get better results over time. If continually finding SMEs is a priority definitely add this to your workflow. Make sure to use the advanced search functionality to hone in on relevancy, recency, and posts with engagement!
Make a list of accounts that contain potential writers, and follow steps 3-5 above to analyze and vet the writers.
<div class="post-note-cute">💡 Use this template to track your research and progress. Top SME / EEAT Writer Prospects<span class="material-symbols-outlined">open_in_new</span></div>
By hiring an SME who is a good writer, you will get: