Why Healthcare B2B Marketers Should E-E-A-T

Dos & Don’ts for Building Credibility & Highlighting Quality

For B2B healthcare marketers, establishing credibility isn’t optional—it’s the foundation of every strategy. Healthcare buying decisions are complex, lengthy, and almost always made by teams of decision-makers. With reputations, patient outcomes, financial implications, and compliance risks on the line, healthcare buyers are naturally skeptical and cautious when evaluating potential partners.

That’s why marketing content must do more than capture attention—it has to demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) at every touchpoint. These principles aren’t just smart marketing; they’re also central to how Google evaluates content quality. Whether content is human- or AI-generated (or a combination), Google prioritizes value and usefulness to users—exactly what healthcare leaders demand.

For B2B healthcare marketers, mastering E-E-A-T is the key to creating content that resonates with decision-makers, builds trust, and ranks well in search.

What is E-E-A-T? (and why should B2B healthcare marketers care?)

E-E-A-T is Google’s quality raters’ method of evaluating content quality—and its particularly focused on evaluating topics related to health, finances, and safety. That means content related to healthcare—even if it is not direct-to-consumer health information—is scrutinized not just for accuracy but for the credibility and authenticity behind it. And that’s what makes E-E-A-T so important to master for B2B healthcare marketers working to improve SEO. It’s not enough to have a good keyword strategy; your content has to prove its value and reliability.

How to Apply the Four Pillars of E-E-A-T in Healthcare B2B Content

How do the pillars of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness apply in B2B healthcare marketing? And what does it tangibly look like to execute on these priorities?

#1 Experience: Proving You Understand Healthcare (& Your Niche Within It)

The complexity of the American healthcare system can take years to fully grasp and adapt to—and healthcare leaders aren’t looking for a product partner or service provider that needs education about the nuances of this industry. Healthcare B2B marketers have to emphasize the ways in which the organization uniquely understand healthcare, based on experience (without relying on overcooked taglines). For example, highlighting that your workforce tech solution is founded and supported by former nurse executives, or that your emergency medicine clinician staffing and management company is owned and led by experienced emergency medicine clinicians. In healthcare especially—prospects want to know you’ve worked with an organization like theirs—whether it’s a specific region, healthcare facility type or size, or a certain specialty within a healthcare organization—specifics matter and relevant expertise carries a lot of weight.

Application: Often, B2B companies are started by individuals who used to work for patient-facing organizations, so they know the landscape inside out – all the greatest strengths and most annoying challenges. Rely on the richness of their experiences to inform how the organization identifies and markets to key decision-makers or -influencers.

#2 Expertise: Showing Depth of Knowledge & Insights

Depth and specificity of knowledge is another key piece of the puzzle. Just as illustrating experience that is hyper relevant to your prospects is crucial, the same is true of showcasing expertise. It’s not enough to share what you’ve done, it’s vital to highlight what you learned from doing it. Maybe you were founded by a nurse executive that understands the importance of including nurse input on a tech decision, or maybe you’ve built a healthcare staffing company around a unique staffing model that benefits rural hospitals. It’s effective to share the unique way lessons learned shaped the solution you offer today and how what you offer contributes to issues healthcare leaders care about today—like navigating staffing shortages, tight budgets, evolving risks, and rising patient expectations.

Application: Regularly review and update your main marketing messages to reflect human-centered stories and related metrics that demonstrate an awareness of the latest policy shifts, trends, and opportunities influencing your slice of the healthcare pie. Be nuanced – it will be noticed.

#3 Authoritativeness: Backing Claims with Data & Unique Perspective

Tap into what differentiates the organization’s viewpoint and approach. Then share it—and back it up with data. Case studies and ebooks backed by subject matter expert interviews and data from real-world applications work well. Provide education and insight that only you can, because of your unique lens on the industry, challenge, or change.

Application: Put ‘expert support for marketing content’ into the job descriptions and annual goals of your executives and customer success teams. These are your thought leaders and subject matter experts (SMEs). People like to hear from people, so make it a priority to regularly interview SMEs and continually produce content based on their experience and expertise. Securing bylines, backlines, and mentions in third-party publications and awards lists is a great way to build authority.

#4 Trustworthiness: Building Confidence via Transparency & Compliance

From 2022 to 2024, cybersecurity breaches increased by 8.2% in healthcare—costing $10.93 million in 2023 alone (HIPAA Journal). Naturally, leaders of hospitals, private practices, health plans, and other organizations with vast access to PHI tend to be cautious and methodical when picking vendors or partners. Ensure that what you’re selling and the way you are selling is highly transparent, security-conscious, and compliance-friendly.

Application: From first to final conversation, be clear about what you offer, what protections are already in place, how much you can flex to meet client security and compliance needs, and exactly where your limitations lie. If you have SOC 2 and HITRUST certifications and prioritize HIPAA compliance, highlight those trust markers.

E-E-A-T Mistakes Healthcare Marketers Should Avoid

Knowing what E-E-A-T means is only half the battle—the real impact comes from how you apply it. Healthcare buyers are quick to spot red flags, so even small missteps can erode trust. To make it easier, here’s a quick Do vs. Don’t guide for each of the four E-E-A-T pillars. Use these as a gut check for your content strategy and day-to-day marketing execution.

Experience: Proving You Understand Healthcare from the Inside

✔︎ Do highlight leaders’ direct experience in healthcare roles (e.g., clinicians, administrators, IT leaders).
✔︎ Do weave real stories of challenges solved in hospitals, clinics, or health plans.
✘ Don’t rely on generic taglines like “We know healthcare.”
✘ Don’t assume industry lingo alone proves credibility—context matters.

Expertise: Showing Depth of Knowledge & Insight

✔︎ Do regularly update content to reflect current regulations, reimbursement models, and compliance trends.
✔︎ Do publish SME-driven blogs, webinars, and ebooks that demonstrate subject depth.
✘ Don’t use outdated statistics or rely solely on surface-level explanations.
✘ Don’t outsource all content creation to AI—nuanced thought leadership comes from humans.

Authoritativeness: Backing Claims with Data & Unique Perspective

✔︎ Do support claims with peer-reviewed research, case studies, or credible third-party sources.
✔︎ Do build a system for SMEs to consistently contribute insights and reviews.
✘ Don’t make sweeping claims without citing evidence.
✘ Don’t publish “us, too!!” content that could come from any competitor.

Trustworthiness: Building Confidence Through Transparency & Compliance

✔︎ Do make privacy policies, compliance certifications, and security practices easy to find.
✔︎ Do set clear expectations about what your solution can and cannot do.
✘ Don’t overpromise on compliance capabilities you can’t fully meet.
✘ Don’t bury critical information in fine print—healthcare leaders will find it (and lose trust).

Why E-E-A-T is a Must-Have in B2B Healthcare Marketing

For healthcare marketing leaders, embracing E-E-A-T means investing in content that’s credible, compliant, and compelling. By embedding Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness into your marketing strategy, you can enhance reputation and market trust, improve quality of prospect communication, and measure a difference in SEO performance.

How Slabtown Can Help You Put E-E-A-T Into Practice

Not sure where your content stands on the E-E-A-T scale? Our team at Slabtown offers a free mini audit—pinpointing where you can quickly boost credibility, compliance, and search visibility.

Contact us to book your free audit today: https://www.slabtownmarketing.com/contact-us/