Cricinfo.com – A Gold Standard in SEO & E-E-A-T Excellence

Cricinfo.com – A Gold Standard in SEO & E-E-A-T Excellence

Cricinfo.com – A Gold Standard in SEO & E-E-A-T Excellence

One of the most common questions I’ve been asked over the last 15 years as an SEO is;

“Which website is the gold standard for SEO?”

It’s not always a straightforward answer. As it all depends on the goals of the site in question.

Depending on whether the domain is e-commerce, news, niche community, local SEO or a brochure, best practice can vary greatly.

However, there is one site I often refer back to, especially since it covers my favourite pastime, Cricinfo. Not only is it an exceptional platform for cricket fans, but it’s also a textbook example of how to get SEO right, especially from an E-E-A-T perspective.

Why Cricinfo Excels at SEO

Cricinfo has been around for decades, and over time it has perfected its craft. From a technical SEO standpoint to user experience and content, the site is in fantastic shape. While ESPN’s acquisition has inevitably led to more dependence on advertising, the core of what has always made Cricinfo successful has remained and the site has continued to evolve and adhere beautifully to Google’s latest E-E-A-T criteria.

This is being rewarded by Google in terms of continuous uplifts in organic visibility.

Expert & Authoritative Content

One of Cricinfo’s standout features is its panel of expert writers. You’ll find articles penned by former cricketers, seasoned sports journalists, and data analysts. This isn’t just content churned out to target percieved keyword volumes and demand; it’s well-researched, thoughtful, and packed with insights that only true experts can provide. This truly expert content is key to their authority, keeps their audience engaged and assures search engines that Cricinfo is an absolute authority it’s niche.

For SEO, this type of content also builds trust. Google is increasingly focused on rewarding content that is written by subject matter experts, and therefore gaining topical authority. Cricinfo delivers this consistently.

Whether it’s a match report, historical analysis, or in-depth commentary, their content speaks directly to cricket fans with the authority and credibility that builds long-term trust. Crucially, this keeps users coming back to their app, mobile or desktop site; driving brand and direct traffic and with an incredible core of daily organic non-brand visitors.

User Friendly Mobile Experience

Mobile experience is crucial, the SEO community has been harping on about that for over a decade to the point that it has become mundane. But it has to be said that Cricinfo’s mobile site and app are both fast and intuitive, with a clean interface that makes navigating stats, scores, and articles seamless.

Certainly not the fastest on the web but given the incredible amount of data the domain serves, performance is pretty impressive with just the aforementioned ads causing the occasional bug bear.

Multi Format Content Strategy

As is necessary to dominate organically given the current algorithm, Cricinfo doesn’t just stick to one type of content. They blend real time news with longer, in-depth articles, alongside expert video content. This variety keeps users engaged with a variety of media that meet various needs.

From your Gen-Zer looking for a video snippet of highlights or interview with a victorious captain from the Hundred franchise, to your seasoned purist looking for a longer form article about the sustainability of Test Cricket, Cricinfo tends to have this content easily findable and consumable.

Someone might also want a quick real time update on a live match, while another might be interested in a detailed analysis of a player’s career dating back over a century. By satisfying all these user intents, Cricinfo hits the mark in terms of content relevance, a key factor in SEO success.

Stellar Information Architecture

One of the trickiest things to manage on a large, enterprise level website is making sure everything is easily navigable. Cricinfo’s information architecture is a lesson in how to organise vast amounts of content in a way that doesn’t overwhelm the user.

Whether it’s the aforementioned live scores, player stats, or historical records dating back to the 1800’s, everything is logically structured. This benefits both the user, who can easily navigate the site, and search engines, which can crawl and index the content more effectively.

The result is also that these URLs rank incredibly well in organic search results, meaning both the onsite and offsite experience is excellent.

Real Time Engagement

Not everyone can afford to pay for both Sky Sports and TNT Sports, which is what you need to do currently to watch the England Test, One Day and T20 teams home and away. At a cost of over £80 a month, that just isn’t feasible for everyone. This makes Cricinfo’s real time match updates essential for some.

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During matches, users can follow along with live scores, commentary, and expert analysis,all delivered in real time. There is also a live match app for big events such as World Cups that allows for interactivity and a more engaged experience than just watching a bunch of numbers.

This kind of timely, dynamic content boosts user engagement, which in turn signals to Google that the site is providing real time value to its users.

Comprehensive Historic Data

Cricinfo’s database of cricket stats is surely the best on the web, or as good as Wisden’s where it presumably built it ito begin with. This has been maintained brilliantly to provide surely any stat one would want about any professional cricket player since the sport’s inception or at least since records began.

From match results to player statistics, they cover everything, going back over a century. This comprehensive content not only attracts regular visitors but also earns backlinks from other sites and journalists referencing their data. This helps of course, builds their domain authority, which is a major SEO asset when looking to compete with the likes of BBC and Wikipedia.

One Downside: Advertising

Since ESPN acquired the site, the level of advertising has definitely ramped up. While it can be a bit intrusive at times, it hasn’t significantly impacted the site’s performance from an SEO perspective.

However, from a user experience viewpoint, it’s the only thing to be mindful of. Ads can slow down load times and frustrate users, which could eventually harm engagement metrics, something any site should aim to avoid. But as a revenue stream, I’m sure this more than justifies this minimal impact on UX.

A Superb Blueprint of How to Execute E-E-A-T

If you’re looking for a masterclass in how to execute Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness, and a seamless Experience, Cricinfo is a prime example. They’ve got the mix just right: expert-driven content, a fast and reliable mobile experience, and a rich database of cricket information that users can trust.

For anyone aiming to build a site with a strong foundation in E-E-A-T, Cricinfo could well be the best example to follow. While it may not be the perfect model for every business, it’s hard to find a better example when it comes to nailing SEO fundamentals for content rich platforms.

Summary: Cricinfo’s SEO Best Practices

🏏 Expert Content: Content written by cricket experts, building trust and authority.

🏏 Mobile Experience: Fast, responsive, and user-friendly, catering to mobile-first indexing.

🏏 Content Variety: A balance of real-time updates, long-form articles, and videos.

🏏 Information Architecture: Well-organised content that enhances user experience and SEO

🏏 Real-Time Engagement: Regular updates that keep users engaged during live matches.

🏏 Comprehensive Database: In-depth stats and data going back to the 1800s.

🏏 Domain Authority: Long-standing site with significant backlinks and trusted by users and search engines alike.

If you are looking to boost your E-E-A-T metrics, or wondering how you can take advantage of this element of the algorithm, then don’t hesitate to get in touch. We can help with technical SEO audits, content strategy, E-E-A-T optimisation or even just an informal chat about your overall organic search strategy.

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