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E-E-A-T

Updated: 3 min read SEOFuxx editorial team

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. It is the yardstick by which Google's human quality raters judge whether a page and its content are reliable. E-E-A-T is not a ranking factor with a value of its own.

The four letters

LetterQuestion behind itExample of evidence
ExperienceHas the author experienced or used the subject first-hand?Own photos, test results, a first-hand report
ExpertiseDoes the author have the necessary knowledge?Training, professional practice, factually correct content
AuthoritativenessIs the website or author seen as a go-to source for the topic?Mentions and links from other sources in the field
TrustworthinessCan the page be trusted?Accurate information, clear operator details, secure connection, transparent sources

Trust is at the center. According to Google it is the most important member: a page can seem experienced and expert, but is worth little if it cannot be trusted.

Where the term comes from

E-A-T has been in the Search Quality Rater Guidelines, the handbook for the raters who evaluate Google's search results, since the mid-2010s. In December 2022 the second E for Experience was added. The raters' evaluations do not directly change the ranking of individual pages. Google uses them to check whether changes to the algorithm deliver better results.

How Google takes E-E-A-T into account

According to Google, E-E-A-T itself is not a single ranking factor and not a value you could look up. The ranking systems use a mix of factors that help identify which content shows experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust. Since the core update of March 2024 the helpful content system has been part of the core systems of search (see Google core updates). For topics concerning health, finances, safety or the welfare of society, the "Your Money or Your Life" topics (YMYL), the systems give extra weight to content with strong E-E-A-T.

How to show E-E-A-T

  • Name authors: Name the writer and add a short profile that shows their experience and qualification.
  • Show experience: Own photos, measurements, screenshots and concrete examples are more credible than general statements.
  • Cite sources: Link reliable sources and give the origin of studies and figures.
  • Disclose the operator: Legal notice, contact, privacy information and company details belong on every website; shops additionally need clear information on payment, shipping and returns.
  • Maintain content: Keep information current and give the date of the last review. Correct mistakes openly.
  • Build a reputation outside your website: Reviews, mentions in trade media and links from fitting sites show what others think of you (see brand mentions and backlinks).
  • Secure the technology: HTTPS, a clean presentation and little intrusive advertising are part of the impression of trust.

E-E-A-T and AI answers

AI systems that put together answers from retrieved sources have to decide which sources to trust. The providers do not disclose which criteria they apply. It is plausible that clearly attributable authors, substantiated statements and a recognizable brand raise the chance of being named (see GEO). This has not been demonstrated, so treat it as a working hypothesis.

Common mistakes

  • Invented authors or titles: False profiles do harm as soon as they are noticed, and contradict the guidelines.
  • Relying on a single feature: An author box alone does not make a thin page credible.
  • Publishing content in bulk without review: This counts as low quality whether a human or an AI wrote the text (see content quality).
  • Hoping for a "score": There is no value you could measure or set with markup.
  • Arguing only on your own page: Authority also arises from what others say about you.

Sources

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