What Is E-E-A-T?

For decades, search engine optimization (SEO) was built on the backs of keywords and backlinks. While those aspects still matter for your content, they’re not as important as content quality. And the single most important framework Google uses to measure the quality, credibility, and overall helpfulness of any website content is E-E-A-T.

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It’s the set of principles Google’s human Quality Raters use to evaluate the integrity of search results. E-E-A-T is designed to ensure that search results are reliable and genuinely helpful, protecting users from misleading, inaccurate, or potentially harmful information. If you want to rank well these days, you have to demonstrate E-E-A-T across your site.

What Does E-E-A-T Stand For?

Every piece of content you produce should aim to check these four boxes as part of your on-page SEO.

Experience

Added to the original E-A-T in 2022, Experience emphasizes that the content creator should have verifiable, firsthand knowledge of the topic. I’m a small business owner and a professional marketer, so I do have the Experience to write this article. I am not a plumber, so I can’t be trusted to tell you how to fix your garbage disposal. I needed someone else’s content to do that last weekend.

Experience should demonstrate that the writer has used the product, visited the location, or performed the task they’re writing about. The goal is to prove authenticity and provide unique value that can’t be replicated by generic, theoretical writing.

Key signals of Experience are original, unedited photos or videos of the process, detailed steps that only a user would know, personal anecdotes, or reviews based on use.

Expertise

Expertise focuses on the formal and professional knowledge of the content creator. They should have high-level knowledge, skill, or understanding in a specific field, usually based on training or credentials. While not essential for all types of content, Expertise proves competence and shows that information is coming from a reliable source. It’s relevant for everything from gardening and gaming to medical information.

Key signals for Expertise include professional licenses, academic degrees, years of professional experience, or verifiable certifications.

Authoritativeness

Authoritativeness is your reputation. It’s a measure of how well-regarded and influential you are within your industry or community. Being widely recognized as a “go-to” source on a topic will convey authority to your entire domain. This is one area where backlinks are particularly useful, since they’re the best indicator of a site’s authority. Getting backlinks to your content will help your Authoritativeness site-wide.

Some other key signals include being quoted or mentioned positively in reputable media or having a consistent social media presence that draws engagement from industry peers.

Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness relates to the safety and transparency of your website. A user should feel safe providing information on the site, browsing, or relying on your advice. Trustworthiness proves that the site is legitimate, secure, and operates with integrity.

Key signals include a clear and working SSL security certificate, easily accessible and updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Service pages, detailed About Us or Contact Pages, and accurate, well-maintained content with no broken links.

Where E-E-A-T Matters Most

E-E-A-T standards aren’t the same for every website. A comedy site doesn’t exactly need to attempt to be an authority on comedy, for instance. Quality scales are based on the potential impact of the information the site covers. This is particularly important on Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) content. This term is applied to any topic that could significantly impact a user’s health, financial stability, or personal safety, including:

• Medical advice
• Legal guidance
• Investment planning
• Public safety information

The E-E-A-T requirements for YMYL content are significantly higher. A page discussing surgical procedures must be written by a medical professional. An e-commerce site cannot have a shady or hidden Privacy Policy or Purchase Terms. Google may filter dangerous content out entirely to protect users. For non-YMYL topics, the bar for E-E-A-T is lower.

How to Boost E-E-A-T

Implementing E-E-A-T is an ongoing process that requires attention to both site architecture and content creation.

• Establish authorship: Every article, especially on YMYL topics, should have a clear author. Create detailed author bios that link to a dedicated author page (like mine!) If the article is based purely on company research, list the organization as the expert.
• Audit and update trust signals: An SSL certificate is a basic essential, but go beyond security basics to update your trust signals. For instance, your “About Us” page should clearly state who you are and what your mission is. Keep your privacy policies easily available and up to date.
• Demonstrate experience: When writing a guide or a review, don’t write in general terms. Use original photography, specific step-by-step instructions, and unique insights to show that only you could have created this content.
• Solicit authority through backlinks: Authority is earned when other reliable sources reference you. Focus your outreach and content strategy on creating definitive resources that the industry will naturally want to cite.

Content maintenance: Content ages, so it’s crucial to regularly audit old articles every six months or one year. Check for factual accuracy, update statistics, and remove outdated claims to keep your content fresh.