E-E-A-T
A set of guidelines used by Google's search quality raters: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Detailed Explanation
While not a direct ranking algorithm, E-E-A-T signals help Google identify high-quality content. Trustworthiness is the most important factor. For developer tools, this means providing accurate documentation, transparent 'Privacy-First' disclosures, and showing the credentials of the engineering team. Improving E-E-A-T builds long-term topical authority.
Quick Summary
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is Google's framework for judging content quality. The extra 'E' for Experience was added in 2022 to favor firsthand accounts over AI-generated summaries. Trust is the foundation, without it, the other three don't matter.
Key Takeaways
- Experience: firsthand use of what you're writing about (added in 2022).
- Expertise: credentials, deep technical knowledge, citation-worthy depth.
- Authoritativeness: recognition by others in the field (backlinks, mentions).
- Trustworthiness: accurate, transparent, secure (HTTPS, clear ownership, no dark patterns).
- Especially critical for YMYL ('Your Money or Your Life') topics, finance, health, legal.
When to use it
- Justifying author bio pages with credentials on technical content.
- Adding 'Reviewed by [expert]' bylines to medical or legal articles.
- Publishing transparent privacy policies and security disclosures.
- Building a topical glossary that demonstrates depth across a niche.
Common Mistakes
- Treating E-E-A-T as a single score, it's a holistic signal, not a metric.
- Faking expertise with generic AI-written content (Google's helpful content updates target this).
- Hiding author identity, anonymous content loses Trust points.
- Confusing E-E-A-T with ranking factors, it's evaluated by raters, not algorithms directly.
E-E-A-T, Frequently Asked
Is E-E-A-T a ranking factor?
Not directly. Quality raters score sites against E-E-A-T, and Google uses those scores to train its algorithms. The effect is real but indirect.
How do I prove Experience?
Add screenshots, original photos, specific anecdotes, and personal opinions that couldn't be generated from a generic summary.
What's a YMYL topic?
Your Money or Your Life, topics that could affect health, finances, safety, or wellbeing. Google holds these to a higher E-E-A-T standard.