E-E-A-T
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness – the qualities Google's quality raters use to judge how reliable content is.
What is E-E-A-T?
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. The concept comes from Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, which human reviewers use to evaluate the quality of search results. Google added the first “E” for experience in December 2022.
- Experience: Does the author have first-hand experience with the topic, e.g. having actually used the product or run the campaign?
- Expertise: Does the author have the necessary knowledge or skills?
- Authoritativeness: Is the author or website a recognized source for the topic?
- Trustworthiness: Is the content accurate, honest and safe? Google calls trust the most important of the four.
E-E-A-T is not a single ranking factor or score. It describes what Google’s ranking systems aim to reward, and it matters most for “Your Money or Your Life” topics such as health, finance or legal advice.
Ways to demonstrate E-E-A-T include named authors with real credentials, case studies and original data, clear contact and company information, and mentions or backlinks from respected sources. When expanding internationally, trust signals often need to be built locally – for example with local references, reviews, certifications and a local business address.