E-E-A-T

Definition

E-E-A-T is the core framework in Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines, representing four evaluation dimensions: Experience - whether content creators have firsthand practical experience, Expertise - whether they possess relevant professional knowledge, Authoritativeness - whether they're recognized as authoritative sources in the field, Trust - whether the overall content and website are trustworthy. In December 2022, Google added 'Experience' to the original E-A-T framework, emphasizing the importance of firsthand experience. E-E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor or score, but a conceptual framework for quality raters to evaluate search result quality. However, by strengthening these signals, your content is more likely to be judged as high-quality by algorithms, especially in YMYL (Your Money Your Life) topics.

Why it matters

• YMYL areas (health, finance, legal) have strictest E-E-A-T requirements; low-quality content struggles to rank
• Google increasingly scrutinizes AI-generated content; content with real experience is more competitive
• In competitive keywords, E-E-A-T gaps can determine ranking differences
• In AEO era, AI answer engines prefer citing traceable, verifiable authoritative sources
• Strong E-E-A-T reduces risk from algorithm updates like Helpful Content Update
• Builds long-term brand trust, improving user loyalty and return visits
• External sites more willing to cite high E-E-A-T content, naturally earning quality backlinks

How to implement

• Show firsthand experience: Add personal screenshots, real test data, process photos, video documentation
• Create comprehensive author pages: Include professional background, work history, relevant certifications, social links
• Build organization pages: Explain company/team background, contact info, physical address (if applicable)
• Cite authoritative sources: Link to official documentation, academic research, government sites; note data sources and dates
• Keep content accurate and updated: Display publish date and last updated date
• Provide contact channels and support info: Let users verify your existence and accessibility
• Obtain industry certifications or third-party endorsements: Display awards, certifications, media coverage

Examples

<!-- Article page: Demonstrating E-E-A-T signals -->
<article>
  <!-- 1. Author info (Experience + Expertise) -->
  <header>
    <div class="author-info">
      <img src="/authors/john.jpg" alt="Author photo">
      <div>
        <a href="/authors/john">John Chen</a>
        <p>10 years SEO consulting, former Google employee</p>
        <p>Last updated: 2025-01-15</p>
      </div>
    </div>
  </header>
  
  <!-- 2. Show firsthand experience in content -->
  <p>After helping 50+ clients optimize, I found...</p>
  <figure>
    <img src="/case-studies/traffic-growth.png" alt="Traffic growth screenshot">
    <figcaption>Client A's traffic 3 months after implementation (real data)</figcaption>
  </figure>
  
  <!-- 3. Cite authoritative sources -->
  <p>According to <a href="https://developers.google.com/...">Google's official documentation</a>...</p>
</article>

// Schema.org author and organization markup
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "John Chen",
    "url": "https://example.com/authors/john",
    "jobTitle": "SEO Consultant",
    "sameAs": [
      "https://twitter.com/johnchen",
      "https://linkedin.com/in/johnchen"
    ]
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "SEO Academy",
    "url": "https://example.com",
    "logo": "https://example.com/logo.png"
  },
  "datePublished": "2025-01-10",
  "dateModified": "2025-01-15"
}

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