E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — Google's content quality framework.
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It's a framework from Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines that human evaluators use to assess content quality. The extra "E" for Experience was added in December 2022.
**Experience** means the content creator has first-hand experience with the topic. A product review from someone who actually used the product scores higher than one who just read the specs.
**Expertise** is about the creator's knowledge and skill. A medical article written by a doctor has more expertise than one written by a random blogger.
**Authoritativeness** refers to the reputation of the creator and the website. Are they recognized as a go-to source in their field?
**Trustworthiness** is the most important factor — it encompasses all the others. Is the site secure, transparent about who runs it, and honest in its content?
E-E-A-T matters most for "Your Money or Your Life" (YMYL) topics — health, finance, legal, and safety content where wrong information could genuinely harm someone.
Why It Matters for SEO
While E-E-A-T isn't a direct ranking factor, it influences how Google's algorithms evaluate content quality. Sites that demonstrate strong E-E-A-T tend to rank better, especially for important topics. Building E-E-A-T means creating genuinely helpful, expert content.