E-E-A-T

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — the framework Google's quality raters use to evaluate the credibility of web content.

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is the framework described in Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines — the document used to train human quality raters who assess whether Google’s algorithm is surfacing genuinely helpful, credible content.

Breaking Down E-E-A-T

• Experience (added in December 2022) — has the author personally experienced the thing they’re writing about? First-hand experience signals are especially important for product reviews, medical advice, and travel content.
• Expertise — does the author have subject-matter knowledge? For YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics like health, finance, and legal content, formal credentials matter more.
• Authoritativeness — is the website or author recognised as a go-to source by others in the field? This is largely built through backlinks, mentions, and citations from respected sources.
• Trustworthiness — the most important of the four. Does the site operate transparently, provide accurate information, and protect users? This includes HTTPS, clear authorship, accurate content, and accessible contact information.

E-E-A-T and AI Content

E-E-A-T has become more important in the era of AI-generated content. Google explicitly looks for signals that demonstrate real human expertise and first-hand experience — things AI cannot authentically fake. Author bios, original research, expert quotes, and personal case studies all strengthen E-E-A-T.