Jargon Buster / E-E-A-T
E-E-A-T.
Search & AI VisibilityExperience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness: the qualities Google looks for in credible content.
What is E-E-A-T?
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. It is the framework in Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines that human reviewers use to judge whether content comes from a credible source. Google added the first E, for Experience, in December 2022, and describes Trust as the most important of the four. It reflects what Google's ranking systems aim to reward.
Why it matters
For a law firm, clinic, financial adviser or engineering business, credibility is the product. E-E-A-T is how that credibility shows up, or fails to, on a website. Anonymous blog posts, stock photos of strangers and vague 'team of experts' copy give Google and prospects nothing to trust. Named authors, real credentials, genuine reviews and evidence of first-hand work give both something solid to go on.
The four parts
- E for Experience First-hand involvement with the topic. A heating engineer writing about boiler faults they have fixed shows it.
- E for Expertise Knowledge and skill, shown through qualifications and the depth and accuracy of the content.
- A for Authoritativeness Recognition from others, such as citations, links, press coverage and industry memberships.
- T for Trustworthiness Accuracy, honesty and safety. Clear contact details, transparent pricing and a secure checkout all count.
The honest view
E-E-A-T is widely treated as a checklist of add-ons, such as author boxes and trust badges, that will lift rankings directly. Google has said E-E-A-T is not a ranking factor in itself; its systems use many signals that tend to line up with it. A byline bolted onto generic content changes nothing.
The underrated move for SMEs is letting the real experts write, or at least speak. The partner, clinician or engineer knows things no copywriter can invent, and readers can tell.
What to do about it
Audit your About and team pages for real names, photos, qualifications and memberships. Add a named author with a short bio to every guide or article, and link that bio to the person's profile page. Make contact details, registered company details and any regulatory numbers easy to find. Then pick one article this month and rebuild it around a real job or decision your team handled, in their own words.
Related terms.
YMYL (Your Money or Your Life)
Google's label for topics that can affect someone's health, money, safety or wellbeing, judged more strictly.
Search & AI VisibilitySee more BBacklinks
Links from other websites to yours, which search engines read as a signal of trust and relevance.
Search & AI VisibilitySee more SSEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
The work of earning more visibility and enquiries from unpaid search results on Google and other engines.
Search & AI VisibilitySee more SSocial Proof
Evidence that other people trust you, such as reviews, testimonials, case studies and client logos.
Brand, Web & DesignSee moreGot a question about your own setup? Let's talk.
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