Google uses a framework known as E-E-A-T – which stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness – to evaluate content online. Understanding E-E-A-T is foundational to creating the helpful, people-first content that Google wants to rank in its search results.
Breaking Down E-E-A-T: What Is It?
E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. It was first introduced over a decade ago in 2014 without the initial “E” for “experience,” which was added in 2022. The four elements of E-E-A-T today include:
- Experience: The ability to demonstrate first-hand knowledge and experience of the topic the content is about. This could include descriptive examples, personal knowledge, real-life experiences, case studies, or a review of a product or service.
- Expertise: The content shows deep knowledge about a particular topic. The author is an expert in this field. Including an author’s name with credentials that link to a detailed author page with a biography and more information about the writer is a great way to showcase this expertise. Claims are backed up with data, and sources are cited.
- Authoritativeness: When the author or website has a good reputation within their niche. Either the author is cited by other sites or the brand is well-known in the industry. On your own site, showcase the awards, certifications, and features from other reputable websites that you earn for added credibility and authority.
- Trustworthiness: A site that provides factual information, as well as transparency and honesty about products and services, demonstrates trustworthiness. Citing sources and having a secure site can help with credibility. Create a detailed “about us” page. Avoid spammy SEO practices and maintain a professional and positive reputation online with a responsive social media presence and positive reviews.
It’s important to note that E-E-A-T is not an algorithmic ranking system. Rather, it’s a set of guidelines that Google has laid out for its quality raters, a team of humans charged with rating the effectiveness of Google’s search results.
The E-E-A-T guidelines help Google’s quality raters identify content that is more likely to satisfy searchers’ needs. Google learns from that data and uses it to improve its algorithms, but the quality raters’ data does not directly affect rankings.
E-E-A-T is important in all content creation, but it is even more critical for content dealing with health, finance, safety, and the well-being of people. All of these types of content fall into what is referred to as “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) topics — content whose accuracy can materially affect the reader’s health or financial well-being.
Six Best Practices for Gaining E-E-A-T
When you strive to write content to satisfy Google’s E-E-A-T recommendations, you’re essentially trying to become the go-to, credible resource for a topic. Here are six tips for aligning your SEO strategy with Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines.
1. Write Original Content with Humans in Mind
Be mindful of writing people-first content instead of writing copy for algorithms. Share unique insights from your own experience, not just summarizing the top 10 results in the SERPs. Be sure the topic is substantially covered, so that your site is the ultimate resource, answering every question the searcher may have. Lastly, cover topics that you can genuinely add value to.
Avoid trendy topics that you don’t know anything about. Ask yourself if someone would bookmark your page or send it to someone else who wants to learn more about a topic. If the answer is yes, then you are on the right track for creating helpful content.
2. Demonstrate Your Experience
Use examples, case studies, stories, and other information to demonstrate your first-hand experience about a topic. Be clear about your background and qualifications. Include advanced knowledge, tips, and pitfalls that someone without actual experience would not think of to include. This helps your content feel authentic, not generic, providing actual value to searchers.
3. Prove Your Expertise, Authority & Trustworthiness
Either be the subject matter expert or have a subject matter expert review and approve your content. Make that editorial process clear on the page. Include links to sources, and back up claims with data, statistics, and studies. Show credentials and information about the author.
The goal is to become a recognized authority in your field of expertise. Trust grows over time when people can see who is behind the copy. Give them a reason to trust you and listen to what you have to say.
Don’t overpromise an answer that you can’t give. For example, don’t promise readers that you’ll provide future predictions, answers to questions that don’t have a clearly defined answer, or confidential information you can’t divulge. Lastly, always fact-check your content to ensure the information you are providing is factual. If trust is lost, it’s hard to regain.
4. Write Copy That Is Easy to Digest
The goal is to write content that is clear and to the point, without fluffy, overly verbose copy. Avoid filler content and keyword stuffing. This goes back to writing content that is for humans and not search engines. Structure your content so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for with headings, lists, and short paragraphs, organized in a logical flow. Read our previous post, 10 Content Chunking Tips for AI, Search, and Humans.
Use descriptive language and a heading that clearly defines what the content is about. Do not use clickbait language. Always proofread your copy to ensure you are maintaining a professional appearance.
5. Develop a Smart Content Strategy
Make sure your site has a clear purpose, and stick to what you want to excel at. Don’t chase rankings by pumping out thin content that you can’t demonstrate expertise about. For every important topic, be sure you can create content that is organized and answers everything there is to know about that topic. Research the important topics your audience wants to know more about, and be sure you have the content to answer those questions. The end goal is to have searchers visit your site and leave with everything they were looking for and more.
6. Continually Refine & Update Your Content
As things change, refresh your content, updating it with the latest data and new examples. Do not update dates to make your content look new. Only update content when you have something valuable to add. Review your top pages to see if there is an area for improvement to more fully answer the searcher’s questions. Use any information from reviews, your sales team, or feedback forms to improve clarity and fill any gaps.
A Checklist for E-E-A-T Friendly Content
Before publishing your content, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is my content written for people, not search engines?
- Does the copy show real experience and deep knowledge?
- Would a reader feel satisfied enough not to need another source?
- Would a searcher bookmark or share this page?
- Is the author’s expertise and the site’s purpose clear?
- Is everything accurate, well-structured, and easy to read?
- Have I avoided fluff, keyword stuffing, fake freshness, and clickbait?
If you can answer these questions with a resounding “yes,” you’re more likely to meet Google’s guidelines for E-E-A-T, strengthening your content’s ability to rank.
Why We Care
Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines can help SEO professionals and content creators write more helpful, people-first content for stronger organic search performance. E-E-A-T is not new. But it grows more and more critical as Google’s ability to measure it matures. If you haven’t already, commit to creating content that follows the E-E-A-T model today, or risk a steady slide down the SERPs as those who do pass you by.
