E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust)
Also known as: EEAT
What is E-E-A-T?
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust — the criteria in Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines used to judge whether content is high quality. "Experience" (added in 2022) asks whether the creator has first-hand experience with the topic; the rest ask about demonstrated expertise, the site's authority, and overall trustworthiness.
E-E-A-T is not a single score Google measures directly; it's a concept that many ranking signals collectively approximate. You strengthen it with clear author bylines and credentials, first-hand detail, citations to primary sources, accurate and current information, and a trustworthy site (clear contact, policies, secure connection).
It matters most for "Your Money or Your Life" (YMYL) topics — finance, health, legal, safety — where low-quality content can cause real harm and the bar is highest.
Why it matters
It's the quality bar behind rankings for anything that affects money, health, or safety.
E-E-A-T — FAQ
Is E-E-A-T a ranking factor?
Not a direct one. It's a quality concept raters use; Google approximates it through many signals like links, authorship, accuracy, and site trust indicators.
What does the extra 'E' mean?
Experience — added in 2022. It asks whether the content shows real first-hand experience with the subject, not just researched expertise.
Related terms
Structured Data (Schema Markup)
Structured data is machine-readable code (usually JSON-LD) that labels page content so search and answer engines understand it precisely.
Topical Authority
Topical authority is the depth and breadth of coverage that makes a site a trusted source on a subject, earned by comprehensive, interlinked content.
Content Decay
Content decay is the gradual loss of rankings and traffic a page suffers over time as it becomes outdated or is outcompeted.
Search Intent
Search intent is the goal behind a query — informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional — that a page must match to rank.
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