What is Google E-E-A-T?

In 2014, Google introduced the E-E-A-T process to evaluate the quality of a web page. By adhering to Google’s Quality Assessment Guidelines and applying the E-E-A-T principle, you can improve your rankings on search results pages.

The E-E-A-T principle is vital for assessing online content. SEO experts place great importance on this concept because it directly influences a website’s trustworthiness and credibility.

While E-E-A-T doesn’t directly impact your rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs), it provides clear insights into Google’s expectations for your website’s content.

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This concept gained significant attention with Google’s Medic update in August 2018, particularly affecting health-related websites and those within the Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) category.

What is E-E-A-T?

E-E-A-T, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, is a crucial part of Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. These guidelines help real people, known as quality assessors, evaluate the reliability and quality of search results.

Google uses feedback from these assessors to fine-tune its algorithm updates, ensuring that results deliver content with strong E-E-A-T. While E-E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor, it significantly influences how Google values and displays content, making it a vital SEO component.

When a webpage demonstrates high levels of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, it can enhance user trust, leading to higher conversions. In fact, Google updates its Search Quality Rater Guidelines annually to ensure evaluators stay aligned with current content trends.

The E-E-A-T concept first emerged after the Google Medic update in 2018, initially affecting medical and health-related websites. It later expanded to YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) industries, which cover areas like finance, legal, and other sectors affecting individual well-being. Websites in these industries that failed to meet the E-E-A-T standards saw a decline in organic rankings.

When ranking YMYL content, Google looks closely at expertise, checking if the primary content was created by a subject matter expert. It also verifies credentials, ensuring the content is from a trustworthy source, whether it be a brand, author, or website. Trustworthiness is essential, especially for YMYL queries, where inaccurate or misleading information can have serious consequences.

Why E-E-A-T is Important?

In the past, websites could rank highly in SERPs through tactics like keyword stuffing and increasing the number of backlinks. However, today, Google prioritizes user experience and aims to provide users with valuable, trustworthy information. This is where E-E-A-T plays a crucial role.

Google evaluates not only what users search for but also the quality of the information and the overall experience the content provides. To build trust in the eyes of both users and search engines, websites must demonstrate Experience, Expertise, and Authoritativeness, in line with Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. For example, if a user is seeking tax information, content authored by a certified tax professional is much more valuable than content written by someone without expertise in that field.

Google places particular importance on E-E-A-T in YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) content—articles that deal with critical topics such as finance, medical information, or legal advice, where incorrect information can lead to serious harm. For this reason, websites dealing with these topics must strictly adhere to E-E-A-T principles.

When a user evaluates your website, they will first look at expertise. Then, they will consider the author’s experience and overall competence. Finally, if they feel confident about these factors, they will trust your content.

E-E-A-T not only proves the quality and trustworthiness of a web page to Google but also boosts the page’s visibility in search engine results.

The Elements Of E-E-A-T

As the world’s largest search engine, Google utilizes Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines to determine the quality of content. In these guidelines, E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) is crucial for ranking highly in SERPs.

Below, we will explain the essential elements of E-E-A-T that are necessary for your web pages to perform well. By understanding and applying these elements, you can improve how both Google and users perceive your website.

Experience

Experience refers to how long a content creator has been familiar with or involved in a subject. Following Google’s Product Review Algorithm update, experience has become critical in distinguishing real reviews from generic, duplicate ones.

Many websites feature product reviews, but these are often designed solely for ranking purposes. They don’t offer potential customers much useful information. However, experience doesn’t only apply to reviews—it’s important across all sectors. When firsthand knowledge and participation stand out, it becomes easier for search engines to recognize content created by humans rather than artificial intelligence. This is particularly important for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) websites, where credibility is crucial.

You can highlight experience on your website through detailed author bios, showcasing content created with firsthand knowledge, and featuring multimedia like videos or images. Demonstrating experience on multiple pages builds trust and reliability.

Experience was added as a new element of E-E-A-T in the latest Search Quality Rater Guidelines update. Content must now be created by someone with real-life or firsthand experience in the subject matter. This is especially important as AI-generated content grows, and differentiating your content through demonstrated experience is crucial for standing out.

Expertise

Expertise refers to having a high level of knowledge, skills, or experience in a particular field. Google doesn’t just look for general expertise across a website—it evaluates expertise at the page level. This means each piece of content should be written by an expert in that specific subject.

If you’re producing content outside your area of expertise, Google may view it as lacking in E-E-A-T. To avoid this, ensure that your content is written or reviewed by someone with proper qualifications. You can also demonstrate expertise by including detailed author bios and showcasing the author’s credentials or relevant professional experience.

For websites in critical sectors such as medical, legal, journalism, or security, expertise is even more essential, particularly for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) content. Google expects official certifications or proof of expertise in these areas. For instance, a medical website must include content written or reviewed by licensed doctors, or a financial website should feature material written by certified accountants.

To further build credibility, showcase professional associations, licenses, or academic degrees. Even if your field isn’t directly related to YMYL, demonstrating clear expertise can significantly increase the value and trustworthiness of your website.

For example, consider the difference between a hobby blogger offering tax advice and a certified tax professional writing on the same topic. While the hobby blogger may have useful insights, the certified expert’s content will carry more weight due to their official qualifications.

Authoritativeness

Your authoritativeness in a subject, industry, or niche is built on your reputation as a reliable source. If people regularly reference or cite your content on a specific topic, your authority increases. Backlinks from respected websites are a key indicator of this.

Both experience and expertise form the foundation for establishing authority. To gain authority in a field, you need to be referenced by others and trusted by professionals in your industry.

One way to build authority is by sharing your findings and research with professionals, publishing in reputable industry journals, and speaking at webinars or conferences. Engaging with your community and contributing valuable insights helps establish your credibility.

If search engines recognize that other authoritative websites link to your content, Google views your site as more valuable in terms of E-E-A-T. Becoming a go-to resource on a particular topic requires consistent, high-quality content and strong content architecture.

Develop a comprehensive digital profile or personal brand that reflects your expertise. Gaining backlinks from authoritative websites and building a network of quality connections will further solidify your authority.

Remember, authority is also built through the depth of your content. By thoroughly covering all aspects of a particular topic, you position yourself as a leader in the field. High-quality, well-optimized content shows Google that you are an expert, which helps you become an authoritative source.

Trustworthiness

The most crucial element of E-E-A-T is trustworthiness. If users or search engines don’t trust your website, your E-E-A-T score will be low. That’s why establishing trust with both users and search engines is key to your site’s success.

The credibility of your web page depends on how safe, honest, and transparent it appears. Google evaluates the trustworthiness of your content by first looking at its purpose. For e-commerce sites, ensuring secure payment systems and providing exceptional customer service is essential. Product review websites must present honest, balanced reviews to help users make informed decisions.

For YMYL content, such as health or financial advice, presenting accurate, expert-approved information is critical. In non-YMYL content, like entertainment or social media posts, the trust requirement may be lower. However, the more accurate and reliable your content, the better your E-E-A-T score.

You can build trustworthiness by including customer reviews, maintaining up-to-date content, and ensuring your website’s security through HTTPS encryption. Adding transparent contact information and offering responsive customer service will further enhance user trust.

Lastly, referencing authoritative websites and offering secure online transactions will boost your site’s overall credibility.

Is Google’s E-E-A-T a Ranking Factor?

Although Google’s E-E-A-T score is not a direct ranking factor, it plays a crucial role in how Google evaluates the quality of a website. A website with a high E-E-A-T score demonstrates trustworthiness, authority, and expertise, which are all essential qualities for ranking well in SERPs.

When assessing search rankings, Google looks at the user experience and the overall value the content provides. Websites that display experience, expertise, and trustworthiness are more likely to perform better in search results. This is because users are more likely to trust the content, engage with it, and stay on the page longer, all of which are positive signals for Google’s algorithms.

Websites that don’t score well in E-E-A-T, especially those offering YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) content, are at risk of ranking lower. Google prioritizes YMYL content to ensure that it comes from reliable sources, minimizing the chances of users receiving inaccurate or harmful information.

If your website demonstrates strong E-E-A-T, you improve not only your site’s SEO performance but also its reputation among users. For YMYL websites, such as health, finance, and legal services, meeting E-E-A-T standards is essential for ranking competitively.

Tips to Improve Your E-E-A-T

To strengthen your E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) and improve your site’s credibility, you must integrate a strong SEO strategy alongside tactics to enhance E-E-A-T. The following tips will help build trust with both Google and users:

Produce High Quality Content

In the past, content creators often relied on keyword stuffing to rank higher in search engines. However, Google’s algorithms have since evolved, penalizing this outdated tactic. Today, content quality is one of the most important factors for ranking high in SERPs.

To ensure that your content is of high quality and meets Google’s E-E-A-T standards, it must:

• Be written by experts: Content should be created by individuals with experience and expertise in the subject matter.
• Focus on user needs: Instead of writing for search engines, produce content that answers your audience’s questions, offers valuable advice, and solves their problems.

Here are some actionable steps to produce high-quality content that benefits both users and search engines:

1. Content analysis and competitor research: Before creating content, analyze what your competitors are doing. This will help you generate ideas and identify gaps you can fill.
2. Keyword research: Use both paid and free tools to compile a list of keywords. Incorporate relevant keywords into the content without overloading it.
3. Expert writers: Collaborate with writers who are experienced in the field. This adds credibility and improves trustworthiness.
4. Structured content: Organize the content with clear headings. Ensure your primary and secondary keywords are used strategically.
5. Appropriate length: The ideal length of a piece of content will vary depending on the subject. A blog post may need 500 words, while a more detailed guide could require 5000 words.
6. Short paragraphs: Keep each paragraph under 100 words to improve readability.
7. Lists and bullet points: Use them where necessary to break down complex information and make the content easier to digest.
8. Keyword placement: Include your focus keyword within the first 100 words and ensure it’s evenly distributed throughout the content.
9. Address user queries: Target long-tail keywords and answer every possible question your audience may have about the topic.
10. Plagiarism check: Always run your content through a plagiarism checker to confirm its originality.

Create an Internal Link Network Among Relevant Content

To strengthen your SEO and demonstrate expertise, it’s essential to build a well-organized internal link network. By connecting relevant content, you help both search engines and users understand the depth of your knowledge on a given subject.

Start by reviewing all of the content on your site. Identify which pieces of content naturally connect with each other. Then, add internal links to these related posts. This not only enhances user experience by helping visitors discover more content but also signals to Google that your site is comprehensive and well-organized.

For example, if you have a blog post about E-E-A-T, you can link it to other content that discusses topics like YMYL, user experience, or SEO strategies. When adding these internal links, ensure that the anchor text (the clickable text) is descriptive and related to the content you’re linking to. This improves both user navigation and SEO.

You can evaluate the effectiveness of your anchor texts by using auditing tools to check if they accurately describe the linked content.

Here are some important points to keep in mind when creating an internal link network:

• Limit the number of internal links to 3-4 per page. Too many links can overwhelm the reader and may be seen as spam by Google. However, too few may not fully showcase the depth of your content.
• Ensure the links are relevant to the topic at hand. Linking unrelated content can hurt your credibility and confuse your users.
• Embed the internal links naturally within the content, ensuring that the anchor text is informative and helps guide the reader to the next logical piece of information.

Provide Author Information and Create a Transparent Image

To establish trust and demonstrate expertise, Google looks for detailed information about the individuals creating your content. This is particularly important for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) content, where the stakes are high for accuracy and reliability.

By providing author information, you signal to both Google and users that your content is produced by knowledgeable, credible experts. Including information about the author’s qualifications, certifications, and professional background helps build trust.

If you’re creating an author biography, include key details such as the author’s full name, relevant education, professional experience, and notable work. This will demonstrate their expertise and give users confidence in the content.

To further emphasize transparency, consider creating an About Us page on your website. This page can introduce the key team members, including authors, and provide links to individual author pages where users can learn more about their background. This enhances both credibility and E-E-A-T compliance.

Even if you run a small business with limited resources, it’s essential to get content reviewed by subject matter experts. If hiring experts isn’t feasible, work with skilled writers who can thoroughly research the topic. In some cases, you can also ask an expert to review the content for accuracy before publishing.

In the event that a non-expert writes the content, having a knowledgeable professional review it for factual accuracy is crucial. This not only improves the quality of the content but also safeguards your trustworthiness.

Use Reliable Sources and Cite Authoritative Websites

To build trust and demonstrate expertise, it’s essential to use reliable sources when creating content. Both users and Google value content that references credible information, especially in sectors such as health, finance, and YMYL (Your Money or Your Life).

Here are some strategies for establishing your website as trustworthy:

• Link to official sources: Whenever possible, reference official studies, academic papers, or authoritative reports. This shows both Google and users that your content is backed by real, verifiable information.
• Diverse references: You don’t have to limit yourself to one source. Reference industry experts, academic articles, or even credible social media posts by thought leaders. This diversity increases the richness and reliability of your content.
• Use credible databases: Depending on your industry, link to academic databases, well-established news outlets, or government websites. For YMYL content, using credible sources is non-negotiable, as it reflects on the trustworthiness of your information.

When you cite other websites, ensure you do it correctly. Linking to authoritative sites that relate to your topic will enhance your credibility. Whether or not a site is a competitor, citing it properly shows that you value accurate information.

If you reference high-ranking sites in your niche, Google will recognize your effort to deliver valuable content. This is a crucial factor in building a strong E-E-A-T profile for your website.

Build a Positive and Strong Brand Image

With Google’s E-E-A-T update, user experience has become a crucial part of brand trust and visibility. A strong brand image not only boosts user trust but also enhances SEO. For potential customers to rely on your business, they need to be familiar with your brand. The better known and reputable your brand is, the more reliable your website and content will appear.

Here’s how you can build and manage a positive brand image:

1. Monitor online reputation: Keep a close watch on how your brand is perceived online. Use tools to track mentions and comments about your business. Negative comments should be addressed quickly and professionally.
2. Develop a reputation management strategy: Craft a clear plan that includes responding to both positive and negative feedback, engaging with users on social media, and aligning with industry trends.
3. Leverage Google My Business: Ensure your brand is registered and optimized on Google My Business. Include relevant keywords and encourage customer reviews.
4. Respond to reviews: Reviews, especially on Google and social media, play a big role in your brand’s image. Encourage happy customers to leave reviews and address any negative reviews promptly. This shows you care about customer experience.
5. Use influencer marketing: Collaborate with influencers or trusted figures in your industry. This adds credibility to your brand, as these partnerships often bring positive exposure.
6. Produce consistent quality content: High-quality content consistently boosts brand reputation over time, as users begin to see your brand as a reliable source of information.

Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content (UGC) is content created by your customers or website visitors, such as product reviews, social media posts, and video testimonials. UGC is a powerful trust signal that helps build credibility and brand loyalty. In fact, 79% of online shoppers say that UGC influences their purchasing decisions, making it an essential part of your E-E-A-T strategy.

To utilize UGC effectively, consider the following tactics:

1. Encourage customer participation: Ask satisfied customers to share their experiences on social media and tag your brand. Create specific hashtags to make it easier to track and showcase user-generated content.
2. Organize promotions and contests: Incentivize customers to share their content by offering prizes, discounts, or features on your website.
3. Highlight UGC on your website: Showcase customer reviews, testimonials, and user-shared images directly on product pages or dedicated sections. This not only builds trust but also improves SEO.
4. Engage with user content: Actively respond to and share user-generated content on your social media channels, encouraging a sense of community and ongoing brand interaction.

By integrating UGC into your website, you can enhance your Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness and build stronger relationships with your audience.

Earn High-Quality Backlinks from Authoritative Websites

Backlinks are one of the most important indicators of a website’s authority in Google’s eyes. By earning backlinks from well-respected, authoritative websites in your industry, you signal to Google that your website is credible and trustworthy. This can significantly boost your SEO performance.

Here’s how to effectively earn high-quality backlinks:

1. Create shareable content: Invest in producing infographics, in-depth research reports, or how-to guides that other websites will want to link to.
2. Reach out to industry influencers: Network with influencers and authoritative figures in your niche to collaborate on content or request links.
3. Guest posting: Write valuable guest posts for reputable websites, including a backlink to your site.
4. Monitor your backlink profile: Use tools to track and analyze the quality of your backlinks. Focus on maintaining links from authoritative sites, and disavow any low-quality or spammy links.

Backlinks from authoritative websites help enhance your site’s E-E-A-T and improve your ranking on search engine results pages.

Optimize Your Website’s User Experience with Technical SEO

While content quality is a primary focus of Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines, the way users interact with your website also plays a crucial role in how Google evaluates your site’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Ensuring a seamless, secure, and efficient user experience (UX) through technical SEO not only improves user satisfaction but also enhances your site’s ranking potential.

Here are key areas to focus on when optimizing user experience through technical SEO:

1. Website Security: Securing your website is fundamental. Implementing an SSL certificate ensures that data transmitted between your site and users is encrypted, which protects sensitive information. Websites with HTTPS are seen as more trustworthy by both users and Google. SSL is especially crucial for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) pages, where sensitive user information (e.g., financial or medical data) may be at risk. Sites without SSL may be flagged as “Not Secure,” damaging both user trust and search engine rankings.
2. Mobile Optimization: With the rise of mobile-first indexing, ensuring that your site is mobile-friendly is essential. A responsive design that adapts to various screen sizes will improve the mobile user experience. Poor mobile optimization can lead to high bounce rates, lower engagement, and reduced time spent on the site, all of which negatively affect SEO performance. Test your site using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to ensure it meets standards.
3. Site Speed: Website speed is one of the most critical elements of technical SEO. Slow-loading pages frustrate users and lead to higher bounce rates. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify areas for improvement, such as:
   • Compressing images: Large image files can dramatically slow down your page load times. Use modern formats like WebP and compress images without losing quality.
   • Browser caching: Caching helps store some of your site’s data locally on users’ devices, allowing pages to load faster during subsequent visits.
   • Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML: Reduce unnecessary characters, spaces, and lines of code to make your site’s files smaller and faster to load.
4. Core Web Vitals: Google uses Core Web Vitals to measure the UX of a page. These are three key metrics:
   • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures how quickly the main content of a page loads. Aim for a loading time under 2.5 seconds.
   • First Input Delay (FID): This metric gauges the time it takes for a user to interact with your site, such as clicking a button or entering data.
   • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures how stable the layout is while the page is loading. Ensure that elements don’t shift unexpectedly as the page loads.
5. Clean and Intuitive Navigation: Ensure your site has simple, intuitive navigation. Users should be able to find what they are looking for within a few clicks. Clear menus, breadcrumbs, and well-structured URLs contribute to a better user experience and help Google crawl your site more effectively. Internal linking is also important for guiding users and search engines to relevant content.

By focusing on these aspects of technical SEO, you not only enhance your site’s user experience, but also improve Google’s perception of your site’s E-E-A-T, resulting in higher rankings and increased visibility.