Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — Google's quality evaluation framework for content and websites. A higher E-E-A-T signals credibility to both search algorithms and AI systems.
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — the four dimensions Google uses to evaluate the quality and credibility of web content in its Search Quality Rater Guidelines. Originally E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), 'Experience' was added in December 2022 to explicitly recognize the value of first-hand, lived experience in content quality. E-E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor, but it heavily influences how Google's algorithms evaluate content quality.
Experience refers to whether the content creator has direct, first-hand experience with the topic. A review of a product written by someone who has actually used it demonstrates more Experience than one written by someone who hasn't. Expertise refers to the creator's level of knowledge in the subject area — formal credentials for topics like medicine or law, demonstrated professional knowledge for business and technical topics. Authoritativeness refers to how recognized the creator is by others in their field — typically measured through backlinks and mentions from other credible sources. Trustworthiness refers to whether the site and its content are honest, accurate, and transparent.
For business websites, E-E-A-T signals include: author bylines with relevant credentials or experience on blog posts; About pages that describe the business's history, team, and qualifications; client testimonials and case studies with specific, verifiable outcomes; consistent, accurate business information (NAP) across the site and directories; transparent pricing or process information; and a secure (HTTPS) website. These are not gaming signals — they're the characteristics of a legitimate, credible business.
E-E-A-T has grown in importance with the rise of AI-generated content, as Google works to surface content from humans with genuine experience and expertise over algorithmically-produced text. For business owners, the practical implication is that content with a clear author, specific first-hand details, and verifiable credentials is more likely to be trusted by both search algorithms and AI systems synthesizing answers from multiple sources.