E-E-A-T explained: experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust

Fibvo editorial · 24 December 2022 · 6 min read

E-E-A-T — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness — is the framework Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines use to evaluate content quality, particularly for topics that can genuinely affect a reader's health, finances or safety. It is not a single ranking factor with its own score, but it meaningfully shapes how many existing signals get weighted.

Experience: the newest addition

Added in December 2022, Experience asks whether the content creator has actual, first-hand experience with the topic — having genuinely used the product, visited the place, or gone through the situation being described. This recognises that lived experience is itself a distinct, valuable form of credibility, separate from formal expertise.

Expertise: formal or practical knowledge

Expertise asks whether the content demonstrates genuine, deep knowledge of the subject, whether through formal qualifications or extensive practical experience. A doctor writing about a medical condition and an experienced mechanic writing about car repair can both demonstrate genuine expertise, in different but equally valid ways.

• Formal qualifications relevant to the specific topic being covered.
• Extensive, demonstrable practical experience in the subject area.
• Content that reflects genuine depth, not surface-level restated information.

Authoritativeness: recognition beyond your own site

Authoritativeness asks whether other credible sources — other experts, publications, or the wider web — recognise your site or author as a go-to source on the topic. This is reflected partly through backlinks and mentions from other authoritative sources, and partly through a consistent, recognisable reputation in the specific field.

Authoritativeness cannot be claimed on your own page — it has to be reflected by how other credible sources on the wider web talk about you.

Trustworthiness: the most heavily weighted element

Google has stated trustworthiness is the most important of the four elements, since even highly expert, authoritative content is worthless if it is inaccurate, deceptive or unsafe. Trust signals include accurate information, secure browsing, transparent sourcing, clear disclosure of sponsored or affiliate relationships, and honest, unmanipulated content generally.

• HTTPS and basic site security.
• Transparent about pages and clear, real contact information.
• Honest disclosure of affiliate relationships and sponsored content.
• Accurate, well-sourced information, especially on YMYL topics.

How to demonstrate E-E-A-T on a real website

Named authors with genuine, verifiable credentials and bios; clear sourcing and citations for factual claims; transparent business information; and, for YMYL content, a visible review process by a qualified professional. Google's full Search Quality Rater Guidelines are worth reading directly for the complete picture.

Frequently asked questions

If you want help auditing your site's author credentials, sourcing and trust signals against this framework, talk to our team.

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Written by Fibvo — Bengaluru and Erode, India — working with clients in other time zones. Questions, or think we have it wrong? Tell us.