Glossary/E-E-A-T
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E-E-A-T

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust

A framework from Google's quality rater guidelines: experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust. It isn't a single measurable score or a standalone ranking factor.

E-E-A-T is a framework for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust. Google uses it in its guidelines for quality raters. There's no public E-E-A-T score for a website.

What E-E-A-T means

  • Experience: does the author have first-hand experience with the topic?
  • Expertise: do they have the knowledge or qualifications?
  • Authoritativeness: is the author or the site recognized in the field?
  • Trust: is the information accurate, safe and transparent?

According to Google's guidelines, trust matters most. Experience can be an advantage in a product review, but it isn't enough to give expert medical advice, for example.

How Google assesses it

E-E-A-T isn't a field in the algorithm. Google uses multiple systems and signals meant to help recognize high-quality, trustworthy content.

According to the guidelines, raters don't move specific sites up or down by hand. Their ratings are used to check whether changes to Google's systems lead to better results.

How to build trust

  • Name the author and their relevant experience.
  • Add your own data, method or practical proof.
  • Link to primary sources for sensitive claims.
  • Keep prices, contacts and other facts up to date.
  • Clearly separate editorial content, advertising and commercial interest.

On YMYL topics, bring in a qualified expert and check that the content stays current. Structured data or an author profile won't stand in for accurate content.

FAQ

Common questions

Is E-E-A-T a direct ranking factor?

It isn't one standalone factor or score. Quality raters use the framework, and Google's systems work with various signals that can correspond to experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust.

Where does E-E-A-T matter most?

The bar is highest on YMYL topics, which can affect people's health, financial stability, safety or lives. Accuracy and trustworthiness matter for any content, though.

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