E-E-A-T
Also known as: Experience Expertise Authoritativeness Trustworthiness, EEAT
E-E-A-T is Google's framework for evaluating content quality — Experience (first-hand), Expertise (subject knowledge), Authoritativeness (recognized in the field), and Trustworthiness (accurate, transparent, safe). Not a direct ranking algorithm, but a quality framework Google's human Search Quality Evaluators use to validate algorithm outputs, and a strong signal of what the algorithm is optimizing toward. Critical for YMYL topics.
The four pillars
Experience (added in 2022)
First-hand experience with the topic. The author has used the product, visited the location, lived through the situation. A travel review by someone who’s actually been there outranks one by someone summarizing other reviews.
Expertise
Subject-matter knowledge demonstrated through credentials, depth of explanation, accurate detail. A medical post by an MD has higher expertise than the same post by an anonymous content writer.
Authoritativeness
External recognition that the author or site is a credible source for this topic. Citations from authoritative sites, mentions in industry publications, expert speaker placements.
Trustworthiness
Accuracy, transparency, safety, and honest representation. Cited sources, clear authorship, contact information, secure HTTPS, accurate claims, no misleading framing.
Where to demonstrate E-E-A-T on a page
- Author byline with name, photo, credentials, link to author page
- About / Methodology page establishing brand authority
- Cited sources inline for any non-obvious claim
- Schema.org Person with
knowsAboutproperties for each author - Last-updated dates on time-sensitive content
- Editorial review process documented publicly
- Contact info + transparent business identity
Why it matters more for YMYL topics
For Your Money or Your Life topics (medical, financial, legal, safety), Google applies E-E-A-T criteria more strictly. A wellness site without medical credentials and proper sourcing will struggle to rank, regardless of content quality.
How AI search systems use it
ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and AI Overviews all preferentially cite sources that exhibit E-E-A-T signals:
- Named authors with verifiable credentials
- Sourced claims
- Recent update dates
- Established brand identity (Knowledge Panel-eligible entities)
A site optimizing for E-E-A-T captures both traditional ranking + AI citation lift.
Common mistakes
- AI-generated content without disclosed author or review process
- Anonymous authorship on YMYL topics
- Missing About / Contact pages
- No author byline / no schema.org Person markup
- Outdated content presented as current
- Resocial service →
/services/seo/ - Read on the blog →
/blog/ai-search-optimization-complete-guide/