Google E-E-A-T: What It Is and How It Helps SEO

What Is E-E-A-T?

Google E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It serves as a framework that Google uses to assess content quality. Real people, often known as quality raters, have the job of reviewing websites and content using these standards to then give Google feedback on how well the search results are working for the specific piece of content.  

It is important to note that E-E-A-T doesn't directly affect your google ranking, instead it's a guideline that real people use to check how good and trustworthy content is that ends up in Googles search results, therefore impacting the algorithm. 

 

What Are E-E-A-T Signals? 

E-E-A-T signals are signs that show google your content is trustworthy and written by someone who knows exactly what they are talking about. These signs can be things like having the authors name and qualification under information or on a page, using real life experiences, linking to reliable sources, and having a safe and secure website. Google looks for these signs to help figure out if a page should show up in search results or not. These signals will not directly change your ranking, they help real people who review websites decided whether your content is high quality and worth being visible to users. 

 

How E-E-A-T Helps SEO

E-E-A-T is important for search engines and showing up in Google search results as it helps you create content that is useful, trustworthy, and high in quality, which is exactly what Google (and your readers/visitors) want.  Following E-E-A-T can help you match what google sees as a good piece of content, and that can eventually lead to better rankings over time.  

E-E-A-T Experience

Google values content that is created by people who have first-hand experience with the topic they are specifically writing about or creating. By including real-life experiences, it makes content more helpful, accurate and believable, which is why Google values this firsthand knowledge. It's important to evaluate whether content is genuine, especially in YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics like finance or safety, as if bad advice is given can cause more harm than good.  

To align with this, content should feature real-world experiences, such as: 

• Customer reviews with photos 

• Trials of personal products with the results 

• Insights from experts who have first-hand experience in the topic 

• Case studies showing credibility 

This helps SEO by aligning your content with Googles E-E-A-T guidelines. By giving first-hand experience etc... it will increase your content quality score, reduce the risk of low-quality flags from Google, and increase the overall credibility and trust towards your company.  

E-E-A-T Expertise

Expertise is all about how knowledgeable and skilled the creator of the content is. Whether this is from formal education, work experience or general knowledge of a topic, having credible information is important. This is especially important for YMYL topics as mentioned above, as if topics such as health, legal or finance are not correct or accurate, it can potentially bring severe implications on people's health and financial wellbeing.  

Expertise can be demonstrated through: 

• High-quality content that is consistent and credible 

• Showcasing knowledge that is useful to users 

• Demonstrating skills in a hands-on video (or in written/image form) 

This helps SEO as Google values the content that is created by skilled people because it's more likely to be accurate and useful to readers. Expertise helps your content become more valuable, and from this Google rewards you with better SEO performance – especially in sensitive topics.  

E-E-A-T Authoritativeness 

Authoritativeness is about how well-known the creator or website is in their field or industry, and how respectable they are from the readers POV (Point Of View) as well as Google’s. Google looks at things such as mentions (from industry leaders or trusted publications), recommendations (reviews, guest contributions) and links (backlinks from authoritative websites) from other trusted sources. The more recognition you or your website gets from credible places, the more authoritative it appears. 

Authoritativeness can be demonstrated through: 

• Backlinks from trusted websites  

• Positive mentions and reviews  

• Strong author or company reputation  

• Consistent content on a niche (specific) topic  

• Regularly check domain authority score on tools (SEMrush, Moz) 

This helps SEO as it sends signals to Google that your content and brand is trustworthy. Consistently publishing high quality content will help your site rank higher for related search queries.  

E-E-A-T Trustworthiness 

Trust is the most important part of E-E-A-T. If your content is not honest, safe or reliable to readers and users - even if it is written by experts with experience - it won't be considered trustworthy. Overall, users won't stay long on your content or website if they do not feel safe or confident in what they are reading. 

Trust can be implemented through: 

• Transparent contact information – so users can reach you  

• Website security: HTTPS (SSL Certificate), Cookies (GDPR Compliance) 

• Accurate content with citations  

• Ethical business practices 

• Respond to feedback and provide support 

This helps SEO because trust signals tell Google that your content is safe and honest, which is crucial for ranking well, especially in sensitive YMYL topics. When users feel safe and confident with your content, they are more likely to stay longer, interact and possibly even return, and these behaviours positively impact your search rankings. Implementing trust within your content overall gives your site a good reputation in trust, boosting your visibility and ranking in search engines.  

 

How To Improve E-E-A-T? 

Improving your E-E-A-T is essential when ranking your website well on Google. Below is a list of actions you can take to strengthen your overall SEO Performance:  

Make sure your content is well-researched 

Ensure your content is accurate and up to date, as well as using evidence to support any claims you are making. Misinformation can damage your readers trust and rankings, especially in YMYL topics.  

Backlinks from high-authority websites 

Gaining backlinks from other websites can show Google your website is reliable. Backlinks act like a vote of confidence, and the more you earn from well-known and trusted sources, the more Google sees you site as authoritative.  

Update content regularly  

Make sure to keep your content or information fresh and aligned with recent trends and developments, if you have outdated content on your website, it can lose rankings, were as fresh content with regular updates shows Google you stay relevant. 

Optimise content for accessibility and UX (User Experience) 

If your content is accessible to everyone on the internet, including users with disabilities, it can improve user experience and boost your SEO. Using alt text for image and creating video transcripts ensures your website is accessible to all users.  

 

Final Thought

Overall, E-E-A-T is not just a set of guidelines, it is the basic steps to create content that ranks well, build user trust, and stand out in a competitive environment. It strongly influences how your content is perceived by search engines and real users, which will improve your SEO performance and strengthen your brands reputation in the long run. 

 It is an ongoing process to build E-E-A-T, but it pays off through higher engagement and visibility, and lasting trustworthiness and credibility.  

Speak to our SEO team today to learn how we can help you implement E-E-A-T principles into your content strategy and drive long-term growth through trusted, high-ranking content.