What is E-E-A-T?
Also called: EEAT, Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
Definition
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, the qualities Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines ask human raters to look for when judging content. Google added the first "E", for Experience, in December 2022.
Explained
E-E-A-T is not a single ranking score; it is a framework Google uses to evaluate whether its systems surface helpful, reliable content. Trust is described as the most important part, especially for topics that affect health, money or safety.
The same signals tend to help in AI answers: named authors with real credentials, first-hand experience, accurate sourcing, transparent company information and a strong reputation on independent sites. Engines that try to avoid recommending unreliable sources lean on similar cues.
Example
A financial advice site adds author bios with qualifications, cites primary sources, and shows when each article was reviewed. Its pages become more likely to be cited for money questions, where engines are cautious.