The essentials
- Definition: E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. The framework comes from Google's guidelines to its quality raters.
- Status: it is not a score, nor a direct ranking factor; it is a set of qualities Google's systems try to recognise through measurable signals.
- The priority: trustworthiness is the central dimension; the other three support it.
- Weight: decisive on YMYL subjects (health, money, law), useful everywhere, and adopted by AI engines when choosing their sources.
E-E-A-T is the acronym Google uses for four qualities expected of a piece of content and its author: experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. The framework comes from the Search Quality Rater Guidelines, the 170-page document Google supplies to the human raters who score the quality of its results. The first E, experience, was added in December 2022.
The four dimensions
| Dimension | The question asked | Examples of evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Experience | Has the author lived what they're writing about? | Concrete cases, screenshots, figures from their own campaigns, a real test of a product |
| Expertise | Does the author have the necessary knowledge? | Training, certifications, technical precision, depth of treatment |
| Authority | Is the site or the author recognised as a reference? | Citations by other sites, press mentions, inbound links, presence in the Knowledge Graph |
| Trustworthiness | Can the page be trusted? | Sources cited, complete legal notices, HTTPS, genuine reviews, transparency about the author and the company |
Google states that trustworthiness is "the most important member of the family": content that is expert but misleading is still poor quality. How much the other three matter depends on the subject: experience comes first for a product review, expertise for medical advice.
What E-E-A-T is, and what it isn't
- It is not a score. No Google system calculates an "E-E-A-T rating". Raters score samples of results to measure the quality of the algorithms, not to rank pages.
- They are objectives for the algorithms. The ranking systems (helpful content, links, structured data, brand signals) are designed to favour pages that display these qualities.
- It is not reserved for large sites. A small business documenting its own work precisely satisfies the experience criterion better than a generalist publication compiling sources.
- It is decisive on YMYL subjects. On themes touching health, money, safety or law (see YMYL), the absence of E-E-A-T is enough to cap a piece of content, however well written.
The concrete signals to put in place
| Level | Actions |
|---|---|
| Page | A named author with a bio and a link to a verifiable profile; an update date; sources cited; dated figures; lived examples rather than generalities |
| Site | A detailed "about" page, legal notices, real contact details, an editorial policy, HTTPS, third-party customer reviews; see optimising your about us page |
| Author | A consistent LinkedIn profile, outside appearances, Person and sameAs markup in your structured data |
| Off-site | Citations, guest articles, press mentions, consistent information (NAP) everywhere; see backlinks and netlinking and online reputation |
E-E-A-T and AI engines
Generative engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews) select sources to cite and favour content that is signed, dated, precise and corroborated by other sites. The criteria overlap with E-E-A-T: content with no author and no source is rarely picked up. Working on these signals therefore serves both classic SEO and GEO. Auditing these elements is part of any complete SEO audit.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's SEO module brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is E-E-A-T a Google ranking factor?
No, not directly. E-E-A-T describes the qualities Google wants its algorithms to surface; there is no E-E-A-T score. The signals that reflect those qualities (links, mentions, a named author, sources, reviews) are, however, taken into account by the ranking systems.
What does the first E, added in 2022, mean?
The first E stands for experience: having personally used a product, visited a place or practised what you're writing about. Google added it in December 2022 to reward first-hand content over compilations and texts generated with no lived reality behind them.
How do you show E-E-A-T on a small business site?
Sign your articles with a verifiable bio, document your own work with figures and screenshots, cite your sources, complete your about page and legal notices, collect reviews on third-party platforms, and earn mentions on recognised sites in your sector.
Does E-E-A-T matter for being cited by ChatGPT or Perplexity?
Yes, indirectly. AI engines select sources that are precise, signed, dated and corroborated. Content meeting the E-E-A-T criteria stands a far better chance of being used as a source than an anonymous, undated text with no references.