What is E-E-A-T?

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is Google Quality Rater guidelines criteria — not a direct ranking algorithm, but a framework Google uses to evaluate content quality. Experience (added in 2022): has the content creator actually experienced the topic? First-hand experience signals — case studies, personal results, screenshots of real implementations — beat theoretical knowledge. Expertise: does the author demonstrate deep knowledge? Technical accuracy, specificity, and nuance matter. Generic advice signals low expertise. Authoritativeness: is the author/site recognized as a go-to source? Measured by backlinks from authority sites, mentions, citations, and industry recognition. Trustworthiness: is the content reliable? Signals include HTTPS, clear authorship, contact information, correction policies, and accurate sourcing. How to build E-E-A-T: add author bios with credentials, link to author LinkedIn/Twitter profiles, publish case studies with real data, cite authoritative sources, maintain an "About" page with company information, earn backlinks from respected industry publications, and keep content accurate and updated. E-E-A-T matters most for YMYL (Your Money Your Life) topics — health, finance, legal, safety. For B2B tech content, expertise and experience are the most impactful signals.