E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) is the set of criteria Google uses to judge whether a page of content can be trusted, as described in its Search Quality Rater Guidelines. E-E-A-T is not a standalone ranking factor, but Google uses a range of signals to recognize content with strong E-E-A-T.

What is E-E-A-T?

The September 11, 2025 edition of the guidelines (section 3.4) defines the four components as follows (Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines, September 2025):

Trust sits at the center, and the other three components feed into the judgment of trust. A financial scam page is still untrustworthy, even if the author is a very “experienced” scammer.

From E-A-T to E-E-A-T

On December 15, 2022, Google added the first E, for Experience (Google Search Central Blog, December 2022). Google explained the change with a pair of examples. To learn how to file your taxes correctly, you want content from an accountant. To choose tax software, a discussion among people who have actually used it is more helpful.

Is E-E-A-T a ranking factor?

Not directly. In its documentation on helpful content, Google writes that E-E-A-T itself is not a specific ranking factor. Its systems use a mix of factors to identify content with good E-E-A-T, and they give those signals more weight on YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics such as health, finance and safety (Google Search Central, updated October 2026).

Quality raters do not decide rankings. Google compares their data to the comment cards diners fill out at a restaurant.

How to show E-E-A-T on your website

Google suggests asking three questions about your content: Who, How and Why.

• Who wrote it: does the article carry an author’s name, and is there an author page that shows their field of expertise? Google treats fabricated author profiles, such as AI-generated headshots or fake credentials, as deceptive.
• How it was made: in a review, say how many products you tested and how, and include photos. If AI helped substantially, let readers know.
• Why it exists: Google calls this the most important question. Content should be written first to help people, not mainly to attract search engine traffic.

A hypothetical example: two articles comparing air purifiers on an electronics chain’s website. Article A copies specs from the manufacturer’s site. Article B states that the team ran 5 purifiers in a 20 m² room for 2 weeks, with photos of fine dust readings before and after. Article B shows Experience far more clearly. Google’s guide to optimizing for AI search also uses first-hand reviews as an example of a unique perspective that helps content stand out (Google Search Central, May 2026; see also GEO and Adtek’s Vietnamese-language article on AIO).

Frequently asked questions

What is YMYL and how does it relate to E-E-A-T?

YMYL refers to topics that can significantly affect people’s health, finances or safety, or the welfare of society. For these topics, Google sets a higher E-E-A-T bar. Insurance, banking and healthcare websites need to pay the most attention.

Can a new website have E-E-A-T?

Yes. Raters look at what the website says about itself (the about page, contact details), what others say about it, and what is visible on the page itself. A new website should do a careful job on the two parts it controls.

If you want your website content reviewed against E-E-A-T before you invest more in SEO, the Adtek team can go through it with you. Reach us via our contact page.