What is behind Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness & Trustworthiness – and what does it mean for SEO?
Before we dive into the details, let’s be clear: Google E-E-A-T – often pronounced 'Double-E-A-T' – is not a traditional ranking signal. There’s no specific 'E-E-A-T score' that evaluates your content based on expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness.
E-E-A-T is primarily a framework used by Google in its Quality Rater Guidelines to assess the quality of search results. These principles aren’t directly encoded in Google’s algorithms. Instead, Google interprets E-E-A-T using indirect signals and various data points to understand websites and their content as accurately as possible.
If you want to refine your SEO content strategy based on E-E-A-T, you need to understand which indirect signals Google evaluates – and that a strong content base always forms the core of your strategy. Without high-quality content, even the best E-E-A-T optimization won’t lead to lasting results.
What SEOs know about E-E-A-T comes from various sources: the aforementioned Quality Rater Guidelines, Google patents, help documents such as the guidelines for helpful content, case studies, and even leaks and exploits. The major Content API warehouse leak at the beginning of 2024, for example, provided valuable insights into Google's classification mechanisms. In the same year, the Google exploit by Mark Williams-Cook caused further discussion in the SEO community.
SEOs like Olaf Kopp, Lily Ray, Marie Haynes, and others have shared valuable insights in recent years on how to make E-E-A-T measurable. At the same time, we’ve seen the impact of targeted E-E-A-T measures in our own projects – translating the concept into actionable strategies for clients through in-depth analysis.
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Essentially, it reflects how an entity’s reputation is perceived online – whether that’s a person, a company, or a website.
According to Google, trustworthiness is the decisive factor, while the other three contribute to building that trust. This is because sites that are considered trustworthy typically demonstrate expertise, hold authority in their field, and offer clear evidence of real-world experience in the subject matter.
The concept originates from Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, a document that Google provides to its external quality inspectors – the so-called quality raters – for the manual, random evaluation of search results. Their evaluations help Google fine-tune its algorithms.
Incidentally, Google originally only spoke of E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), but with Google’s E-A-T update in 2022 the additional 'E' for Experience was added. The goal was to emphasize the value of personal, hands-on familiarity with a subject.
Want to check out the guidelines yourself? Google offers a downloadable PDF overview of the Quality Rater Guidelines – or, if you’re feeling ambitious, dive into the full 181-page original document of the guidelines. Sounds like perfect beach reading for your next vacation, right?
In the next sections, we’ll take a closer look at each of the four components of E-E-A-T and how they impact SEO.
With the addition of the extra 'E' for Experience in 2022, Google made it clear that subject-matter expertise alone isn’t enough – personal experience with a topic also matters. The logic behind this is simple: someone who has actually used, tested, or lived through something can describe it more authentically and helpfully than someone with only theoretical knowledge.
Google wants content to come from people who genuinely know what they’re talking about – not just from reading books, but from firsthand experience. A review of a camera written by someone who has actually used the device is naturally more helpful than a summary of its technical specs.
This also applies to medical topics, for example. It's less convincing if a medical device brand simply describes its effectiveness or references certain conditions. It's far more credible when a doctor with hands-on experience backs the statements and confirms the information firsthand. Personal testimonials from those affected – such as accounts of those living with a condition – can also carry unique relevance.
For SEOs and content creators this means:
Pure research is no longer enough. To establish credibility in any field, you need to demonstrate genuine experience with the topic. This can be achieved through personal insights and stories, your own case studies, or multimedia formats like authentic photos and videos. Google favors content where the author clearly knows the subject – so be sure that knowledge shines through in the content itself.
Expertise means that the content’s author has deep, subject-specific knowledge. It’s not just a general understanding, but about demonstrable competence. The more complex or sensitive the subject – such as medicine, finance, or law – the more important it is that the content comes from qualified experts.
Google evaluates expertise within the context of the topic. While a tax consultant or financial expert is more credible for in-depth analysis of new tax regulations, an amateur chef can certainly provide valuable insights into recipes they’ve personally prepared. This means that expertise should always be evaluated in relation to the subject matter. Particularly in sensitive areas that are considered 'Your Money or Your Life' topics (YMYL), demonstrable expertise is decisive (more on this later).
For SEOs and content creators this means:
Google prefers content written – or at least reviewed – by experts. Ideally, a medical article isn’t just written by an editor but is also fact-checked by a doctor. Author bios, LinkedIn profiles, professional certifications, or guest posts in well-known publications can help make your qualifications more visible to both users and Google.
Authoritativeness can be a mouthful – so in project work, many SEOs loosely shorten it to 'authority.' The core idea is this: how widely is a person, brand, or website recognized as a leading authority in a certain subject area? While expertise describes the specialist knowledge of an individual, authority is a question of general reputation and recognition within an industry.
When assessing authority, Google likely relies on tangible signals. A website that’s regularly cited or linked to by reputable sources is seen as more authoritative. For example, a health portal recommended by medical professionals carries more weight than a blog of unknown origin. Mentions in industry media, forums, social media, or participation in public discourse can also enhance the perception of authority.
For SEOs and content creators this means:
You can’t simply declare yourself an authority – it must be recognized from the outside. High-quality backlinks, mentions in relevant publications, or guest posts on reputable platforms help position a brand or website as a recognized authority. Close collaboration with PR and social media can further support this effort. If you want to show Google – and your users – that you’re an authority in your field, it’s not enough to produce high-quality content. You also need to actively work on being seen and referenced by the right sources.
When it comes to E-E-A-T, Google is surprisingly direct: trust is the most important factor. While experience, expertise, and authority are important building blocks, they are essentially all serving one goal – building trust in your website, author, or brand.
It's not just about the quality of the content, but also about whether a website is perceived as serious and trustworthy. A clear legal notice with real contact information, a transparent 'About us' page, and accessible customer service all signal trustworthiness. For e-commerce, trust signals like detailed shipping info, return policies, and payment security are especially important.
External signals also influence trustworthiness. Reviews and third-party certifications matter – but only if they feel credible. Star ratings aren’t enough on their own; Google favors detailed reviews with real names. Verified seals, test results, and a complete, up-to-date Google Business Profile can also build trust.
At the same time, negative signals – such as mostly poor reviews or critical autosuggest suggestions during a brand search – can naturally undermine credibility.
For SEOs and content creators this means:
Trust can’t be faked – it has to be earned. For long-term success, focus on transparency, reliable company information, authentic customer testimonials, and a strong online reputation. Because no matter how well your content is optimized, if Google and your users don’t trust your website, you’ve got a serious problem.
E-E-A-T undoubtedly makes SEO more complex – but that’s exactly what’s needed. Search engines are facing a growing challenge: the sheer volume of content is exploding, especially due to GenAI tools that generate endless articles – often with questionable quality and little value. To ensure that the most useful, trustworthy, and relevant content rises to the top, Google must apply stricter standards. E-E-A-T is its answer to that challenge.
It’s not a quick fix or a ranking trick – it’s a sustainable optimization strategy. Following E-E-A-T principles helps in multiple ways: content that demonstrates real expertise and experience not only ranks better but also earns user trust. At the same time, a consistent E-E-A-T approach supports brand positioning and strengthens your digital reputation.
E-E-A-T is also becoming increasingly important with regard to AI search engines. Our customer projects are already showing the first traffic gains via AI-supported tools such as Perplexity and ChatGPT – and the trend is accelerating.
A current example: OpenAI's new AI search function Deep Research is aimed specifically at users who "conduct intensive knowledge work in areas such as finance, science, politics, and engineering and require thorough, precise, and reliable research," according to the official introduction to Deep Research. Here, too, it is clear that the future belongs to content rooted in expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness. In other words, E-E-A-T doesn’t just help you rank on Google – it prepares your content for the next generation of AI-driven search.
And it's not just Google adopting these principles. Other search engines such as Bing, Baidu, and Yandex use similar frameworks to distinguish trustworthy, high-quality content from low-value, algorithm-generated material. That makes E-E-A-T essential not just for Google rankings – but for your brand’s visibility across the entire digital ecosystem.
Some topics require particularly high content standards because misinformation can directly affect people’s lives or finances. Google refers to this kind of content as YMYL – short for 'Your Money or Your Life.' These are websites that deal with health, finance, safety, or similarly important life decisions.
According to Google, these pages are held to the highest standards of trust and safety:
„For these ‘YMYL’ pages, we assume that users expect us to operate with our strictest standards of trustworthiness and safety. As such, where our algorithms detect that a user’s query relates to a ‘YMYL’ topic, we will give more weight in our ranking systems to factors like our understanding of the authoritativeness, expertise, or trustworthiness.“
Google, „How Google fights desinformation“
The more sensitive the subject, the more heavily Google weights E-E-A-T. Websites that publish unreliable or poorly vetted content face an especially tough time ranking well in these areas. Typical YMYL areas include:
One example from our own work: our collaboration with ThermaCare. By systematically revising the content strategy and optimizing the online presence for YMYL-specific needs, we significantly increased the site’s visibility and user engagement. You can read more in our ThermaCare case study.
Google evaluates E-E-A-T using a wide range of signals – both internal and external. It’s not just about a single article, but about the bigger picture: how credible is the domain or the entity behind it? Factors like brand reputation, third-party mentions, and site-wide quality are all part of the equation.
That said, there are targeted steps you can take at the content level to better align with E-E-A-T.
Google favors content from identifiable, qualified people. We make sure authors are clearly named and supported with relevant details, including:
Anonymous or generic text doesn’t build trust. That’s why we include:
A good SEO text doesn’t need to read like Wikipedia – but credible content should cite verifiable sources. We ensure that:
Google doesn’t just evaluate what is on a website – it also looks at how the broader web reacts to the content. The goal is to create content that earns links and mentions naturally. We focus on:
Note: We strongly advise against buying links – some agencies still offer this, but the risk is high. Instead, we focus on producing content that earns links based on its relevance and quality (Earned Media).
User reviews send powerful trust signals – to users and search engines alike. We support our clients in strengthening their digital reputation through:
Google doesn’t publish a definitive list of E-E-A-T factors. Instead, we infer them from various sources. As mentioned at the beginning, these include the Quality Rater Guidelines, patents, official Google documentation, leaks, and practical SEO experience.
There are many signals that might contribute. Below are what we believe are the most relevant, grouped into the four E-E-A-T pillars:
By the way: At Moccu, we make E-E-A-T measurable through our in-house evaluation tool. With it, we conduct comprehensive E-E-A-T audits that help pinpoint strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement – across domains, entities, and content.
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. The concept outlines how Google assesses the quality of content and the credibility of individuals or organizations.
Not directly, but Google applies especially high quality standards to "Your Money or Your Life" topics (e.g. health, finance, or law). Since misinformation in these areas can have serious consequences, E-E-A-T criteria are especially important.
No, E-E-A-T isn’t a direct ranking factor. However, Google states that aligning with E-E-A-T principles can improve rankings. There's no fixed "E-E-A-T score," but rather an overall assessment drawn from various algorithms and signals that reflect a trustworthy entity.
No, E-E-A-T stems from both on-page and off-page factors. Beyond great content, author bios, source citations, backlinks, mentions, and co-occurrences also matter. Co-occurrences refer to instances where a brand or expert is mentioned alongside a topic – without a direct link. Evidence suggests Google uses these associations to gauge relevance and authority.
Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines are a helpful reference. You can also find a structured list of key factors in our article.
That's not enough for you? With our E-E-A-T audit, we analyze how your website is set up. Make a non-binding inquiry now.
Yes, but only under certain conditions. According to Google, AI can support the creation of high-quality content as long as the content offers real added value and does not just reassemble existing information.
It is crucial that human expertise is integrated – for example through content verification, source references and clear authorship. Mass-generated content without added value can be classified as inferior and have a negative impact on visibility.
Thank you for your message! We will get in touch with you as quickly as possible!
