E-E-A-T: experience, expertise, authority, trustworthiness
The acronym for experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness isn't just a buzzword but the very foundation of any modern SEO strategy. It's a guideline that makes sure you focus on what really matters: delivering real value to your target audience. And your carrot? Better rankings in the search results.
So let me dive into the acronym that everyone in the SEO world should have burned into their retinas.
What is E-E-A-T?
E-E-A-T (also known as Double-E-A-T) is an acronym for “Experience”, “Expertise”, “Authoritativeness” and “Trustworthiness”.
The concept of E-E-A-T comes from Google's Search Quality Guidelines, which aim to give users the best search results. That makes E-E-A-T inextricably linked to Google's Helpful Content system.
Despite the name, we're a long way from the world of gastronomy (which is also why the word “eat” is in quotation marks in the title of this article). On the contrary, we're firmly rooted in the digital landscape, where E-E-A-T can be your ticket to standing out on Google and other search engines.
The acronym for experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness isn't just a buzzword from an SEO consultant like me, but the absolute core of any modern SEO strategy. It's a guideline that makes sure you focus on what really matters: delivering real value to your target audience and being rewarded for it by the search engines.
You may have heard of E-A-T before, which has been SEO best practice for many years, but since the end of 2022 there has been an extra E to take into account in the form of “Experience”.
To compete for Google's top spots, it now takes even more quality content that reflects experience as well as expertise, authority and trustworthiness.
Let's take a look at each of the E-E-A-T criteria:
E, experience
The latest addition to E-E-A-T stands for experience and refers to the particular knowledge held by the author of the content.
If you want to come across as trustworthy to your target audience, you actually need to have some experience and therefore particular knowledge of the topics you write about. That's the only way the content becomes authentic, as it shows users that the author actually knows what they're talking about.
Let's take a quick example. Imagine you're going to invest in a new computer, and you've set your sights on one particular model. Would you take advice from someone who has experience with that exact model, or from someone who has no experience at all? Probably the former.
In the same way, the author needs some kind of knowledge of the topic, whether it comes from their education, work, experiences or other relevant experience. Just as the author of this article (yours truly, in all modesty) has experience with E-E-A-T and SEO.
Google rewards the pages that show experience in the topics they write about. With the huge wave of AI-generated content, it's important for Google to still have search results that feature quality content. And here, first-hand human experience is a key element.
E, expertise
Expertise and experience often go hand in hand, but they're not quite the same thing. According to Google, there are two types of expertise: formal expertise and everyday expertise. Formal expertise comes from pages with in-depth knowledge of a topic.
At Amplify, digital marketing is our expertise, and we demonstrate that through things like our Academy and a page of selected case studies, both of which demonstrate our (formal) expertise.
On the other hand, there's everyday expertise, which typically shows itself through things like recipes, handy household tips, gardening advice and similar guides. The point is clear: you don't necessarily need a master's degree or the like to boost your E-E-A-T score. It's simply about in-depth knowledge and the ability to share it with others.
The food blog Valdemarsro is a textbook example of how everyday expertise can lay the foundation for E-E-A-T. Here, the author, Ann-Christine, is really just a passionate enthusiast with a great interest in cooking, so everyday expertise was the foundation of the blog back in the day. The fact that she has since established herself as a formal expert is a side note.
Try googling any recipe, and I can almost guarantee that Valdemarsro will show up in the top 3. Personally, I'm a huge fan, both as an SEO specialist and as an amateur cook.
A, authority
Authority is very much about reputation and can, with a little caution, be compared to recommendations and reviews.
Many people believe you can only build authority through link building. That's not entirely true, though. Authority is also about strengthening your website through valuable content and recommendations from others.
You need content across several pages that answers users' questions and search intent. On top of that, you should create content that others want to share and link to. That tells Google you're an authority on your topic that others refer to as well.
That's why link building is naturally also an important part of building authority, even though link building doesn't carry quite the same weight as it did a few years ago. Quality links from trustworthy sites tell Google that your page is worth a visit and should therefore be higher up in the search results.
When you master this triad, you'll climb the rankings and dominate the top spots for your competitive keywords and achieve what we in the SEO world call ‘topical authority’. It makes your website the go-to place for specific keywords and topics.
Take Amplify's organic traffic over the past year, for example, which has truly exploded, partly because we have topical authority in digital marketing. In other words, we cover a lot of ground when it comes to terms and concepts within our own field.
User reviews: genuine feedback counts
Finally, it's a smart strategy for any website to showcase authentic customer reviews of its products and services.
But remember, only authentic testimonials from impartial sources count. Taking shortcuts with fake reviews can have fatal consequences for your trustworthiness, and you risk penalties from Google.
User reviews don't just contribute to your website's authority, though, but also to its trustworthiness, which brings us to the final letter of the E-E-A-T acronym.
T, trustworthiness
Google prides itself on delivering results that are both relevant and trustworthy. Want to get your page to the top of Google's coveted page 1? Here are some steps you can take to cement your website's trustworthiness.
SSL certificate: security first
SSL, which stands for Secure Sockets Layer, is more than just technical jargon. This technology guarantees a protected connection between your web server and the user's browser.
You know the certificate as the little padlock in front of the URL, and websites that have one make it harder for cybercriminals to access sensitive information.
Content with integrity
It can't be said often enough: high-quality content is the be-all and end-all. Always make sure your content is well researched and free of misinformation.
Google's primary goal is to deliver quality content to users, so you must avoid incorrect information at all costs, as it can damage your site's trustworthiness.
With the arrival of AI, this is more important than ever, because who is actually going to make sure the robots don't flood the internet with misinformation?
Spoiler: an author with expertise. That's also why Google recently changed its definition of what actually counts as helpful content, including with this wording: “Is this content written or reviewed by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well?”
So it's fine for ChatGPT or other language models to have written the content, but it needs to be quality-stamped by a (human) expert.
Greater accessibility
Easy access to contact information, chat functions and links to social media can be the key to increasing your website's trustworthiness. Make it as simple as possible for your visitors to get in touch with you. It signals openness and creates dialogue between you and your users.
Trustworthiness online doesn't happen overnight. But by putting these measures in place, you can be sure you're well on your way to strengthening your online position and improving your visibility in Google's search results.
Why is E-E-A-T so important for your SEO?
Mastering E-E-A-T isn't just a technical exercise but a deep understanding of the quality of the content you produce.
In today's complex digital landscape, where misinformation is very easy to come by, Google sets strict requirements for the content that gets into the spotlight. Simple keyword stuffing or low-quality link building no longer cuts it.
Instead, it takes a special effort to deliver expertise, build authority and maintain trustworthiness.
Search engines like Google have one mission: to serve users the most relevant and trustworthy content. When Google evaluates your website against the E-E-A-T criteria, the search engine is looking for the opportunity to offer the best user experience.
Websites that live up to these standards will therefore have a better chance of ranking high in the search results. And that's exactly the point of E-E-A-T: making sure websites meet Google's high standards and so reach users with helpful content.
Essentially, E-E-A-T isn't just a step towards better visibility online, but also towards building a strong, reliable and authoritative brand in a rapidly evolving digital age.
E-E-A-T is your compass in the digital landscape
YMYL websites and E-E-A-T
E-E-A-T is highly relevant for all websites, but for YMYL websites it can be the difference between life and death, between financial stability and bankruptcy – for their users, at least.
To understand why E-E-A-T is so crucial for YMYL businesses, we first need to define what YMYL actually is. YMYL stands for "Your Money Your Life", and in SEO it refers to web content that can have a direct impact on the user's health, finances, safety or wellbeing. Dentists, private hospitals, physiotherapists, debt collection agencies, lawyers and banks are all examples of YMYL businesses.
Imagine someone looking for information about medical treatment, financial advice or legal questions. Misinformation in these areas can be not only misleading but directly harmful to the user, either to their health or to their wallet. That's why Google insists that YMYL-related content is of high quality and comes from trustworthy sources.
This is where E-E-A-T comes in. For YMYL businesses, it's not enough to have correct information; the information also needs to be presented by experienced experts with authority and trustworthiness.
Experience: When YMYL businesses share knowledge, it needs to come from people with hands-on experience, so users can feel confident that the advice is rooted in practical knowledge.
Expertise: YMYL content should come from experts in their respective fields. Medical advice, for example, should come from a medical professional rather than a self-taught quack.
Authority: YMYL websites need recognition and trust within their industry. This can be proven through references from other reliable sources, certifications or industry standards.
Trustworthiness: For YMYL content, it's crucial that users can rely on the accuracy and reliability of the information they receive. Any form of bias or misinformation can have serious consequences.
When all is said and done, E-E-A-T isn't just important for YMYL businesses – it's essential. So if you have a YMYL website, your content needs to meet these criteria to protect your users, maintain a good reputation and, not least, rank high in the search results.
YMYL websites, above all, should take E-E-A-T seriously
How do Google's “reviewers” assess E-E-A-T?
Google's "reviewers", often referred to as Search Quality Raters, use a specific set of guidelines issued by Google called the "Search Quality Rater Guidelines". These comprehensive guidelines give detailed instructions on how the raters should evaluate web content, including how they should assess E-E-A-T.
A website gets a very low E-E-A-T score if…
- A page on YMYL topics comes from inexperienced sources.
- The website has a negative reputation.
A website gets a lower E-E-A-T score if…
- The content creator lacks sufficient experience. For example, if a product review is written by someone who has never used the product.
- The content creator lacks sufficient expertise, such as when a non-specialist writes a post about digital marketing.
- The website or the content creator isn't an authoritative or reliable source on the page's topic.
- The page or website isn't reliable for its purpose. For example, if a shopping site has minimal customer service.
A website gets a high E-E-A-T score if…
- A website demonstrates experience in its core area.
- It uses user reviews from people who have experience with the product or service being sold.
A website gets a very high E-E-A-T score if…
- The site is the go-to place for a particular topic. For example, Tesla has a firm grip on the electric car market and, for many people, has become synonymous with the word “electric car”. That gives it particular authority and trustworthiness.
- A content creator has extensive experience in a topic where experience is the primary factor for trust.
- The website establishes itself as a leading expert in a specific field.
Besides E-E-A-T, reviewers also look at other quality criteria such as the page's design, functionality, the impact of ads on the user experience and much more.
It's important to note that although the reviewers' assessments don't directly affect Google's algorithms, they help Google understand how its algorithms work in practice and where there's room for improvement.
AI-generated content and E-E-A-T
With the growing popularity of AI-generated content, questions may arise about how E-E-A-T can be applied to content written by a robot. In that context, it's worth considering:
The absence of personal experience: AI systems can analyse and "learn" from incredibly large datasets in a way that humans can't. That gives them a kind of "experience" based on the data they've been trained on.
But even though an AI can process millions of texts, its "understanding" is fundamentally different from that of a human expert who has spent years studying and working in a field. An AI model lacks the intuitive understanding, the sense of context, the ethical consideration and the deep insight that come from real, personal experience.
Lack of human expertise: Although AI machines can generate content based on enormous amounts of data, they may lack the nuanced understanding and subjective judgement that human experts bring. That's why AI-generated content can, in some cases, lack depth and expertise.
Authority challenges: For a source to be considered an authority, it often needs a recognised reputation and qualifications in a particular field. AI doesn't have "authority" in the traditional sense, as it has no education, professional experience and so on.
Trustworthiness issues: AI models can be subject to bias based on the data they've been trained on. If an AI works with skewed or unreliable data, it can result in misleading or incorrect content, which undermines trustworthiness.
Google prioritises helpful content above all else. While AI-generated content can offer scalability, speed and efficiency, it's important to approach AI-generated content with a critical eye when it comes to E-E-A-T. In most cases, a combination of AI generation and human effort gives the best result in terms of content quality.
Would you like to scale high-quality landing pages through automation and AI? Read more about how we work with Programmatic SEO (pSEO).
10 golden rules for improving your E-E-A-T
In the digital world, visibility in the search results isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a necessity. With search engines' focus shifting towards quality and trust, the concept of E-E-A-T has become central to SEO strategies around the world.
It's not just about ranking high, though, but also about building a strong and positive brand that resonates with your target audience. E-E-A-T is your compass on this journey.
To help you on your way, I've put together 10 golden rules that are worth keeping in mind when you work with E-E-A-T.
1. Remember digital PR
Highlight your company's expertise and achievements by building relationships with media and industry-relevant blogs. It cements not only your online visibility but also your authority in the industry.
2. Create original content
When you cite information, make sure you refer to recognised and trustworthy sources. It strengthens the reliability of your content.
YMYL businesses in particular need to link to any research or other sources that can back up their claims.
3. Make your mark with topical authority
Specialise in specific topics within your niche. The more in-depth and comprehensive your content is on specific topics, the more likely search engines are to see you as an authority.
Google works with semantic associations. So if you have lots of different pages that all touch on a particular topic and also link internally between them, your topical authority on that topic grows too.
At the risk of blowing our own trumpet, we at Amplify have, for example, lots of articles about SEO, including this one. That way, we also show Google that our website is an authority on SEO, because we have topical authority through so-called “topic clusters” on the subject.
4. Make your expertise clear
Make it clear who is behind the content. An in-depth author bio or an informative about us page can highlight your expertise or that of your colleagues.
5. Use trustworthy sources
When you cite information, make sure you refer to recognised and trustworthy sources. It strengthens the reliability of your content.
YMYL businesses in particular need to link to any research or other sources that can back up their claims.
6. Work on your brand reputation
Good reviews on Google, Trustpilot etc., positive mentions and good customer service can all help increase your company's trustworthiness.
That's why you also need to keep an eye on negative mentions, and if bad reviews come in, you should respond promptly and professionally.
7. Use UGC
User-generated content means user reviews, comments and content created by users, which can increase your trustworthiness, especially if they're positive and authentic.
8. Build authoritative backlinks
Link building can help build authority. When reputable websites link to your site, it can improve your authority in the eyes of the search engines. So be proactive about building quality links from trustworthy sources.
9. Showcase customer case studies
Nothing speaks more clearly about your authority and trustworthiness than concrete examples. Share case studies or success stories that show how your products or services have benefited others.
For example, at Amplify we've gathered some of our success stories with current clients, so potential clients can see what they can expect from working with us.
10. Update your content regularly
One thing is certain: the world is constantly changing, and information can quickly become outdated. So make sure you review and update your content regularly, so it stays relevant and accurate.
Good reviews can have a direct influence on your E-E-A-T
Get help with E-E-A-T from Amplify
Amplify is a 360-degree digital marketing agency, so of course we can also put SEO agency on our CV. That's why we work actively with E-E-A-T every single day when we help our clients with digital marketing.
So if you need input on how to improve your E-E-A-T and your SEO, get in touch to hear about your options for putting together a plan that puts your business front and centre in Google's spotlight!
