E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. Google's quality criteria that AI models also consider when evaluating content authority.
What is E-E-A-T?
E-E-A-T comes from Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines, the document human raters use to assess whether search results are serving users well. The original E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) was extended in December 2022 with a second E for Experience: first-hand involvement with the topic, such as having used the product or visited the place. Google describes trust as the most important of the four and the others as ways to establish it. It is a framework raters apply, not a direct ranking signal, but Google's systems are designed to reward the qualities it describes.
Each element maps to observable page features. Experience shows in original photos, specific details and first-person accounts. Expertise shows in accurate, precise content and named authors with relevant credentials. Authoritativeness shows in citations from other trusted sources and recognition within the field. Trustworthiness shows in accurate claims, clear contact and business information, transparent policies, secure pages and consistency across the web.
AI engines do not use Google's rater guidelines, but the source-selection behaviour they exhibit rewards the same qualities: specific, verifiable claims; identifiable authors and organisations; agreement with other trusted sources; and current information. Pages that would satisfy a quality rater are, in practice, the pages engines tend to quote.
Why it matters for AI search
AI engines decide which of several retrieved pages to quote, and that decision favours sources that look experienced, expert, recognised and trustworthy. E-E-A-T gives a checklist for making those qualities visible: named authors with real credentials, first-hand detail, primary sources, dated and updated content, and organisation information that matches everywhere else on the web. Building those signals improves both classic search and the chance of being cited in AI answers.
Related terms
Topical Authority
The perception that your site is an expert on specific topics. AI models prioritize topically authoritative sources.
Source Attestation
The process by which an AI model verifies the authority and truthfulness of a source before citing it in an answer.
Information Gain
The unique value or new information a piece of content adds. AI favors content with high information gain.
Domain Authority
A score predicting how well a site will rank. Higher authority sites are more likely to be cited by AI.
Frequently asked questions
Is E-E-A-T a ranking factor?+
Not directly. It is a framework Google's human quality raters use to evaluate results, and Google's ranking systems are tuned to reward the qualities it describes. There is no single E-E-A-T score in the algorithm.
How do I demonstrate E-E-A-T for AI search?+
Attribute content to real authors with bios and credentials, include first-hand detail and original data, cite primary sources, keep facts current and consistent with your other web presence, and use Organization and Person structured data so the identities are machine-readable.