E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T represents the quality standards that both search engines and AI systems use to determine which content deserves visibility and citations.

The Four Components of E-E-A-T

Experience

Added in 2022 to emphasize first-hand knowledge

What It Means:

• Direct experience with the topic
• First-hand use of products/services
• Real-world application of concepts
• Personal involvement or observation

Examples:

• Product reviews from actual users
• Travel guides from people who visited
• Medical advice from practicing professionals
• Business strategies from entrepreneurs

Demonstrating Experience:

• Include personal anecdotes
• Share specific examples
• Show photos or documentation
• Describe challenges and solutions

Expertise

Definition: Knowledge and skill in a specific field

What Google/AI Looks For:

• Educational credentials
• Professional qualifications
• Years of practice
• Published work and contributions
• Industry recognition

Examples by Topic:

• Medical: Licensed physicians, medical degrees
• Legal: Practicing attorneys, law degrees
• Financial: CPAs, financial advisors
• Technical: Engineers, developers, certifications

Building Expertise Signals:

• Author bio pages with credentials
• Professional certifications displayed
• Detailed expertise descriptions
• Published portfolio or work history

Authoritativeness

Definition: Recognition as a go-to source in your field

Authority Indicators:

• Industry citations and references
• Media mentions and features
• Speaking engagements
• Awards and recognition
• Peer acknowledgment

Examples:

• Quoted in industry publications
• Invited conference speaker
• Award-winning work
• High-quality backlinks
• Professional endorsements

Increasing Authority:

• Publish original research
• Contribute to respected publications
• Build quality backlinks
• Engage with industry leaders
• Win relevant awards

Trustworthiness

Definition: Reliability, transparency, and user safety

Trust Signals:

• Accurate information
• Clear sourcing and citations
• Transparent policies
• Secure website (HTTPS)
• Privacy protection
• Contact information
• Error correction
• Unbiased presentation

Building Trust:

• Fact-check rigorously
• Cite authoritative sources
• Display security certificates
• Provide contact details
• Show transparency about affiliations
• Correct mistakes promptly

E-E-A-T for Different Content Types

YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) Content

High E-E-A-T Requirements: Topics that could impact health, safety, or finances:

• Medical and health information
• Financial advice and planning
• Legal information
• News and current events
• Government and civic info

Stricter Standards:

• Must have verified expertise
• Requires strong authoritativeness
• Demands maximum trustworthiness
• Experience highly valued

General Informational Content

Moderate Requirements:

• Demonstrated knowledge
• Reasonable authority
• Basic trustworthiness
• Relevant experience helpful

Entertainment and Opinion

Flexible Standards:

• Experience may be sufficient
• Expertise less critical
• Personal perspective valued
• Trustworthiness still matters

E-E-A-T and Answer Engine Optimization

Why AI Systems Care About E-E-A-T

Quality Filtering: AI platforms prioritize content with strong E-E-A-T to:

• Reduce hallucination risk
• Provide accurate information
• Protect user trust
• Maintain platform credibility

Citation Preference: Content with high E-E-A-T is:

• More likely to be cited
• Cited more prominently
• Used for fact verification
• Recommended more often

Parallel Quality Standards

Factor	Traditional SEO	AI Citations
Experience	Ranking boost	Citation likelihood
Expertise	Authority signal	Source credibility
Authoritativeness	Link equity	Reference priority
Trustworthiness	User safety	Fact verification

Building E-E-A-T for Your Content

For Authors

Create Comprehensive Bios:

About the Author:
Jane Smith is a certified financial planner (CFP) with
15 years of experience advising Fortune 500 companies.
She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and has
published over 100 articles in the Wall Street Journal
and Forbes. Jane speaks regularly at FinTech conferences
and serves on the board of the Financial Planning Association.

Display Credentials Prominently:

• Professional headshots
• Certifications and degrees
• Years of experience
• Notable achievements
• Contact/social profiles

For Organizations

About Page Excellence:

• Company history and mission
• Team credentials and expertise
• Industry recognition
• Client testimonials
• Press and media coverage

Trust Elements:

• Privacy policy
• Terms of service
• Contact information
• Business address
• Security measures

For Content

Every Article Should:

• Have a credited author with bio
• Include publication date
• Cite authoritative sources
• Link to supporting evidence
• Acknowledge limitations
• Display expertise naturally

Measuring E-E-A-T

Expertise Indicators

Quantifiable Metrics:

• Author byline frequency
• Professional certifications held
• Years in industry
• Published works count
• Educational credentials

Authority Signals

Measurable Factors:

• Backlinks from quality sites
• Media mentions
• Social media following
• Speaking engagements
• Industry awards

Trust Metrics

Trust Indicators:

• Site security (HTTPS)
• Contact accessibility
• Policy transparency
• Review ratings
• Error rate
• Update frequency

Common E-E-A-T Mistakes

Weak Author Attribution

❌ “By Admin” or “By Staff”
✅ “By Dr. Sarah Johnson, Board-Certified Dermatologist”

Missing Credentials

❌ No information about author expertise
✅ Detailed bio with relevant qualifications

Lack of Sources

❌ Claims without citations
✅ Proper attribution with links

Outdated Content

❌ Last updated 5 years ago
✅ Regular updates with revision dates

No Contact Information

❌ No way to reach the organization
✅ Clear contact page with multiple options

E-E-A-T in the AI Era

Increasing Importance

Why E-E-A-T Matters More:

• AI needs reliable sources
• Hallucination prevention requires quality
• Users demand accuracy
• Competitive advantage for quality content

Platform-Specific Applications

Google AI Overviews: Heavily weights E-E-A-T signals for source selection

ChatGPT/Claude: Training data and RAG retrieval favor authoritative sources

Perplexity: Cites sources with strong authority signals

Taking Action

To strengthen E-E-A-T:

1. Audit author pages - Add credentials and expertise
2. Enhance about sections - Showcase organizational authority
3. Improve attribution - Cite sources properly
4. Update content - Keep information current
5. Build trust signals - Add policies, security, contact info
6. Demonstrate experience - Include first-hand insights

E-E-A-T isn’t just an SEO checklist—it’s the foundation of content that both search engines and AI systems trust enough to cite and recommend.