Google E-E-A-T – its importance and how to implement it for SEO

Google E-E-A-T is a framework used by Google’s human reviewers known as Quality Raters. It measures the credibility and quality of a website’s content, and stands for:

• Experience: How much personal experience or direct interaction does the author or creator have with the topic?
• Expertise: Does the author have the right knowledge or qualifications to discuss the topic? 
• Authoritativeness: Is the website or its authors widely recognised as leaders or authorities in their field?
• Trustworthiness: Is the content accurate, honest, transparent, and reliable?

When was Google E-E-A-T introduced?

Google introduced E-A-T in 2018 within the Search Quality Evaluator guidelines. They then added an extra “E” for ‘Experience’ to make E-E-A-T in December 2022. This was because Google recognises the value that first-hand experience can add to content.

Why is the Google E-E-A-T Framework Important in SEO?

Many people have debated the importance of the Google E-E-A-T framework. However, the conclusion is that it is not a ranking factor. A ranking factor must be something a computer can understand and evaluate. At this moment in time, a computer cannot easily measure Google E-E-A-T.

Even though it isn’t a ranking factor, it is more important for certain topics than others. Google’s Search Quality Raters use Google E-E-A-T to access content. This makes sure the content is helpful, relevant and reliable for users. It makes up a fundamental part of Google’s Quality Rating Guidelines.

Is E-E-A-T important for Websites in all Industries?

E-E-A-T is important to all industries. Google recognises the need for expertise and credibility for many topics in different industries. However, it is particularly important for industries that come under the “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) category.

What is YMYL?

Google introduced YMYL in 2014. It helps to identify web pages that can impact people’s health, financial stability, or safety. Google stated that their systems pay more attention to YMYL categories. These categories include financial, legal and medical topics that demonstrate high Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).

Will Google E-E-A-T have an impact on AI generated content?

There have been question marks about whether AI generated content created by tools such as ChatGPT can meet Google E-E-A-T guidelines. A key issue is the “E” for experience, which refers to the firsthand knowledge of the content creator.

AI lacks the personal experience a human writer has. This makes it hard for content generated by AI tools to meet Google E-E-A-T standards, especially for YMYL topics.

If you use AI tools for content creation, make sure you read it thoroughly, fact check it and edit it before publishing. Google’s March 2024 Core Update led to the deindexing of hundreds of websites. This is because these sites had published excessive unedited AI generated content.

How can you implement E-E-A-T to improve your website’s SEO?

Experience

The “Experience” element of Google E-E-A-T looks at whether the content creator has personal experience of the topic.

For example:
If you run a dog walking business, you might write a blog about the “Top 10 Dog Walks in the West Midlands”. To show you are sharing your own experience, add details that only someone who has visited these places would know. You could mention the landscape and scenery and any hidden spots and local tips you may have. Also explain why you would recommend other dog walkers to visit. This will demonstrate your experience and increase your credibility as the content creator.

Make sure you share your own images and videos instead of stock images.

Expertise

The “Expertise” element is about showcasing your authority as the content creator. Google’s Quality Raters will assess the content and the person behind it. This is especially important for YMYL topics.

Showcasing your expertise helps build credibility. Include your professional qualifications, academic achievements and relevant industry experience. This can improve your content’s chances of ranking well on Google, and Google’s Quality Raters look for this information.

Authoritativeness

Authoritativeness in Google E-E-A-T measures how much authority your website and content creator hold on a particular subject. Essentially, are you seen as a go to source of information?

For example, BBC News is a highly authoritative source in the UK for news, and websites with a “.gov.uk” domain are authoritative for government services. Google determines authority based on the number and quality of third-party websites that link to your site.

One effective way to do this is through guest blogging. By adding useful content to popular websites in your field, you can get links back to your site. This helps increase your website’s authority in Google’s eyes.

Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness is the most important factor in Google E-E-A-T, as outlined in Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines. Google considers a website trustworthy if it is accurate, honest, safe, and reliable.

This is particularly important for YMYL topics. Blog posts or pages on these topics need to show a higher level of trust. This is because they will have a higher impact. For example, a blog about the US election needs to show more trust compared to a blog post about the “Top 10 Best Football Boots”.

You can implement several strategies to improve your websites trustworthiness and improve your sites SEO. Here are a few below:

• Make it easy for visitors to contact you: Have a Contact Us page that displays your address, phone number, and email address. This is also good for Local SEO.
• Displaying trust signals: Are you a member of an industry organisation or have an accreditation? (for example, Accentuate Agency is a Google Partner).
• Keep your content up to date: Make sure you aren’t displaying old offers or a piece of content that is no longer relevant.
• Display testimonials and reviews: This demonstrates social proofing and that you are trusted by other people or organisations.
• Ensure financial transactions are safe: If you are selling goods, make sure your website is safe for users to input their payment details. Google now shows errors to websites that don’t have a valid secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate, this enables SSL/TLS encryption and for you your website to be https://.
• Display your website policy: Make sure your website shows your cookie and privacy policies.

Why Choose Accentuate Agency for E-E-A-T Success

At Accentuate Agency, we specialise in creating SEO strategies that improve your website’s visibility and authority through the implementation of SEO best practices. One strategy we use is Google’s E-E-A-T best practices. We use this to provide helpful, reliable, trustworthy content for your website.

Find out more about our Local SEO Agency.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Google’s E-E-A-T?

Google’s E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These criteria help evaluate the quality of content on websites. They assist Google in finding the most reliable and relevant information.

What is the Google E-E-A-T update?

The Google E-E-A-T update changed Google’s search quality rules. It added “Experience” to the original E-A-T framework. This update emphasised the importance of firsthand experience in addition to expertise and authority.

What are the benefits of E-E-A-T?

Improving your website’s Google E-E-A-T signals can help you rank in search results. This can increase your visibility and build more trust with your audience. For businesses in YMYL sectors, strong E-E-A-T is crucial.

Do testimonials help Google E-E-A-T?

Collecting positive testimonials from recognised sources and trusted figures in your industry can help establish trust. It can also address any negative feedback and help you to actively collect customer feedback.

We recommend collecting reviews on your company’s Google Business Profile. This will help you to improve your local SEO. We also recommend collecting reviews on Trustpilot and adding customer video testimonials on YouTube.