E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is Google's quality rubric for evaluating content and the source behind it, also influencing how AI engines decide which sources to cite.
The acronym started as E-A-T in 2014 Google Quality Rater Guidelines; "Experience" was added in 2022. The four components:
- Experience: first-hand engagement with the topic (using a product, visiting a place, holding a credential).
- Expertise: domain knowledge, formal qualifications, depth of treatment.
- Authoritativeness: recognition by peers, press, industry associations.
- Trustworthiness: reliability, transparency, safety, contact information, secure transactions.
E-E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor. It is the framework Google's human quality raters use; Google's algorithm is trained on those ratings, so sites demonstrating strong E-E-A-T tend to rank better. For YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) categories — health, finance, legal — E-E-A-T weight is highest.
For ecommerce, key E-E-A-T signals are author bylines, team pages with Person + sameAs schema, customer case studies, press mentions, certifications, transparent return policies, and verified-purchase reviews.