What is E-E-A-T?

E-E-A-T, explained

The idea comes from Google's search quality rater guidelines, the handbook for the people Google pays to evaluate search results. Their ratings don't rank pages directly; they help Google check whether its ranking systems are working. The second E, experience, was added in December 2022 to recognize first-hand knowledge: someone who actually used the product or visited the place.

Google's own guidance on helpful content explains how it fits. E-E-A-T itself isn't a specific ranking factor, but Google uses a mix of factors that can identify content with good E-E-A-T. Of the four, Google says trust is the most important; the others contribute to it. And it matters most for "Your Money or Your Life" topics, content that could significantly affect people's health, finances, safety or society.

For a startup, E-E-A-T is less about credentials and more about proof. Show who wrote a page and why they're qualified. Use first-hand details: screenshots, real numbers, what you tried and what failed. Cite sources for factual claims. Have a real About page, contact details and clear policies. Don't publish claims you can't back up.

Google also suggests asking "Who, How and Why" about your content. Who created it, and is that obvious? How was it made, including whether automation or AI was used, and is that disclosed where readers would expect it? Why does it exist? Google calls "why" perhaps the most important question: content made mainly to attract search visits, rather than to help people, is what its systems try not to reward.

Being honest about limits builds trust too. We tell people our case study is our own product, and we publish the mistake that got our indexing throttled.

Why it matters for founders

AI-written content is cheap and everywhere, so first-hand experience and verifiable claims are what set a page apart. Those are also the signals that make people, and AI assistants, more willing to trust and cite you.

Example

Two posts explain "how to get indexed faster". One is generic advice. The other shows the author's Search Console chart, the exact change they made and what happened next. The second one demonstrates experience and earns trust.

Common mistakes

• Treating E-E-A-T as a checklist of author bios and badges.
• Anonymous content on health, money or legal topics.
• Statistics without sources, or made-up ones.
• Hiding that content was AI-generated when readers would expect to know.