Understanding E-E-A-T for SEO

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It’s a concept and framework that represents the qualities of a web page. Google’s search quality raters are people who have been trained to look for these elements in web pages that they are assigned to assess.

The History of E-E-A-T

Originally introduced in 2014, E-A-T was the original concept, comprising of just the three elements:

Expertise,
Authoritativeness, and
Trustworthiness

E-A-T was part of Google’s Search Quality Raters’ Guidelines (QRG), a comprehensive manual for the human raters to evaluate the quality of search results. The QRG provides a framework and insights into what Google considers to be high-quality content.

By 2019 Google had released its BERT algorithm update – Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers. This was a complex neural network based technique for Natural Language Processing (NLP) or Natural Language Understanding (NLU). BERT was able to understand language, particularly the structure and context, with concepts such as entities in language and even sentiment and intent. This allowed Google to deliver ever more relevant search results for complex and conversational queries. Ultimately, using BERT, Google was able to more effectively apply E-A-T principles to search results.

In 2022 Google added another “E” to E-A-T making it now E-E-A-T. The additional E for Experience made the new model:

Experience,
Expertise,
Authoritativeness, and
Trustworthiness.

The concept of E-E-A-T has become crucial in Google’s content evaluation process. And while E-E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor per se it is important to understand in the field of SEO. If you create content that complies with, and basically ticks as many boxes in the E-E-A-T canon, then you should perform well in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Why E-E-A-T Matters More Than Ever

With the surge in the availability of generative AI writing tools, the internet is awash with AI-generated content. Whilst it may not all be spam, it has become apparent that the volumes of web spam have grown so much that Google no longer quantifies using numbers. They once detected as many as 40 billion spam pages per day back in 2021, but since then have resorted to simply saying they have now detected X times as many web sites as this time last year.

So with the the remaining content that is not web spam, Google still has to assess the quality of that content. And this year, for the first time, AI-generated content has been flagged up in the new Quality Raters Guidelines (QRG) adding over a dozen pages to the guide.

Now, if you take into account the fact that internet users are seeing all this information, they need to be able to discern what is credible and trust what they are presented with. This is where E-E-A-T helps Google to filter through the increasing volumes of web pages and help to identify high-quality content.

Additionally there’s the notion of providing a positive user experience, and aligned with helpful content, Google aims to provide trustworthy sources.

Therefore aligning content with E-E-A-T principles is not just a great SEO practice. it’s essential for creating work that not only genuinely resonates with users, but builds trust, and stands out in a crowded web.

E-E-A-T’s Impact on SEO Rankings

While E-E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor, and there is no official E-E-A-T score nor any quantifiable measurement of E-E-A-T. (At least not in the public domain) However, it does significantly influence how Google assesses content quality. E-E-A-T is a guiding principle for Google’s algorithms. Content that demonstrates E-E-A-T is rewarded whilst websites that fail to meet E-E-A-T standards often experience ranking drops, particularly after major core updates.

The whole concept is about rewarding content that complies with the principles, while content that does not isn’t directly penalised, but does not see the benefits.

Put it this way – E-E-A-T is a principle that Google wants it algorithms to identify and, while it cannot be measured, it is indicative. Therefore E-E-A-T is an indirect ranking factor.

4 Steps for Implementing E-E-A-T in Your Content & SEO Strategy

So now that you know about E-E-A-T and how it came about, how do you implement the concept in both the content and SEO strategy for your website?

Here are some practical steps for marketers and website owners to take:

1. Demonstrate Experience

Showcase your organisation’s real-world expertise through case studies and practical examples
Incorporate user-generated content and testimonials wherever possible
Highlight first-hand experiences related to your industry

2. Establish Expertise

Create detailed author bios with their credentials and qualifications
Produce in-depth, data-driven content that goes beyond mere surface-level information
Engage in industry discussions and thought leadership

3. Build Authoritativeness

Earn high-quality, relevant backlinks from reputable sources
Contribute guest posts to respected industry publications
Obtain mentions and citations from authoritative websites

4. Foster Trustworthiness

Implement clear editorial standards and a robust fact-checking processes
Provide transparent information about your company and team
Regularly update content to ensure accuracy and relevance

If you already have these elements in your organisation’s website, then it’s worth looking at them again. You need to be asking yourself if you can improve what you currently have to take your E-E-A-T to the next level and gain the slight edge over your competitors.

Do your case studies need to be more helpful and comprehensive? Are you really showing off the knowledge you have in your industry? Is networking with your peers providing any tangible online benefits and can you leverage that any further? Do some of your best pages need to be refreshed?

You should be implementing continuous website development, especially with your content. So self-audit on a regular basis and monitor the results in the data

E-E-A-T for Different Industries

And what about applying E-E-A-T for different industries? Well that’s a great point, and you should tailor your E-E-A-T strategy based on your specific industry.

Content regarding people’s health and finances are particularly scrutinised by Google and fall under what they call YMYL – Your Money or Your Life. YMYL topics can effect everything from people’s financial wellbeing to their health and safety, so content in these fields needs to be accurate. any discrepancies in YMYL content can lead to profound effects on people’s lives, so Google takes health and finance particularly seriously.

Here are a handful of examples:

Healthcare: Ensure that healthcare content is written or reviewed by qualified medical professionals. Often, topics affecting health need to run by compliance teams in your business, so make sure those standards are adhered to. Also, you’ll be aware that you may need to comply with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as well as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Any health claims must be backed by robust evidence.
Finance: Provide advice from certified financial experts and ensure that your content. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the primary regulator for financial services in the UK. Their strict rules include any communication that invites or induces someone to engage in financial activity.
Law: Again, legal information is often caveated that it is not legal advice and further professional advice should be sought. Your content should abide by the principles set out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) here in the UK.

Of course, beyond these highly sensitive industries, you still need to ensure that you’re providing the very best content and user experience, whether you’re in construction or transport.

Measuring and Improving E-E-A-T

As with all things web, E-E-A-T is not a “fire and forget” concept. You have to keep on top of the quality of your whole website and continually appraise your digital assets:

Conduct regular content audits to identify areas for improvement
Monitor user engagement metrics as indirect indicators of E-E-A-T
Seek feedback from industry peers and experts

By creating a virtuous circle of improvement, you can really leverage the benefits of the E-E-A-T framework.

The Future of E-E-A-T

As search algorithms evolve, E-E-A-T is likely to become even more critical. Stay ahead by:

Embracing emerging technologies while maintaining a human touch
Focusing on user intent and providing comprehensive solutions
Continuously educating yourself and your team on industry best practices

By creating content that truly embodies the principles of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, you’ll not only improve your chances of ranking well but also provide genuine value to your audience.

Take Action

Of course, if you don’t have the time or resources to implement all the above deas into your website content to take advantage of the E-E-A-T concept, then you’ll need an SEO consultant. Hampshire-based (Farnborough), I work on local SEO projects for Surrey businesses, across the Home Counties, London and across the UK.

Call me on 01252 692 765 to discuss getting E-E-A-T baked into the DNA of your website and earning you ranking in the search engines.