E‑A‑T: EXPERTISE, AUTHORITATIVENESS, TRUSTWORTHINESS – FROM BASICS TO ADVANCE

 

WHAT IS E‑A‑T?

E‑A‑T (sometimes written as E‑E‑A‑T after Google added an extra “E” for Experience in 2022) is a framework Google’s Quality Raters use to judge the quality of web content. It stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness – three qualities that signal whether a page should rank higher in search results, especially for “Your‑Money‑or‑Your‑Life” (YMYL) topics like health, finance, and safety ¹ ².

 

EXPERTISE – “DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT?”-

Basic level –

Show credentials. A simple author bio with a title, years of experience, or a relevant certification tells Google (and users) you have knowledge.

Advanced level –

Go beyond a bio. Publish original research, case studies, or white‑papers; cite peer‑reviewed journals; embed data visualizations. For example, a medical article should reference guidelines from WHO or CDC and be authored by a licensed professional ³ ⁴.

 

AUTHORITATIVENESS – “ARE YOU A GO‑TO SOURCE?”

Basic level –

Earn backlinks from reputable sites. A link from a well‑known industry blog or directory signals authority.

Advanced level –

Build a topical authority hub. Create pillar pages, interlink related content, and get mentions in press releases, podcasts, or industry publications. Use schema markup (e.g., Person, Organization) to cement the relationship between you and the topic in Google’s Knowledge Graph ¹ ⁵.

 

TRUSTWORTHINESS – “CAN USERS RELY ON YOU?”

Basic level –

HTTPS, clear contact info, privacy policy, and an “About Us” page.

Advanced level –

Secure payment gateways, transparent affiliate disclosures, regular content audits, and third‑party reviews. Trust is the most critical component; a page with low trust will rank poorly even if expertise and authority are strong ³ ⁶.

 

FROM THEORY TO ACTION – STEP‑BY‑STEP CHECKLIST

 

ADVANCED TACTICS-

Structured Data:

Use JSON‑LD to embed Reviewed By, citation, and same as properties – helps Google verify claims ¹.

Experience Factor:

Show first‑hand proof – photos, videos, case studies, or user‑generated testimonials ⁴ ⁶.

Brand Signals:

Consistent branding across social media, press mentions, and awards → higher authority perception ⁵.

AI‑Friendly Signals:

Since AI platforms also consume E‑A‑T cues, clear headings, logical HTML, and schema improve visibility in AI‑generated answers ⁷.

 

SUMMARY

(TL;DR)E‑A‑T is Google’s quality lens: Expertise (knowledge), Authoritativeness (reputation), and Trustworthiness (safety & honesty). Start with basic credentials and HTTPS, then level up with original research, robust backlink profiles, structured data, and continuous audits. Trust remains the cornerstone – without it, rankings suffer regardless of expertise or authority ³ ² ⁶.

Would you like me to break down a specific tactic (e.g., building author schema) with a concrete example, or perhaps dive into how E‑A‑T impacts a particular industry like health or finance? 🎯