Overview

This page is the atomic definition. The deep-dive lives at e-e-a-t.

Definition

E-E-A-T is Google’s content quality framework, expanded in 2022 to add Experience to the older E-A-T model. The four axes are: Experience (first-hand use of the topic), Expertise (formal or demonstrated skill), Authoritativeness (recognition by others in the field), and Trust (accuracy, transparency, and safety). Trust is the central pillar; the other three feed into it. Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines define how human raters score E-E-A-T, and the signals feed algorithmic ranking systems.

When it applies

Use E-E-A-T as the content quality bar for any page that touches Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics: health, finance, legal, safety. Lower-stakes pages benefit from E-E-A-T signals but tolerate weaker proof.

Example

A medical-advice page lists the author’s MD credentials, links to peer-reviewed sources, shows a “last reviewed” date, and includes a corrections policy. Each signal feeds a different axis of E-E-A-T.

  • e-e-a-t - the deep-dive with signal-by-signal guidance.
  • content - the broader content quality discipline.
  • structured-data - schema markup that surfaces author and credential signals.
  • canonical-url - the canonical signal that consolidates authority.
  • how-to-cite - citation patterns that build trust signals.

Citing this term

See E-E-A-T (llmbestpractices.com/glossary/e-e-a-t).