You’ve spent countless hours crafting the perfect blog posts. Your product descriptions are detailed, your website is fast, and you’re genuinely providing value to your customers. Yet, when you check your search rankings, you’re still buried on page three while competitors with half your experience are sitting pretty at the top.
It feels like shouting into a void, doesn’t it?
If this sounds familiar, you’re likely hitting a wall with something Google calls E-A-T. While it sounds like something you’d do at lunch, in the world of SEO, it is the secret sauce that separates the “hobbyists” from the “authorities” in Google’s eyes.
If Google doesn’t perceive your business as a trusted leader, it won’t matter how many keywords you stuff into your pages. Let’s break down exactly what E-A-T is and how you can prove to the algorithms that you are the expert you say you are.
What exactly is E-A-T and why is Google obsessed with it?
E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It isn’t a single ranking factor (like site speed), but rather a framework Google’s human Search Quality Raters use to evaluate the quality of a website’s content. Essentially, Google wants to ensure that the information it provides to users is accurate, safe, and written by people who actually know what they are talking about.
Google first introduced this concept in their Search Quality Rater Guidelines. These guidelines are a 170-page manual used by thousands of real people to grade Google’s search results.
In late 2022, Google added an extra “E” to the acronym, making it E-E-A-T, with the new “E” standing for Experience. This means Google now looks for first-hand, “been-there-done-that” knowledge.
“To help you better assess our results, E-E-A-T is now part of the Search Quality Rater Guidelines… Experience demonstrates that the content was produced with some degree of experience, such as having actually used a product or visited a place.” —Google Search Central Blog
How can I show Google that my team has the ‘Expertise’ to speak on our industry?
To prove expertise, you need to move away from “ghostwritten” or anonymous content. You must show that the person writing the content has the credentials, education, or specialized skill set required to provide that information. This is especially vital for “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) topics like finance, health, or legal advice.
According to SEO authority Semrush, one of the most effective ways to signal expertise is through detailed Author Bios. If an article about tax law is written by “Admin,” Google has no reason to trust it. If it’s written by “Jane Doe, CPA with 15 years of corporate tax experience,” the expertise is clear.
- Step 1: Create dedicated author pages for your contributors.
- Step 2: Link to their LinkedIn profiles and professional certifications.
- Step 3: Use Schema Markup (specifically Author Schema) to tell Google’s bots exactly who the person is.
“Expertise refers to the creator of the main content… Is the person an expert in the topic? Do they have the credentials to back it up?” —Semrush Guide to E-E-A-T
What’s the best way to build ‘Authoritativeness’ so my site looks like a leader?
Authority is about reputation. It’s not just what you say about yourself; it’s what the rest of the internet says about you. You build authority when other experts and reputable websites link back to your content, cite your data, or mention your brand as a primary source.
A study by Backlinko analyzed 11.8 million Google search results and found a clear correlation between “Domain Rating” (a proxy for authority) and higher rankings. However, authority isn’t just about the number of links; it’s about the relevance of those links. If you are a plumber, a link from a construction trade magazine carries more “authority” than a link from a local bakery.
- Supporting Action: Focus on “Digital PR.” Reach out to industry podcasts, guest post on respected trade sites, and get mentioned in news outlets.
- Source: Backlinko’s Search Engine Ranking Factors Study
How do I prove my business is ‘Trustworthy’ to a cold visitor (and a bot)?
Trustworthiness is the most important limb of the E-A-T tree. It involves being transparent about who you are and making your customers feel safe. For a business owner, this means having easily accessible contact information, clear refund policies, secure payment gateways (HTTPS), and—most importantly—honest customer reviews on third-party sites.
Google’s Rater Guidelines explicitly mention that “a large number of negative reputation/reviews is a reason for a Lowest rating.” Trust is built through transparency. If your “About Us” page is vague or your “Contact” page only has a generic form with no physical address, your trust score will plummet.
Trust Signals to Include:
- Physical office address and phone number.
- Clear Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
- Verified customer reviews on Google Business Profile or Trustpilot.
- An “HTTPS” secure connection.
“Trust is the most important member of the E-E-A-T family… untrustworthy pages have low E-E-A-T no matter how Experienced, Expert, or Authoritative they may seem.” —Search Engine Journal
Why does my ‘Quality Content’ still fail if I don’t have E-A-T?
Quality content is “table stakes”—it’s the bare minimum required to play the game. However, Google uses E-A-T as a filter to protect users from misinformation. If you have a well-written article about “How to Invest in Crypto,” but your website has no history in finance and no expert backing, Google views your content as a potential risk to the user’s financial well-being.
Google’s “Medic” Update in 2018 proved this. Thousands of health and wellness sites saw their traffic vanish overnight. Why? Because while their content was “high quality” in terms of writing, the authors weren’t medical professionals. Google essentially decided that if you aren’t a doctor, you shouldn’t be giving medical advice on page one.
“Google’s goal is to show the most relevant, helpful results… For YMYL topics, the stakes are higher. If we get the answer wrong, it could hurt people.” —Google The Keyword Blog
FAQ: Quick Tips for Business Owners
Does E-A-T apply to my local business?
Yes. Even if you aren’t a global brand, Google looks for E-A-T signals. For a local plumber, this means having a verified Google Business Profile, local Chamber of Commerce memberships, and reviews from people in your specific city.
Can I use AI to write my content and still have E-A-T?
Yes, but with caution. Google’s latest guidance states they reward high-quality content, regardless of how it is produced. However, AI cannot provide “Experience” (the first E). You should use AI to draft, but an expert human must edit it to add personal anecdotes, unique insights, and factual verification.
How long does it take to improve E-A-T?
E-A-T is not a “toggle” you can flip. It is a long-term reputation-building process. It can take 3 to 6 months of consistent expert content and backlink building before Google’s algorithm begins to re-categorize your site as an authority.
The Verdict: How to Start Winning Today
If you’re worried that Google doesn’t see you as a trusted authority, start by looking at your “About” and “Contact” pages. Are they human? Do they show your face, your story, and your certifications?
Next, audit your blog. Stop publishing “top 10 tips” that anyone could find on Wikipedia. Start publishing case studies, original data, and opinion pieces that show off your Experience.
Proving you’re an expert isn’t about gaming the system; it’s about proving to Google that you care about their users as much as they do. When you prioritize the truth and the user’s safety, the rankings will naturally follow.
References:
Backlinko: Ranking Factors Study
Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines
Google Search Central: Our approach to E-E-A-T
Semrush: What is E-E-A-T?
Search Engine Journal: E-E-A-T & Trustworthiness