EEAT stands for “Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness”.
Veronica Barberena
Veronica Barberena
December 13, 2023 — 3 minutes reading time
What is EEAT in SEO?
Photo by Benjamin Dada on Unsplash
Until a Google update in December 2022, it was just EAT (without “Experience”). Let’s take a closer look at what EEAT is so your content meets users’ needs and ranks higher on Google.
EEA (Expertise and Expertise are the manual that real effective ireland mobile numbers list people use to evaluate the quality of search results, based on the Guidelines for Search Quality Evaluators ) are part of Trustworthiness and Authoritativeness.
These people are known as quality raters. Their feedback helps Google measure the success of algorithm updates.
EEA is not a direct ranking factor in Google. But Google wants to deliver results with a solid EEA. Therefore, it is an important concept in SEO.
Additionally, a high EEA can improve user trust and generate more conversions on your website.
Please note that Google updates the Search Quality Guidelines approximately once a year. Here is a brief history of key Google EEA updates:
March 2013: Google officially publishes its Search Quality Scoring Guidelines.
March 2014: Google adds EAT (Expertise, Authority, and Trust) to its guidelines.
December 2022: Google introduces EEA and adds an additional “E” for “Experience.”
Now, let’s dive into the four components of Google EEA and how they intersect with your web content.
Experience
Quality content often demonstrates the creator's first-hand experience with the topic. It shows that they know what they're talking about and that those ideas are authentic.
The author talks about his personal experiences and opinions.
Knowledge
Quality assessors must determine whether authors have expertise in the topic. Do they have the necessary knowledge, qualifications, and credentials to provide reliable information?
Expertise often overlaps with experience. But they are not the same thing.
Authority
Authority refers to your overall reputation in your industry. Especially among experts and influencers in your niche.
Google quality evaluators are instructed to review the authority of the creator, the content, and the website.
For example, a WebMD article on abdominal pain is authoritative because:
WebMD is a well-known medical advice publication.
The authors, editorial contributors to WebMD, are health care professionals.
They ask an expert (usually a doctor) to verify the accuracy of the content.
Ideally, other authorities in your industry link to your content because it provides value.
In other words, people know you, they know your background, and they see you as a leader in the industry. They accept you as a good source of information.
Reliability
Reliability is the most important part of Google SEO EEAT. Quality evaluators must take into account the creator, the content, and the website.
Be clear about who wrote the content, edit it for factual accuracy, cite reliable sources, and avoid hiding content with ads.
It is also important to provide contact information on your website, especially for e-Commerce.
Conclusion
EAT (Knowledge, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) was the original version of EEAT. It was introduced in Google's Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines in March 2014, to help human evaluators review the quality of search results.
Google added the extra “E” for “Experience” in December 2022. Many creators are familiar with the concept of EAT, which is used to evaluate whether our search ranking systems provide useful and relevant information. Now, to better evaluate our results, EAT is getting the E for Experience.