Google E-E-A-T: Meaning and optimisation tips

Introduction to the concept of Google E-E-A-T

The concept of Google E-E-A-T is significantly shaping the evaluation of online content and is establishing itself as a cornerstone for success in the digital world. Experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness are the components that make a website appear to be of high quality in the eyes of Google.

These criteria play an increasingly important role in the ranking score and visibility of your website in search engine results.

Before we dive deeper, I'll explain the most important things in this video.

And now let's dive even deeper.

What does Google E-E-A-T mean?

E-E-A-T is a guideline that helps Google assess the content quality of websites and determine their placement in search results. The letters E-E-A-T stand for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. In other words: experience, expertise/competence, authority and trustworthiness.

By taking E-E-A-T into account in the SEO strategy, webmasters and authors can ensure that their content not only fulfils Google's current requirements, but also offers the greatest possible benefit for users.

However, implementing E-E-A-T principles requires a comprehensive strategy that goes beyond mere keyword optimisation and focuses on creating authentic, trustworthy and technically sound content.

The fundamental aspects of E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T combines the aspects that make it possible to evaluate the quality of a website. The experience that a piece of content conveys and the expertise of the people behind it are essential for building a trustworthy website today.

Added to this is the authoritativeness that a site enjoys due to its influence and recognition, and the trustworthiness that underpins the credibility of the content. All of this makes a decisive contribution to the quality assessment and therefore to the ranking.

Websites that receive high ratings for E-E-A-T tend to have a better chance of a higher ranking.

The 4 pillars of E-E-A-T in detail

• Experience: This aspect looks at how personal experiences increase the quality and credibility of content. Content based on personal experiences is particularly valuable for users as it often offers practical insights and solutions. Google therefore rewards pages where the author has personal experience in the topic.
• Expertise: This is about the expertise and knowledge that the content creator has in a specific area. Google rates content higher that has been created by recognised experts in their field, especially in specialised or technical areas. Factors such as education, professional experience, publications in respected publications and lectures are taken into account.
• Authoritativeness: Authoritativeness refers to reputation, which is the standing that a website or author enjoys in a particular topic or field. High authority is achieved through references from other experts, backlinks from high-quality websites, mentions in specialist publications and awards.
• Trustworthiness: Trustworthiness measures how reliable and secure a website is. The aspects mentioned above work together to contribute to trustworthiness. Factors such as transparent information about the website operator and clear, honest content are also relevant in this context.

Of all four factors, trustworthiness is the most important. This is the point that everything revolves around. The point that unites all the others. You can think of the other criteria as pillars of trust building.

Not all content has to cover all four factors to the same extent. Depending on the topic, other criteria are more important. Some content is primarily useful due to the author's experience, while others are convincing due to their expertise and specialised knowledge.

What is the difference between experience and expertise?

Expertise means that you have in-depth knowledge and skills. Experience, on the other hand, is acquired through the practical application of this knowledge.

I'll show you this using two examples.

Imagine you write a blog about your hiking tours. This blog can be absolutely credible, even if you are not a recognised expert. In contrast, a guide to diagnosing computer faults is more credible if it has been written by an experienced IT expert.

So you can see that E-E-A-T is handled differently depending on the website.

The evolution from E-A-T to E-E-A-T

The concept of E-E-A-T marks a significant milestone in the history of Google's quality score. Originally introduced in 2014 under the name E-A-T in the Google Quality Rater Guidelines, the primary focus was on the three pillars: expertise, authority and trustworthiness.

These foundations were intended to help evaluate the quality of web content and thereby improve search results for users. Despite its introduction, the concept only gained widespread attention four years later, following a significant core update in 2018.

This update, often referred to as the"Medic Update", clearly demonstrated the impact of E-A-T on the ranking and visibility of websites, especially those with medical and health-related content.

The expansion to E-E-A-T

With the expansion of E-A-T to E-E-A-T in December 2022, Google responded to the changing demands of users and the need to take greater account of the authenticity and personal relevance of web content.

The addition of the "experience" aspect emphasises that not only professional expertise, but also personal experience and authentic engagement with topics contribute to the credibility and relevance of content.

Elizabeth Tucker, product manager at Google, explained that content based on real experiences is often invaluable to users as it offers a deeper level of authenticity and reliability.

She wrote:

"To better evaluate our results, E-A-T now gets another E for Experience. Does the content also show that it was created with some experience, such as based on actually using a product, actually visiting a place, or having a person describe what they experienced? There are situations where you're most interested in content that has been put together by someone who has experience with the topic."

This evolution from E-A-T to E-E-A-T illustrates Google's desire to recognise and promote the complexity and depth of online content. Website operators and content creators are therefore encouraged to demonstrate professional expertise and authority as well as to incorporate the human element and personal experiences into their content. This holistic approach aims to improve the user experience while promoting a trustworthy, informative and rich online ecosystem. With the Google Core Update 2024, Google is taking another step in this direction.

How does Google search and rank?

Google uses complex algorithms to crawl, index and classify websites. The pages are evaluated based on a variety of factors such as relevance, quality of content, user experience and mobile suitability. By analysing these factors, Google determines the relevance and quality of a website for certain search queries and ranks it accordingly in the search results.

Ranking factors

The so-called ranking factors play a key role. These are criteria that Google uses to decide which pages appear at the top of the search results and which do not. They can be divided into the following categories:

• Technical ranking factors
• Content factors
• Backlinks and authority factors
• User experience (UX) and usability factors
• Brand and reputation factors

There are over 200 of these factors in total. No one can say for sure which of them actually make the difference, as Google keeps a low profile in this regard. However, SEO experts with many years of experience have developed a pretty good feel for them.

E-E-A-T and its influence on the Google ranking

The discussion about E-E-A-T and its role as a potential ranking factor for Google is complex and multi-layered. Officially, Google does not recognise E-E-A-T as a direct ranking factor in the conventional sense. This means that there is no quantifiable "E-E-A-T score" that flows directly into the algorithms for calculating the placement of websites in the search results.

Nevertheless, it is undeniable that E-E-A-T plays a significant role in the evaluation of content quality and thus indirectly in the determination of search results.

Practical observations and Google's stance

Our experience as an SEO agency confirms that websites that are characterised by high expertise, relevant experience, strong authority and pronounced trustworthiness tend to achieve better rankings in the search results. This observation is in line with Google's goal of providing users with the most helpful and trustworthy content.

Google itself emphasises that its algorithms take a variety of factors into account when assessing the relevance and quality of content. Elizabeth Tucker, a leading voice at Google, has highlighted that the company's systems are designed to prioritise content that stands out in the areas of experience, expertise and trustworthiness.

Elizabeth Tucker explained:

"Once we have identified relevant content, our systems try to prioritise among it the content that appears to be the most helpful. This is done using a mix of factors to determine which of the content is characterised by the aspects of experience, expertise and trustworthiness - E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) for short."

This approach confirms that, although E-E-A-T is not an isolated ranking factor, the qualities it represents make a decisive contribution to the evaluation and prioritisation of content.

How does Google check the E-E-A-T criteria?

So-called Google Quality Raters are responsible for the assessment of E-E-A-T. These are real people who analyse search results and help Google to improve its algorithms.

To ensure that search results meet the highest quality standards, the company has developed detailed guidelines for the evaluation of search results by human Quality Raters. The Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines.

These principles provide an insight into the evaluation criteria and serve as a reference for the continuous improvement of the search algorithm. By adhering to the guidelines, website operators gain a better understanding of how they can optimise their content to meet the requirements.

Although the Quality Raters do not work directly for Google, they are guided by the search engine operator's detailed guidelines.

The universal importance of E-E-A-T beyond YMYL pages

The role of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) extends far beyond the boundaries of YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) pages, which provide critical information on health, finance, law and other areas of life.

Although Google holds these sites to particularly stringent standards due to their potential impact on user wellbeing, the relevance of E-E-A-T is by no means limited to these categories.

The extended relevance of E-E-A-T

Google's quality guidelines make it clear that the principles of E-E-A-T have universal applicability. Any website that aims to gain and maintain the trust of its target audience can benefit from a strong expression of these characteristics.

This applies equally to educational resources, news portals and even topic-specific blogs looking to increase their visibility and authority in the digital space through authentic, knowledgeable and trustworthy content.

Updates to the Quality Rater Guidelines for YMYL sites

With the Quality Rater Guidelines updates in July 2022, Google has taken another step to refine the evaluation criteria for YMYL content. These changes emphasise the need for a nuanced view of the potential impact of content.

Particular emphasis is placed on the responsibility of websites that provide information that may have a direct or indirect impact on the lives or financial stability of users. It is crucial that such content is not only technically correct, but also understandable, accurate and from trustworthy sources.

E-E-A-T as a universal quality feature

The importance of E-E-A-T thus extends to all web content that aims to be an informative, helpful and trustworthy resource for its readers. Websites that want to be seen as authorities in their respective niches need to ensure that their content is not only relevant and useful, but also backed up by personal experience or professional expertise.

This not only promotes user trust, but can also positively influence the authority and ranking of the website in Google's search results.

Examples of YMYL pages

In addition, E-E-A-T can also be important for other websites. After all, any site that aims to build trust with its audience - be it through blogs, educational resources or news portals - will benefit from high E-E-A-T scores.

How can I improve my website's E-E-A-T score?

Before you start optimising your website for E-E-A-T, you should think about the basics. Take a moment to think about the following aspects that can improve not only the quality of your website, but also the relationship with your target audience.

• Experience: Think about how your experience and the experience of your authors can increase trust and added value for your readers. Investigate in which areas of your specialism lived experience is worth more than pure knowledge and how it can be communicated authentically. Consider using case studies and video marketing to make your experience tangible.
• Expertise: Identify experts in your field and consider how you can effectively present their knowledge and your own expertise. Determine what expertise and credentials are required to position your content as comprehensive and high quality.
• Authority: Analyse your social media presence and mentions on high authority platforms. Consider what content maximises value for your target audience and how you can build a community and create relevance through interaction.
• Trust: Ensure that the purpose of your site is recognisable at first glance and that technical standards are adhered to. Minimise disruption from pop-ups or ads and make sure important information is easy to find. Show the humanity of your brand to promote closeness and trust.

7 concrete tips to improve the E-E-A-T of your website

The following tips are based on our agency's experience over the past few years. They are not a guarantee, but in combination they will massively increase your chances of a good Google ranking.

Info: Please note that these are general tips. The weighting of experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness can vary depending on the type of website.

The 7 tips as an infographic

Advanced strategies to strengthen the E-E-A-T of your website

In addition to these basic practices to improve your website's E-E-A-T profile, there are more advanced methods. Here are some additional tips that address specific aspects of E-E-A-T and boost your website for Google and your users.

Integration of user experiences

Collect and present testimonials: Actively utilise your customer feedback by integrating testimonials and testimonials on your site. Authentic stories and reviews from real users can significantly increase the trustworthiness of your site.

Underpin expertise with certifications and awards

Highlight qualifications and certificates: If you or members of your team have relevant certificates, awards or other proof of qualifications, display these prominently on your website. Such evidence of specialist knowledge strengthens the perceived expertise.

Build authority through community engagement

Active participation in specialist forums and social networks: Engage yourself and your team in relevant online communities and social networks. Active participation and the exchange of expertise in these forums can increase the authority of your brand and your website in the relevant specialist area.

Building trust through transparency

Publish regular updates on your privacy practices: At a time when privacy and security are key concerns, communicating openly about the privacy measures you have taken can build user trust.

Use visual content to enhance the user experience

Use of infographics and videos: Complex information can often be communicated more effectively through visual content such as infographics and videos. These can help demonstrate your expertise and explain complex issues in an easy-to-understand way, which improves the user experience.

Encourage interaction on the website

Enable and encourage user interaction: Comments, forums or Q&A sections on your website can not only increase user engagement, but also show that you are open to dialogue and feedback. This encourages community building and builds trust.

By integrating these advanced strategies into your online presence, you can comprehensively improve the E-E-A-T profile of your website. This not only leads to a better Google rating, but also to stronger engagement and higher trust among your users.

Measuring E-E-A-T: toolsets and analysis methods

Analysing and improving the E-E-A-T of your website is crucial to standing out in the digital landscape. While there is no single toolset that will give you a direct E-E-A-T score, you can use comprehensive analysis methods to make an informed quality assessment and gain important insights into site quality.

Identifying the E-E-A-T level of your site

To determine the E-E-A-T level of your site, you should take a holistic view of the content. This includes the scope and depth of the content, the expertise behind the published information and user feedback. Various SEO toolsets help you to effectively analyse these components and draw conclusions from them instead of relying on 08-15 content.

Carry out improvements in line with E-E-A-T

In order to make improvements in line with E-E-A-T, it is important to collect regular feedback and act in accordance with the current Google guidelines. Only through continuous adjustments and optimisations can you increase the quality of your site. Follow the developments in the area of E-E-A-T and align your SEO strategy accordingly.

Frequently asked questions and answers about Google E-E-A-T

Why is E-E-A-T important for SEO and the quality of content?

E-E-A-T significantly influences how websites are rated by Google and ranked in the search results. A high rating in terms of expertise, authority, trustworthiness and now experience can lead to better visibility in search results, which in turn can lead to more organic traffic and ultimately more sales.

Can a single negative review affect the E-E-A-T rating of my website?

Whilst individual negative reviews are part of the bigger picture, Google judges a website's E-E-A-T rating based on a variety of signals and content. It is therefore important to create consistent and high quality content and promote a positive user experience.

What role do social signals play in E-E-A-T?

Although social signals are not directly considered as ranking factors, they can indirectly influence the authority and credibility of a website by increasing its visibility and reach.