E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is a concept introduced by Google in its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. The term outlines the key factors that Google uses to determine the quality of a webpage and, by extension, a website. E-A-T is especially crucial for assessing the quality of content that has a significant impact on readers’ health, financial stability, or safety, but it is applied broadly across all types of content.
- Expertise refers to the creator’s knowledge and skill in a specific subject area. It means that the content should be written by someone who is knowledgeable about the topic, indicating that they have the necessary background or experience to provide accurate and useful information.
- Authoritativeness is about the credibility of the website publishing the content, as well as the content creator. It involves the site’s or author’s reputation among peers and audiences within their field. Authoritativeness is built through user experience, credentials, and what other experts in the field say about the website or author.
- Trustworthiness reflects the reliability and honesty of the website and its content. This involves factual accuracy, transparency about authorship and affiliations, and the presence of legitimate contact information. Trustworthiness also encompasses the security of the website, ensuring that users can trust their personal information is safe.
Google emphasizes E-A-T as a crucial factor in ranking decisions, especially for “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) pages, which could significantly impact a person’s future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety. Websites and content that demonstrate high levels of E-A-T are likely to rank better in search results, as they are considered more valuable and beneficial to users.
