What is E-E-A-T?

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — the framework Google’s quality raters use, as documented on Google Search Central (opens in new tab), to evaluate whether content (and the site/author publishing it) is credible. It isn’t a single algorithmic score, but signals like author credentials, real reviews, and accurate information all feed into it.

The "Experience" Piece Is Newer and Often Overlooked

The first E, added later than the other three, specifically rewards content written from genuine first-hand experience — someone who has actually run a restaurant, managed a clinic, or set up a review system — over content that reads as purely theoretical research. Real author bylines, specific details, and first-hand examples are what separate the two in practice.

For a local business, this plays out concretely in reviews, in an About page that names real people rather than staying anonymous, and in content that reads like it was written by someone who has actually done the thing being described.

It isn’t something that can be added retroactively with a single edit either — it builds up gradually through consistent, accurate, genuinely useful content and a track record of real reviews over time.

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