E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. It is the framework Google’s human quality raters use to judge whether a page and the people behind it can be relied on, and it describes the kind of content Google’s ranking systems aim to reward. E-E-A-T is not a single ranking factor or score, but the signals behind it affect how well your website performs in search.
This guide explains where E-E-A-T comes from, what each letter means, why trust matters most, and the practical things an Australian small business can do to show it, with examples for tradies, accountants and dentists.
Where does E-E-A-T come from?
E-E-A-T comes from Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, a long public document Google gives to thousands of contracted reviewers around the world. These raters look at real search results and score how helpful and trustworthy the pages are. Their ratings do not change the ranking of any individual page directly. Instead, Google uses them to check whether its algorithms are producing good results and to guide improvements.
The framework was originally E-A-T. In December 2022 Google added an extra E for Experience, recognising that first-hand experience (actually having used a product, visited a place or done the job) is often what makes content useful.
The term gets searched a fair bit in Australia. According to Semrush (Australian database, October 2026), “eeat” is searched around 390 times a month and “e-e-a-t” around 320 times a month, mostly by marketers and business owners trying to work out what Google wants.
What each part of E-E-A-T means
| Element | The question it asks | Small business example |
|---|---|---|
| Experience | Has the creator actually done or used the thing they are writing about? | A plumber’s photos and notes from a real blocked-drain job in Cessnock |
| Expertise | Does the creator have the knowledge or skill the topic requires? | A registered tax agent explaining GST registration thresholds |
| Authoritativeness | Is the creator or website a recognised go-to source for this topic? | A dental clinic cited by local media or a professional association |
| Trustworthiness | Is the page accurate, honest, safe and reliable? | Clear pricing, a real address, a working phone number, accurate advice |
Trust is the most important member
Google’s guidelines describe trust as the centre of E-E-A-T. Experience, expertise and authority all support trust, but a page can have plenty of expertise and still be untrustworthy (for example, an expert-written page selling a scam). The guidelines say an untrustworthy page has low E-E-A-T no matter how experienced or expert it seems.
The kind of trust needed depends on the page. An online store needs secure checkout and clear refund information. A medical page needs accurate, up-to-date information. A product review needs to be written by someone who has used the product and is upfront about any commercial relationship.
Not every page needs every element
A recipe blog might lean on experience. A page about tax law needs expertise. Google’s guidelines recognise that some topics are fine to learn from someone with life experience, while others really need formal expertise.
Is E-E-A-T a ranking factor?
Not in the sense of a single score. Google has said E-E-A-T itself is not a specific ranking factor. There is no “E-E-A-T meter” in your Search Console account. What Google does is use many signals that tend to line up with E-E-A-T, such as links and mentions from reputable sites, how well content answers the query, and signals about a site’s reputation. Its guidance on creating helpful content asks site owners to think about the “Who, How and Why” of their content: who created it, how it was made, and why it exists.
So the useful way to think about E-E-A-T is as a description of what good content looks like, not a checklist that games an algorithm.
YMYL: where E-E-A-T matters most
YMYL stands for Your Money or Your Life. It is the guidelines’ term for topics that could significantly affect a person’s health, financial stability, safety or the welfare of society. Examples include:
- Medical and dental information
- Tax, accounting, investing and loans
- Legal advice
- Safety topics, such as electrical or gas work
- Major purchases and financial transactions
For YMYL topics, Google holds pages to a much higher standard of E-E-A-T, because bad information can cause real harm. If you are an accountant, lawyer, dentist, electrician or financial adviser, your website sits in YMYL territory, and trust signals matter more for you than for a cafe or a gift shop.
Practical E-E-A-T signals you can show on your website
You cannot “add E-E-A-T” with a plugin. You show it through the content and information on your site and through your reputation elsewhere. These are the signals within your control.
A real About page
- Who owns and runs the business, with names and photos of real people.
- How long you have been operating (only if true and you are happy to share it), and where you work.
- Relevant licences, registrations and memberships, with numbers where appropriate.
Named authors with relevant background
Put a byline on guides and blog posts, with a short bio explaining why that person is qualified to write about the topic. A guide on hot water systems written “by Admin” is weaker than one written by a named licensed plumber who installs them every week.
Clear contact details
A physical address (or service area if you work from home), phone number, email and ABN. Make it easy to reach a human. For online stores, add shipping, returns and refund policies, which also helps meet Australian Consumer Law expectations.
Reviews and reputation
Google’s guidelines tell raters to research a business’s reputation using independent sources, such as reviews, news articles and industry bodies. Encourage steady, real reviews on your Google Business Profile and respond to them professionally. Mentions in local media, sponsorships and industry associations all help build an outside picture of who you are.
Accurate, sourced content
- Check facts and update pages when rules change (tax thresholds, building codes, health guidelines).
- Cite official sources where relevant, such as the ATO, state licensing bodies or health regulators.
- Show first-hand experience: real job photos, worked examples, what you found and what you did.
- Avoid exaggerated claims and fake urgency.
Writing that does this well is a skill in itself. Our guide to SEO copywriting covers how to write pages that are useful to readers and clear to search engines.
E-E-A-T examples by industry
Tradies
Picture a plumber in Newcastle. Strong signals include the business’s licence number displayed on the site (NSW Fair Trading lets customers check licences), photos and short write-ups of real jobs by suburb, the plumber’s name and face on the About page, plenty of Google reviews that mention specific jobs, and clear call-out fee or quote information. Electrical and gas work are safety topics, so accurate, careful advice matters even more. See our guides to SEO for tradies and SEO for plumbers.
Accountants
Tax and financial advice is classic YMYL. A practice can show expertise by naming the accountants who write each article, listing professional memberships (such as CPA Australia or Chartered Accountants ANZ) and tax agent registration, which clients can verify on the Tax Practitioners Board register. Articles should be dated, cite the ATO, and be updated each financial year. Read more in our page on SEO for accountants.
Dentists
Dental information affects health, so the bar is high. Show each dentist’s qualifications and AHPRA registration, explain procedures accurately and avoid promising outcomes. Health practitioners in Australia also have to follow AHPRA’s advertising rules, which restrict the use of testimonials and misleading claims, so build trust through clear information, credentials and accurate content rather than bold marketing. Our dental SEO page covers this in more depth.
E-E-A-T checklist
| Signal | Done? |
|---|---|
| About page names the real people behind the business | ☐ |
| Licences, registrations and ABN shown where relevant | ☐ |
| Guides and blog posts have named authors with bios | ☐ |
| Phone, email and address or service area easy to find | ☐ |
| Real reviews on Google Business Profile, with replies | ☐ |
| Content cites official sources and is reviewed regularly | ☐ |
| Real job photos and examples, not only stock images | ☐ |
| Privacy policy, terms, and refund policy (for stores) | ☐ |
| Secure site (HTTPS) and no misleading claims | ☐ |
E-E-A-T and AI search
AI tools such as Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT search also need to decide which sources to trust. The same qualities that show E-E-A-T, like a clear identity, real expertise, consistent mentions across reputable sites and accurate content, make your business easier for these tools to cite. Our guide to AI search optimisation explains how this works in practice. For how E-E-A-T fits into the bigger picture, read what search engine optimisation is in our complete guide.
E-E-A-T FAQs
What does E-E-A-T stand for?
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. It is the framework in Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines for judging the quality and reliability of content and its creators.
Is EEAT the same as E-E-A-T?
Yes. “EEAT” is just a shorter way of writing E-E-A-T. Before December 2022 it was known as E-A-T, without the Experience element.
Is E-E-A-T a direct ranking factor?
No. Google has said E-E-A-T is not a single ranking factor. Its systems use a mix of signals that tend to align with E-E-A-T, so improving the things E-E-A-T describes usually helps.
Do small businesses need to worry about E-E-A-T?
Yes, especially in YMYL industries such as health, finance, legal and safety-related trades. The good news is that a small local business can show strong E-E-A-T with real people, real reviews, credentials and accurate content.
Can AI-written content have good E-E-A-T?
Google says it rewards helpful content however it is produced. But AI tools cannot have first-hand experience of your jobs or clients, so content still needs input, checking and real examples from the people who do the work.
Need help building trust signals into your site?
Fuelled SEO is an SEO agency run by Darren Franklin from Kurri Kurri near Newcastle, working with businesses across the Hunter and Australia-wide. Our monthly SEO packages include content and ethical, white-hat link building on real websites, with no lock-in contracts and transparent monthly reporting. Call 0478 928 857 or get in touch through the contact page.