What E-E-A-T Means Now + How It Affects Your Visibility
If you are in digital marketing circles, chances are you have heard of E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Whether you have heard about it or not, you still may not know the actual meaning behind it and the importance of its framework.
In this post, we’ll explore what E-E-A-T means today, why it matters, and how you can grow your visibility by applying it thoughtfully.
What Is E-E-A-T + Why Is It Important?
Google describes E-E-A-T (formerly E-A-T) as a framework used in its search quality rater guidelines—meant to help assess content quality. It’s not a direct ranking factor, but it strongly informs how systems (and human reviewers) evaluate content.
Here’s how the components break down:
Experience - The newest “E” added in 2022; the premise of this is to determine if the author or creator has actually done what they’re writing about
Expertise – This criteria is determining whether or not the author or creator has a deep knowledge and/or training into the subject matter in which they are writing
Authoritativeness – Is the author or creator recognized by their peers, reputable sites, or within their industry as a go-to source?
Trustworthiness – Is the content accurate, transparent, and reliable? Are sources cited? Is the site secure and ethical? This element tends to carry the most weight, so if users and reviewers can’t trust your content, the rest falls apart
With the rise of AI, generative search, and new content formats, Google and other search engines aren't just scanning for keywords; they are trying to surface reliable answers. That means E-E-A-T signals help your content stand out in an era of information overload. Content that highlights real first-person examples, lived insights, and data are going to be much more beneficial than theoretical stories and restated facts.
How Do You Grow Visibility with E-E-A-T The Right Way?
While “E-E-A-T” can feel abstract, there are practical ways you can apply it so your content can gain visibility over time with the right audience. While the following tactics work across industries, we do need to point out that if you are in the financial or health space (also known as YMYL or “Your Money or Your Life”), there is a higher degree of scrutiny. You can read more about YMYL from SEMrush.
Focus on Transparency
Transparency is expected today; audiences demand authenticity and evidence. Freely provide information that supports your position and trustworthiness:
Provide clear “About” pages or author bios – highlighting credentials, experience, and background
Cite and provide links to your sources
Disclose the use of AI so your audience (and search engines) can understand what is human-made vs. machine-assisted
Disclose if content is sponsored or if reviews have been incentivized
Ensure your site is seen as safe, with HTTPS, clear contact info, policies, and disclosures
Be accountable – ensure your information is factual and provide corrections when needed
Demonstrate Real Experience
As mentioned, lived experience is a key differentiator. Utilize case studies, client success stories, and before/after results that highlight the work you have actually done.
You can bolster this with user-generated content, client interviews and testimonials as well as original visuals that complement the experience you are sharing.
Build + Leverage Authority Signals
Getting backlinks and mentions from sites within your industry and from reputable sources helps show search engines and AI that your site is worth paying attention to. We explore this deeper in our post on building authority + earning mentions.
Create Content Depth While Being User-Focused
Provide meaningful answers to the questions your audience is asking through your content. Share the whole picture by showing evidence, addressing counter-points, and being open to discussion.
It is also important to keep your content fresh. Create a system for auditing your content regularly to ensure it stays accurate and relevant. And while you are auditing your content, make sure you are not keyword-stuffing or using sketchy linking practices in an attempt to over-optimize your piece.
Stay Active + Diligent
The world of digital marketing is anything but stagnant, so stay informed on the latest shifts and user-trends so you can adjust accordingly. Growing your visibility with E-E-A-T takes time and consistency, so don’t expect overnight results.
We encourage you to track traffic, brand queries, rankings, and backlinks to see where and how your content is being referenced. And, as more AI tracking tools emerge, you can also track your mentions and performance in AI overviews, voice search, and generative platforms. It is important to measure your efforts, analyze what is resonating with your audience, and update accordingly.
TL;DR
E-E-A-T isn’t an optional add-on, but it is foundational to being seen, trusted, and recommended.
The key piece to remember is to consistently show your experience and back it with signals of expertise. When you do this, you can earn authority from external sources and garner deeper trust from your audience. Together, this results in increased visibility in not just traditional search, but also through AI systems.