E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
In short
E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. Google uses it to describe content that can be trusted.
The term comes from the guidelines Google gives its quality raters, people who check whether the search results are good. The first E, for experience, was added in December 2022. Before that it was E-A-T.
What it is, and what it is not
E-E-A-T is not a ranking factor in itself. Google says so plainly on Search Central. The quality raters' assessments are not used directly in ranking either. Instead, Google uses a mix of signals that together aim to find content with these qualities. Of the four, trustworthiness is the most important, according to Google.
Where a small business has the edge
For a small business, this is often where you are ahead. You have done the work yourself, many times. You can show that: write in your own words, use your own photos and say who is behind the business. Generic text that could sit on any website shows none of it. That applies as much to SEO as to AI search.
What you can do today
Look at your service pages through a new customer's eyes. Do they say who does the work, what training or certification they have, and how to get hold of you? Add a name, a photo and a couple of lines about experience on your about page, and link to it from the service pages.
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