{"id":13367,"date":"2022-12-28T16:41:29","date_gmt":"2022-12-29T00:41:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/?p=13367"},"modified":"2026-04-29T06:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T13:00:11","slug":"google-eat-content-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/google-eat-content-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"Google E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness in 2026 (Why It Matters for AI Search Too)"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to ranking your content high in search, Google E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness)<\/strong> plays a massive role in 2026 \u2014 and it\u2019s no longer just about ranking on a traditional search results page. The same E-E-A-T signals that decide whether Google ranks your blog now also decide whether AI search engines like Google AI Overviews<\/strong>, ChatGPT<\/strong>, and Perplexity<\/strong> cite your content when readers ask them questions. If you want to drive a meaningful amount of traffic from search in 2026, you\u2019ll need to nail these best practices.<\/p>\n

There are people who dedicate their careers to improving search engine optimization (SEO) and it\u2019s no wonder, since ranking can be the difference between blogs and businesses surviving… or failing.<\/p>\n

In this post, I will lightly touch on ways that you can boost your SEO strategies<\/a>, but I am going to focus on something that Google calls E-E-A-T. This is a little different than your typical SEO tips-style article, but still very helpful for understanding what Google is looking for in terms of content quality.<\/p>\n

Following the guidelines of E-E-A-T will not only improve your search rankings, but also improve your site and user experience.<\/p>\n

Google E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness Explained (Content Quality Guidelines)<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. What is Google’s E-E-A-T?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. What Industries are Most Affected by E-E-A-T?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Why is Google Using E-E-A-T?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. What Are Quality Raters Looking For?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. How to Master E-E-A-T<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. How E-E-A-T Affects AI Citations (ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews)<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
  7. SEO Still Matters (Here\u2019s How to Use SEO Strategies)<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    Google E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness Explained in 2026 (Content Quality Guidelines)<\/a><\/div>Click To Post on <\/i><\/a>
    <\/div><\/div>\n

    Disclosure:<\/strong>\u00a0Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I\u2019ll earn a commission. Know that I only recommend products and services I\u2019ve personally used and stand behind. When you use one of my affiliate links, the company compensates me, which helps me run this blog and keep my in-depth content free of charge for readers (like you).<\/p>\n

    \n

    Want to Start Your Blog the Right Way?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Check out my ultimate guide How to Start a Blog (on the Side) Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Read Now<\/a><\/div>\n
    \n

    <\/a>1. What is Google’s E-E-A-T?<\/h2>\n

    Back in August 2018, Google dropped a big algorithm update. This update was also known as the \u201cmedic update\u201d and it affected the ranking of many websites.<\/p>\n

    Initially, “E-A-T” was used for this update, standing for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. These are three things that Google uses to see how worthy a website is for ranking. Today, Google now uses E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness.<\/p>\n

    E-E-A-T is a little tricky to explain because it does not directly<\/em> affect your SEO ranking the same way that your site speed or headings might. However, Google does use \u201csearch raters\u201d which are people who confirm whether algorithms are working properly and if websites are providing the best user experience possible. These people are given guidelines which include the E-E-A-T criteria.<\/p>\n

    Danny Sullivan, Google\u2019s search liaison, explained it like this in a 2019 tweet<\/a>:<\/p>\n

    \u201cIs E-A-T a ranking factor? Not if you mean there’s some technical thing like with speed that we can measure directly. We do use a variety of signals as a proxy to tell if content seems to match E-A-T as humans would assess it. In that regard, yeah, it’s a ranking factor.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"Danny<\/p>\n

    And in 2024, Danny Sullivan reiterated this<\/a> on X:<\/p>\n

    \"A<\/p>\n

    To put it a different way, E-E-A-T certainly can affect your ranking, but to determine if your website is a good candidate to rank high they can\u2019t just put in some technical parameters into Google\u2019s algorithm.<\/p>\n

    For example,\u00a0long-form content tends to rank higher on Google searches<\/a>, but just because something is long doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s useful or reliable.<\/p>\n

    Google wants to produce results that give people information that\u2019s trustworthy, and they use quality raters to make sure that happens.<\/p>\n

    <\/a>2. What Industries are Most Affected by E-E-A-T?<\/h2>\n

    While E-E-A-T can be applied to any type of business or blog, the 2018 algorithm update did not affect all industries equally. It was called the \u201cmedic update\u201d by search engine marketing journalist, Barry Schwartz, because people with sites in the medical industry were most affected by it.<\/p>\n

    Blogs and Businesses in the YMYL Community<\/h3>\n

    It isn\u2019t only the medical community that was affected, however. Any website that might have a lasting impact on someone\u2019s life is also included. Your Money Your Life (YMYL)<\/strong> is another term that Google uses to help quality raters check sites. YMYL refers to any website that might share advice concerning a person\u2019s health or wealth.<\/p>\n

    Google released their guidelines for raters<\/a>\u00a0and explained YMYL like this:<\/p>\n

    Some types of content<\/a>, pages or topics could potentially impact a person\u2019s future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety. We call such pages \u201cYour Money or Your Life<\/em>\u201d pages, or YMYL.<\/p>\n

    The update tanked the SEO rating of a lot of medical websites, but the YMYL criteria can hit any website which might negatively affect someone\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

    Examples that Google mentions are:<\/p>\n