The E-E-A-T Playbook: How to Prove Authority to Google and ChatGPT

The Framework Defined

E-E-A-T is Google's quality framework for evaluating content. It's not a direct ranking factor but guides Google's Search Quality Raters who evaluate search results.

The 2022 Update: Adding Experience

Google added "Experience" to E-A-T in December 2022. Why?

The problem: AI can synthesize expertise from training data. It cannot have genuine experience.

The solution: Prioritize content that demonstrates first-hand knowledge—something AI cannot fake.

How E-E-A-T Applies to AI Search

ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews use similar signals:

Query received
     ↓
Identify relevant sources
     ↓
Evaluate source authority (E-E-A-T signals)
     ↓
Weight sources by trustworthiness
     ↓
Synthesize answer, cite high-E-E-A-T sources

The AI Content Flood

2020: Mostly human-written content
2023: AI content begins flooding web
2025: AI-generated content potentially exceeds human-written
2026: Quality signals become critical for differentiation

YMYL: Your Money or Your Life

E-E-A-T is especially critical for YMYL topics:

The Differentiation Opportunity

In a world of generic AI content:

• First-hand experience is rare
• Unique data is valuable
• Verified expertise stands out
• Established authority compounds

What Counts as Experience

How to Demonstrate Experience

1. Show, don't tell

❌ "We have extensive experience in e-commerce."

✅ "Since 2020, we've built 47 e-commerce sites on Webflow, 
generating over $12M in combined client revenue. Our average 
site achieves a 2.3-second load time and 3.2% conversion rate."

2. Include process documentation

• Screenshots of actual work
• Before/after comparisons
• Video walkthroughs
• Behind-the-scenes content

3. Share specific learnings

❌ "You should optimize your images."

✅ "After testing WebP vs AVIF across 23 client sites, we found 
AVIF reduced file sizes by an additional 18% but caused 
rendering issues in Safari 16. We now default to WebP with 
AVIF as a progressive enhancement."

Types of Expertise

Building Expert Author Profiles

Author page essentials:

[Professional headshot]

[Role] at [Company]

Background

[2-3 sentences on relevant experience]

Expertise

• [Specific skill area]
• [Specific skill area]
• [Specific skill area]

Credentials

• [Certification/degree]
• [Years of experience]

Published Work

• [Link to notable article]
• [Link to notable article]

Connect

• LinkedIn: [link]
• Twitter: [link]

**Author schema:**


```json
{
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Author Name",
  "jobTitle": "Senior Developer",
  "worksFor": {
    "@id": "
https://yoursite.com/#organization
"
  },
  "url": "
https://yoursite.com/team/author-name/
",
  "sameAs": [
    "
https://linkedin.com/in/authorname
",
    "
https://twitter.com/authorname
"
  ]
}

Topic Expertise vs General Expertise

Topical expertise (valued by AI):
"This article about Webflow SEO was written by 
someone who has optimized 100+ Webflow sites."

General expertise (less valuable):
"This article about Webflow SEO was written by 
someone with 10 years in marketing."

What Makes a Source Authoritative

Building Authority Over Time

Year 1: Foundation
• Consistent content on core topics
• Basic backlink building
• Social presence established

Year 2: Recognition
• Guest posts on industry sites
• Speaking at events
• First media mentions

Year 3: Leadership
• Original research published
• Quoted as expert in articles
• Knowledge panel appears

Year 4+: Authority
• Go-to source for journalists
• Wikipedia entry
• Conference keynotes

Authority for Organizations vs Individuals

Organization authority:

• Years in business
• Client portfolio
• Industry recognition
• Consistent NAP
• Trusted backlinks

Individual authority:

• Bylined content
• Speaking history
• Publications
• Social following
• Peer recognition

Trust Signals for Websites

Trust for E-commerce

Trust for Content Sites

Blog Posts

Must include:

• Clear author with bio
• Publication date
• Last updated date (if modified)
• Relevant experience/expertise mention
• Sources for claims

Service Pages

Must include:

• Specific experience claims
• Client logos or testimonials
• Case study links
• Team credentials
• Contact information

Product Pages

Must include:

• Accurate specifications
• Real customer reviews
• Clear pricing
• Secure purchase options
• Support information

About Pages

Must include:

• Company history and mission
• Team members with credentials
• Physical location
• Contact methods
• Social proof (clients, awards)

The E-E-A-T Audit Checklist

Experience:

• Content includes first-hand observations
• Real examples from actual work
• Process photos/videos where relevant
• Specific data from experience

Expertise:

• Author pages exist for all content creators
• Credentials mentioned where relevant
• Content demonstrates deep topic knowledge
• Expert review for YMYL content

Authoritativeness:

• Backlinks from relevant industry sites
• Mentions in third-party publications
• Consistent coverage of core topics
• Organization schema implemented

Trustworthiness:

• HTTPS enabled
• Contact information visible
• Privacy policy present
• Sources cited in content
• Dates on all content

Quick Wins for Each Signal

Experience (quick):

• Add "I tested..." or "We implemented..." language
• Include screenshots from real projects

Expertise (quick):

• Create author bio boxes on articles
• Add credentials to About page

Authoritativeness (quick):

• Add client logos to homepage
• Link to external mentions

Trustworthiness (quick):

• Add dates to all content
• Create contact page with real info

Proxy Metrics

Since E-E-A-T isn't directly measurable, use proxies:

Competitive Analysis

Compare your E-E-A-T signals to competitors:

1. Audit top 3 competitors for the same query
2. List their E-E-A-T signals
3. Identify gaps in your signals
4. Prioritize improvements

Google Documentation

• Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines
• Google E-E-A-T Documentation

Industry Analysis

• Marie Haynes E-E-A-T Resources
• Lily Ray EEAT Analysis
• Search Engine Land EEAT Coverage

Implementation Guides

• Ahrefs E-E-A-T Guide
• Moz Authority Guide