E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

E-E-A-T is not a ranking factor in the literal sense. It's a framework Google's external quality raters use to evaluate sample SERPs, and that feedback shapes how the ranking systems are tuned. The four dimensions:

• Experience. Does the content come from someone with first-hand experience of the subject? Added in December 2022 to the older E-A-T, in response to the AI-generated content wave.
• Expertise. Is the author or organisation actually qualified on this topic?
• Authoritativeness. Is the author or organisation widely recognised as a go-to source in this category?
• Trustworthiness. Is the content accurate, transparent, safe? Google considers trustworthiness the most important of the four.

For AEO and GEO, E-E-A-T translates directly into the trust signals AI engines weight. The Person/Organization entity graph, sameAs verification, methodology disclosure, dating discipline, citation depth, conflict disclosure: all are E-E-A-T operationalised for the AI-search era. The entity authority guide is the long-form treatment of how this maps.

The practical implication: a programme that scores well on E-E-A-T tends to score well on AI engine citation share too. The frameworks aren't identical, but the underlying signal is the same: verifiable identity, demonstrated expertise, transparent methodology.