E-E-A-T Evaluation Framework

E-E-A-T Evaluation Framework

Updated per Google Quality Rater Guidelines — September 11, 2025

Plus December 2025 Core Update Implications

Overview

E-E-A-T = Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness is the most important factor. It is assessed based on the other three signals plus direct trust indicators.

CRITICAL: December 2025 Core Update

E-E-A-T now applies to ALL competitive queries, not just YMYL.

The December 2025 core update was described as a "watershed moment" that:

• Extended E-E-A-T evaluation to virtually all competitive queries
• Made author attribution standards tighter across all categories
• Penalized anonymous or generic authorship even for non-YMYL content
• Significantly improved AI content quality detection

Impact by industry:

Key takeaway: Even entertainment and lifestyle content now requires demonstrated expertise. Generic content no longer ranks.

YMYL (Your Money or Your Life)

Topics requiring highest E-E-A-T standards (but E-E-A-T now matters everywhere):

• Health and safety
• Financial advice and transactions
• Legal information
• News and current events
• Elections and civic trust (added Sept 2025)
• Democratic processes (added Sept 2025)
• Groups of people (potential for harm)

Experience (Weight: 20%)

First-hand knowledge and personal involvement with the topic.

Signals to Check

• Author has demonstrable first-hand experience with the topic
• Content includes original photos, screenshots, or data
• Case studies or real-world examples with specific details
• Personal process documentation or methodology descriptions
• Before/after results or outcome data
• Specific anecdotes that couldn't be fabricated

Scoring

• Strong: Multiple first-hand experience signals, original content
• Moderate: Some personal experience evident
• Weak: Generic information, no personal touch
• None: Clearly AI-generated or scraped content

Expertise (Weight: 25%)

Formal qualifications, training, and demonstrated knowledge.

Signals to Check

• Author credentials relevant to topic (bio, certifications)
• Technical accuracy and depth appropriate for audience
• Claims supported by evidence or sources
• Specialized vocabulary used correctly
• Up-to-date with current developments in the field
• Byline with author name and credentials visible

Scoring

• Strong: Verified credentials, deep technical accuracy
• Moderate: Demonstrable knowledge, some credentials
• Weak: Surface-level information, no credentials
• None: Factual errors, misinformation

Authoritativeness (Weight: 25%)

Recognition by others as a go-to source.

Signals to Check

• Site recognized as authority in its niche
• Author recognized as expert (external citations, speaking, publications)
• Content cited by other authoritative sources
• Industry awards, certifications, or accreditations
• Consistent publication history in the topic area
• Featured in reputable media outlets
• Professional affiliations

Scoring

• Strong: Widely recognized authority, cited by others
• Moderate: Growing recognition, some external validation
• Weak: No external recognition
• None: Negative reputation, known for misinformation

Trustworthiness (Weight: 30%)

The most important factor — overall reliability and transparency.

Signals to Check

• Clear contact information (physical address, phone, email)
• Privacy policy and terms of service
• HTTPS with valid certificate
• Transparent about who creates content and why
• Customer reviews and testimonials
• Corrections and update history visible
• No deceptive practices (hidden ads, clickbait)
• Secure payment processing (for e-commerce)
• Return/refund policy visible

Scoring

• Strong: Full transparency, verified business, positive reputation
• Moderate: Good trust signals, minor gaps
• Weak: Missing key trust signals
• None: Deceptive practices, scam indicators

September 2025 QRG Updates

AI Content Assessment

Raters now formally evaluate whether content appears AI-generated:

• AI content is acceptable if it demonstrates genuine E-E-A-T
• Low-quality AI content (generic, no unique value) is penalized
• The presence of AI-generated content is not inherently penalizing
• What matters: does the content provide unique value regardless of creation method?

Markers of Low-Quality AI Content

• Generic phrasing without specificity
• Lack of original insight or unique perspective
• No first-hand experience signals
• Factual inaccuracies
• Repetitive structure across multiple pages
• No author attribution or expertise signals

New Spam Categories

• Expired domain abuse: Buying expired domains for their backlinks
• Site reputation abuse: Using reputable site to host low-quality content
• Scaled content abuse: Mass-producing content without value

AI Overview Evaluation

Raters assess quality of AI-generated summaries in search results.

RSL 1.0 (Really Simple Licensing)

New machine-readable content licensing standard (December 2025) for AI training:

• Backed by: Reddit, Yahoo, Medium, Quora, Cloudflare, Akamai, Creative Commons
• Allows publishers to specify AI licensing terms
• Augments robots.txt for AI-specific permissions

Experience Signals Are Critical Differentiators

The December 2025 update elevated the "Experience" dimension as a key differentiator:

• First-person narrative ("I tested this...", "In my experience...")
• Original photos and screenshots (not stock images)
• Specific examples with verifiable details
• Process documentation showing actual work done

Why: AI can generate expertise-sounding content but cannot fabricate genuine experience.

Overall Scoring Guide

Improvement Recommendations by Score

0-29 (Critical)

1. Add contact information and about page
2. Establish author identity with credentials
3. Implement HTTPS
4. Remove deceptive elements

30-49 (Major)

1. Add author bios with credentials
2. Include first-hand experience content
3. Get external citations/mentions
4. Add customer testimonials

50-69 (Moderate)

1. Deepen content with original research
2. Build topical authority through content clusters
3. Pursue industry recognition
4. Document processes and methodologies

70-89 (Minor)

1. Maintain freshness with regular updates
2. Expand author presence across platforms
3. Pursue speaking/publication opportunities
4. Add video/multimedia demonstrating expertise

90-100 (Maintenance)

1. Continue publishing high-quality content
2. Monitor and respond to reputation issues
3. Keep credentials and certifications current