What Your Website Needs To Meet Google’s E-E-A-T Guidelines

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you understand that a website alone isn’t enough to perform well online, and it hasn’t for quite some time. What has become more and more important is creating a digital presence that Google and your customers trust.
Enter E-E-A-T: the critical framework that can make or break your online visibility.

E-E-A-T is a key concept in SEO that determines how search engines evaluate the quality and reliability of your website. Understanding and implementing E-E-A-T can help improve your rankings, build user trust, and drive conversions.

Let’s address some common questions before diving deeper into how to optimise your website and online presence for E-E-A-T.

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
These factors are part of Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines which help measure content quality and credibility.

Google uses E-E-A-T to ensure users receive reliable, high-quality and relevant content. This is especially important for industries like healthcare, legal services or childcare, where trust and accuracy are non-negotiable.

• Websites that demonstrate strong E-E-A-T are more likely to:
• Rank higher in search results
• Attract more organic traffic
• Build stronger customer relationships
• Establish industry leadership

Google and other search engines evaluate “Experience” by assessing whether the content reflects first-hand knowledge or practical insights. These could be case studies, a portfolio, or examples of completed projects with photos.

The content should demonstrate personal experience and insights beyond generic information.

A website that has strong E-E-A-T signals builds credibility and positively impacts user behaviour. When users trust your website and your brand, they are more likely to engage with your content, get in contact or make a transaction – increasing your conversion rates.

• 92% of consumers trust recommendations from personal experience
• Websites with strong credibility see up to 300% higher conversion rates
• Users spend more time on websites they consider reliable and authoritative

Now that you have an understanding of what E-E-A-T is and why it’s important, let’s look at the best practices on how you can address each element effectively, followed by practical tips and examples for different industries.

Best Practices:

• Include case studies, project galleries, or before and after photos showcasing your work and behind-the-scenes insights
• Share detailed customer success stories – depending on the industry, this can entail “the problem“, “the solution“, and how you approached the challenge
• Write content with industry specific advice that comes from your personal experience and reflects practical industry challenges
• What also works great, in combination with any of the above, are multimedia elements like videos and infographics to provide hands-on insights

Best Practices:

• Publish well-researched blog posts or guides on topics relevant to your industry and business
• Regularly update your content to reflect the latest industry trends and developments
• Every blog should include an author box with a short bio and credentials of the person who wrote the content
• Highlight your professional qualifications within your website content or by creating dedicated profile pages
• Use technical language appropriately and cite credible sources and research

Best Practices:

• Improve the quality and relevance of your website content, focusing on the credibility of information that makes you a trusted source in the industry
• Showcasing your expertise by publishing blog articles and guides on industry specific topics is also an important way to build topical authority
• Earn mentions from respected industry publications or directories
• Contribute guest articles to established platforms and secure quality backlinks from reputable websites
• Showcase professional awards, nominations and recognition

Best Practices:

• Highlight your personal or business certifications, licenses and awards on your website
• Social proof such as positive reviews on your Google Business Profile (GBP) can help create trust, similar to a ‘word of mouth’ recommendation from a friend
• Display clear contact information, transparent pricing, T&Cs and privacy policies on your website
• Ensure your business details and contact information across your entire digital presence (social media, listings in directories, external press releases etc.) align with the info on your website
• Regular posts and activity on your social media channels can reassure users that your business is active and consistently engaged
• Implement HTTPS to ensure secure browsing, and maintain a professional website design as well as content free of grammatical or spelling errors

Best Practices for Plumbers, Electricians etc.:

• Create project galleries with photos and detailed descriptions of completed jobs – on your website as well as social media
• Encourage customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile (GBP) and reply to every review
• Highlight your licensing credentials and certifications as well as insurance details
• If possible, provide clear and upfront pricing on your website
• Provide context around the years you’ve been in business and highlight your expertise in the services you specialise in as part of your trade
• Publish step-by-step service guides and blogs on topics relevant to your trade
• Include photos or videos of your team on your website to give customers a sense of familiarity and trust with the team members potentially entering their home

Best Practices for Lawyers, Accountants etc.:

• Publish regular articles with in-depth, research-backed content on legal/financial topics as well as news within your business and your industry such as changes to laws
• Create profile pages for your team members with professional bios highlighting their educational background, industry experience, specialisations, memberships etc.
• Add an author box to every published article and add a link to the respective profile page
• Highlight your company’s or individual awards, nominations, certificates, bar association memberships, affiliations with professional legal bodies, CPA certifications etc.
• Create a client portfolio by mentioning clients you’ve worked with or create anonymised case studies
• If possible, provide transparent information about your fee structures with details about billing, hourly rates, flat fees, retainers etc.
• Highlight media mentions, published books or articles in external publications as well as participation in seminars, conferences, webinars or podcasts
• Clearly outline your specialisations, practice areas and expertise in niche areas
• Ensure your website and online portals are secure for safely sharing sensitive documents

Best Practices for GPs, Medical Specialists, Dentists etc.:

• Publish regular articles with in-depth, research-backed content on legal/financial topics as well as news within your business and your industry such as changes to laws
• Create profile pages for your team members with professional bios highlighting their educational background, industry experience, specialisations, memberships etc.
• Add an author box to every published article and add a link to the respective profile page
• Highlight your company’s or individual awards, nominations, certificates, bar association memberships, affiliations with professional legal bodies, CPA certifications etc.
• Create a client portfolio by mentioning clients you’ve worked with or create anonymised case studies
• If possible, provide transparent information about your fee structures with details about billing, hourly rates, flat fees, retainers etc.
• Highlight media mentions, published books or articles in external publications as well as participation in seminars, conferences, webinars or podcasts
• Clearly outline your specialisations, practice areas and expertise in niche areas
• Ensure your website and online portals are secure for safely sharing sensitive documents

E-E-A-T isn’t about perfection – it’s about consistent, transparent communication. By focusing on experience, expertise, authority and trust, you can set yourself apart in any industry.

These elements are also becoming more of a factor to setting yourself apart from the competition that is using generic, AI generated content. By providing more specific information, personal experience, case studies, certifications, profile pages etc., you’re offering more value to users visiting your website. 

At EDGE, our SEO team on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane specialise in creating tailored strategies that align with Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines. Get in touch with us if you wish to speak to one of our experts.