Google Clarifies EEAT: What It Really Means and How It Impacts Your Website’s SEO
EEAT Is Not Something You Can "Add" to Your Pages – Here’s What You Need to Know About Google’s New Approach
3 min readHighlights
- EAT Can’t Be Added: John Mueller clarifies that EEAT isn’t something SEOs can add to their site to improve rankings.
- Impact on YMYL Topics: EEAT plays a crucial role in evaluating content for Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics like health and finance.
- Trust and Expertise Matter: Focus on creating authentic, trustworthy content rather than trying to “sprinkle” EEAT onto your web pages.
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Introduction:
In a recent Search Central Live NYC event, Google’s John Mueller took the stage to clear up some misconceptions about EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Many SEO professionals have been scratching their heads over how to “add” EEAT to their sites to improve rankings. But according to Mueller, that’s not how EEAT works at all. Let’s dive into what Mueller shared and how it affects your SEO strategy, especially if your website is in a critical space like health, finance, or safety.
What Is EEAT, and Why Does It Matter?
EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It’s a framework used by Google’s third-party quality raters to assess the reliability of web pages, particularly for topics that could impact users’ health, financial stability, or safety—also known as YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics.
While EEAT plays a significant role in assessing page quality for certain categories, it is not a ranking factor that you can directly manipulate with SEO techniques. Google does not want you to “add EEAT” to your page like you would a keyword or internal link. Instead, it’s a process that focuses on the overall trustworthiness of your content, especially in sensitive domains.
EEAT for YMYL Websites: Why It’s Crucial
If your site deals with critical topics like health or finance, EEAT becomes especially important. Google’s algorithm considers it when evaluating whether your content is reliable enough to help users make informed decisions about important matters in their lives.
According to Mueller, “EEAT is one of the ways we look at page quality, particularly for pages where users need to trust the information.” This is crucial for pages that can impact a user’s well-being or financial situation.
Misunderstanding EEAT: What SEOs Should Know
Mueller explicitly stated that SEOs should stop trying to “add” EEAT to their sites. Adding an author bio or linking to a fake LinkedIn profile with the intention of showing authority won’t magically improve your rankings. Trust is something that develops over time, through consistent, reliable content and real-world recognition, not through “tricks” or shortcuts.
As Mueller puts it:
“Sometimes SEOs come to us and mention that they’ve added EEAT to their web pages. That’s not how it works. You can’t sprinkle experiences on your pages; that doesn’t make sense.”
So, authenticity and reliability are the true keys. Don’t focus on trying to game the system—build your trust naturally with valuable content that users can rely on.
EEAT: Not Necessary for Non-YMYL Sites
It’s important to note that EEAT is not a ranking factor for websites that don’t fall under the YMYL category. Mueller specifically pointed out that sites like recipe blogs or general lifestyle websites don’t need to focus on EEAT in the same way. While it’s still great to demonstrate expertise and trustworthiness, it won’t be the determining factor for ranking your content on non-critical topics.
For example, if you’re sharing a recipe for cookies, it’s not necessary to include a lengthy bio about your 27 years of baking experience. Most people will just care about how good the recipe is and how easy it is to follow.
Key Takeaways:
- EEAT is a framework for quality raters: It helps third-party evaluators assess the trustworthiness of content, particularly for YMYL topics like health and finance.
- It’s not an SEO checklist: You can’t “add EEAT” to your pages like other ranking factors. Trust is built through authentic, reliable content.
- Focus on YMYL topics: EEAT is algorithmically important only for pages that could impact users’ health, safety, or finances.
- No need for EEAT on non-YMYL sites: Websites about non-critical topics, like recipes or lifestyle, don’t need to focus on EEAT to rank.
Conclusion:
Understanding EEAT is essential, but it’s important to approach it with the right mindset. Google is not asking SEOs to add it to their pages; instead, focus on creating content that naturally conveys expertise and trustworthiness, especially for YMYL topics. The best SEO strategy is one that prioritizes quality content and user trust, rather than focusing on trends or quick fixes. Keep these insights in mind as you optimize your site, and you’ll be on the right track toward building long-term success in Google search results.
