E-E-A-T, Google’s New Experience Algorithm Update

You’ve heard of Google E-A-T algorithm before…

But Google decided to add an extra “E” to E-A-T. So now it’s E-E-A-T.

You’ve heard of Google E-A-T algorithm before…

If not, it just stands for expertise, authority, and trust. Which is part of their algorithm and you can optimize for it by following this.

But Google decided to add an extra “E” to E-A-T. So now it’s E-E-A-T.

So what’s this new “E” that Google added?

It stands for experience.

So what’s the difference?

You may be wondering that if you are an expert, wouldn’t you automatically have experience?

Or what if you aren’t an expert but have experience on the topic and you want to share what you went through?

It can be a little bit confusing… luckily for us, Google has provided an explanation to avoid confusion.

“Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness & Trust (E-E-A-T) are all important considerations in PQ rating. The most important member at the center of the E-E-A-T family is Trust..”

Google Quality Rating Guidelines – Page 26

As you can see, experience based on Google’s definition is a bit different than expertise.

So why did Google add in the extra E?

It makes sense… before Google just wanted you to show that you have the expertise, authority, and trust. But what makes content great is experience.

When you integrate your own personal learnings and show your experience within your content it stands out.

That’s what is hard to replicate using AI… or at least for now.

For example, you might have known that I have been a marketer for over 20 years… and if I write content around marketing one may assume that it is likely to be more reliable than someone who just got started in marketing. Not just because of the time I have spent in the industry, but I also have a lot of awards, I speak at conferences, I have written a New York Times bestselling book… and the list goes on and on.

But even with all that, if I just write another marketing post it doesn’t mean that it will stand out or be amazing.

But on the flip side if I showcase data within my content based on my past learnings, talk about past experiences of what has worked and what hasn’t when it comes to marketing, and break down how marketing is different for multiple verticals and regions… that would be tough to do unless you have a lot of experience.

On the flip side if you had a company and you hired my ad agency, NP Digital, and worked to expand your marketing internationally… you could write a piece of content sharing your experience even though you aren’t an expert.

It would still be a great piece of content because then companies could learn how you went through the process of selecting a company to help you and what you learned by actually expanding your business overseas, and what companies should be prepared for outside of just marketing.

See if your content showcases that kind of experience, it makes it more unique and valuable.

That’s what you need to do within your content to continually shine.

So how do you showcase your experience?

Think about anything unique you can add that others may not know about. That is what people want.

Even when you read reviews on products or companies, you don’t care about the generic reviews, you care about the unique ones that give you real insight… ones that obviously come from someone’s understanding of a product or service.

For example, if I were to create content about how to teach your children how to eat, I may mention how they make a mess especially when they are young. I also learned a trick to put a plastic tablecloth underneath the baby chair which makes it much easier to clean up after they are done.

Or if I were to write content about traveling around the world, I may talk about how you should get an American Express Platinum card so you can go the Priority Pass or Amex lounges at the airport for free which is a great way to get a break and relax and get free food… it makes your international trips much more comfortable especially if you are flying in economy.

Just think of anything that you have experienced that would help other people out. Integrate that within your content and it makes it that much better.

Now my two examples above aren’t mind-blowing experiences, but if you are writing a blog post and you share 5 or 6 things like the above within your content, it will make your post better.

Just make sure the experiences are related to the content you are writing about.

How does this affect YMYL?

One of the most sensitive categories when it comes to Google’s algorithm is Your Money, Your Life. In which Google is really sensitive about showcasing information that can hurt someone unless they know it is from a reliable source.

For example, if I told you how to cure a medical disease Google wouldn’t like it as I am not a reliable source. I’m not a doctor, I’ve never practiced medicine and if you followed medical information from me it could hurt you.

This is how they view experience when it comes to YMYL topics.

Google Quality Rating Guidelines – Page 28

Conclusion

Google has mentioned that trust is the most important part of their E-E-A-T algorithm. But that doesn’t mean you should take the other factors for granted… especially experience.

Just think of it this way, when you read something don’t you like it when people share their personal experiences? Hopefully, ones that make your life better.

It’s that kind of content that really stands out and shines because experiences make content truly unique. It’s what an AI writer can’t really do (at least at the moment).

So the real question is, do you share your experiences within your content?