What is E-E-A-T and does it affect my rankings?
An in-depth look at what is e-e-a-t and does it affect my rankings and what it means for your business. Full answer and strategy on the SEO page.
E-E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor in the sense that Google does not have a single EEAT score it assigns to pages.
What it is is a framework that Google's quality raters use to evaluate whether pages are serving users well, and those evaluations inform how the algorithm is trained and refined.
Pages that demonstrate strong EEAT signals consistently perform better in search than pages that do not.
For a local service business like a roofing company or a Google Ads agency, Experience means demonstrating that you have actually done the work you are describing.
Specific case studies with real results, photos of completed projects, and content that reflects hands-on knowledge rather than generic information.
A blog post written by someone who has managed 200 Google Ads accounts reads differently than one written from research alone, and Google has gotten increasingly good at distinguishing the two.
Authoritativeness for a local business is built through external signals: reviews on Google and industry directories, mentions in local publications, backlinks from relevant websites, and a consistent presence in the local business ecosystem.
An agency with 50 Google reviews, a profile on the Atlantic County Chamber website, and a mention in an Asbury Park Press business article is more authoritative in Google's eyes than one that exists only on its own website.
Trustworthiness covers the basics: HTTPS, accurate contact information, a clear privacy policy, consistent NAP across every directory, and a website that does not have sketchy third-party scripts or misleading content.
These are table stakes for any legitimate business but they are worth auditing because inconsistencies in your business name, address, or phone number across the web are a negative trust signal for local SEO specifically.