User-first E-E-A-T: What actually drives SEO...

There’s a lot of confusion around what E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) actually is – and what it isn’t. 

While often cited in SEO conversations, E-E-A-T is not a measurable score or a direct ranking factor.

Instead, it is best understood as a framework for building user trust through content quality, credibility, and relevance.

E-E-A-T is about the user, not checklists or scores

E-E-A-T is an SEO concept – not a measurable system used by search engines, generative engines, or AI models. 

There are no E-E-A-T scores, checklists, or formal guidelines from Google or other engines because it’s not part of the core algorithm.

Instead, E-E-A-T represents a content framework that, when applied well, helps build user trust.

When users trust your content, they’re more likely to engage with it or share it. 

Journalists and creators may link to it, which builds buzz that sends positive signals to search engines and LLMs. 

In other words, it’s not the E-E-A-T concept itself that boosts visibility.

It’s the trust and authority your content builds with real users that leads to better performance in SEO and GEO.

If someone is telling you that you need to be reviewed by a medical professional or have a photo of yourself for E-E-A-T, they don’t understand the concept.

Anyone can edit themselves into a photo, and anyone can steal an image from someone else. 

The “Medically reviewed by” tactic has been overplayed. 

While it might build user trust, it may not help SEO and could even backfire if the reviewer lacks true expertise.

E-E-A-T should be about the user – not satisfying a made-up metric. It’s not something that can be measured with a score. 

Here are a few ways we apply E-E-A-T with our clients, affiliates, and content partners to help them grow:

• Citations.
• Jump links.
• “Reviewed by” and author bios.
• Images.
• Going further with content.

Citations

Linking out to another website may or may not carry direct SEO value, but it absolutely impacts the user’s experience.

When you make a claim, don’t link to a definition. That belongs in your article – or on your site if it’s part of your entity.

Instead, link to a study or credible source that directly supports the claim.

Here’s a made-up example:

• “Vitamin C can help bring aliens to earth, save the environment, and give us world peace.”

Most sites would link the term Vitamin C to their own guide or to a third-party medical website that defines what Vitamin C is. This isn’t helpful. 

An internal link to your own guide might benefit your site structure and highlight that page’s importance, but it doesn’t help the reader – they’re curious about the claim, not the definition.

The same goes for linking to a medical website that simply defines Vitamin C. It doesn’t support the claim, it just redirects the reader to basic information they weren’t looking for.

Instead, link to a peer-reviewed study that shows how Vitamin C attracts aliens to Earth (as outlandish as that sounds), because that backs the actual claim. 

Cite sources that specifically state Vitamin C saves the environment and promotes world peace, and ensure they’re credible and clearly support what you’re asserting.

A site’s age, backlink count, or traffic doesn’t make it trustworthy. What matters is the user’s experience based on your recommendation. 

Here’s what we look for when selecting citations or giving backlinks in our content:

• The author is a real expert and practices in the field.
• The site is fully focused on the topic, or has a clearly defined, dedicated section for it.
• Older content is updated regularly as new findings emerge.
• There are no links to spammy topics like porn, payday loans, pills, or other pay-to-play verticals.
• Articles cannot be purchased (major media is the exception), and guest posts are only accepted under strict quality controls from certified experts. We spot this by checking menus, media kits, and contributor pages.
• When you click away from the linked article, you land on other topically relevant content – not generic shopping lists or paid placements.
• The page isn’t overloaded with ads, pop-ups, or interstitials.
• The content is easy to read, understand, and absorb – no jargon overload or unnecessary complexity.

Dig deeper: How to get cited by AI: SEO insights from 8,000 AI citations

Jump links and qualifiers

Both long-form and short-form content can be authoritative, rank well, and build trust. 

The goal is to give users the answer they’re looking for as quickly as possible and in the most effective format. 

That might mean using:

• Images.
• Videos.
• Bullet points.
• Paragraphs.
• Audio clips.
• Any mix of media types.

It can help to include qualifiers at the top of the content, but don’t overdo it – especially with long-form pieces. 

Qualifiers may include:

• A short explanation of why you’re qualified to cover the topic.
• First-hand experience if you’re not a certified expert.
• Clarifications about what’s required to use a product, follow a process, or qualify for something.

These elements help build trust early and show the reader you’ve anticipated their concerns and done the homework for them. 

That said, they take up space – so keep the user experience in mind and use them strategically.

When your content is long or has clearly separated sections, include jump links or a table of contents to help readers quickly navigate to the most relevant part. 

For example, someone searching for disease symptoms may not care about treatment options or survival rates. 

Just as someone browsing for comic book-themed gifs under $10 doesn’t need to scroll through higher-priced items first.

We also prioritize user-friendly headers. 

Instead of using keyword-stuffed or robotic phrasing, we label sections using the terms our audience naturally uses. 

This makes it easier for readers to skim and quickly find the information they need.

Dig deeper: Chunk, cite, clarify, build: A content framework for AI search

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‘Reviewed by’ and author bios

Stating that content is reviewed by a licensed or recognized expert can build user trust, but it can just as easily erode that trust if misused.

If the expert isn’t actually credible, or if the review feels performative, it may hurt trust and even work against your site algorithmically. 

Authorship was once a hot topic in SEO, and this is where both reviewed by labels and author bios come back into play.

Include “reviewed by” tags and author bios where they’re essential, such as for medical or other YMYL (“your money or your life”) topics. You can also use them elsewhere when they add genuine value.

Authors can build loyal readerships and subscriber bases. And when contributors feel recognized and supported, they’re more likely to keep producing high-quality work. 

Just make sure that both the author and the reviewer are actual experts.

Here’s what we require from clients when it comes to authorship and review credibility:

• Authors do not write about topics they’re not certified in or don’t have firsthand experience with.
• Either the author or reviewer – ideally both – must be known, published experts. That means:
  • They’re published in academic or industry journals.
  • They’ve been featured in the media as subject matter experts.
  • They speak at relevant conferences or events.
  • They operate a well-researched, topic-specific website.
  • They’re licensed or certified in their field, and those credentials are current.
  • They’re actively working or practicing in the space.

Author bios should focus on professional qualifications – not unrelated personal details. 

If someone writes about dermatology, we don’t need to know they enjoy playing board games or love their dog (unless they’re writing about games or pets). 

At most, include a brief hobby mention if they insist – but the priority should always be on showcasing their expertise.

Dig deeper: The myth of manufacturing author E-E-A-T

Images

Simply including an image in your article doesn’t prove you visited a location, baked a dessert, or completed a task – these can all be fabricated. 

Focus on what helps the user, not what’s done just for SEO.

Include an image of yourself with the completed task near the top of the article or as the featured image, but for the rest of the content, focus on what benefits the user. 

Here are a few examples.

Travel sites

• Show the exact place to stand for a selfie or sunrise shot, using a specific marker in the ground so the person knows how to angle the camera and which direction to face. 
• Start with what the finished photo looks like, then share the best times of day because of natural light.
• Finally, include an image of the area they should stand in, along with the camera height and angle, so they can recreate your shot.

Recipe and cooking sites

• Include images of what steps look like when things are overdone or underdone, especially at tricky points. 
• Add consistent elements to your photos – like countertops or a place card – so it’s clear this is actually you cooking in your kitchen.

Operations sites (code, Excel, accounting, etc.)

• Identify common typos by reviewing forums with formulas and calculations. 
• Provide an FAQ at the bottom of the page addressing each one and how to fix it. 
• Show what the formula, code, or equation should look like at each step – both correct and incorrect – and include what the output looks like for each. 
• Then explain why a specific character, space, or detail causes the incorrect result, so the user not only gets the fix but also understands the why. 
• An added bonus: this can attract long-tail searches from users who keep getting incorrect results.

Going further with content

Every sentence that makes a claim or expresses an opinion needs a “how” or a “why.” 

This is one of our biggest wins for both SEO and AI Overviews. 

When we see content that says something is good, we add the reason why it’s good – ideally in the same sentence.

Thin content:

• “The top part of the castle at golden hour is perfect for a selfie” is missing the “why.”

Helpful content:

• “The top part of the castle at golden hour is perfect for a selfie because you get naturally diffused light, and you can either capture a striking cloud-lit sky or angle down for a cityscape backdrop – making it a great shot year-round.”

Not every sentence needs this, but anytime you claim something is good, correct, bad, the best, better, or worse, support it with reasoning. 

That’s what shows the user you know what you’re talking about – and gives them a reason to trust and act on your advice.

Another example: 

• “Take your selfie at golden hour in the morning 10 minutes after sunrise starts.”

A more helpful version:

• “Take your selfie at golden hour in the morning 10 minutes after sunrise starts and face east for a backlighting effect – which makes it easier to lift shadows in editing – or west if you want direct light on your face and a brightly lit background, even if it requires more post-processing.”

Dig deeper: Want to beat AI Overviews? Produce unmistakably human content

It all comes back to the user

E-E-A-T is about giving the user everything they need in a trustworthy, actionable format – and cutting the fluff. 

When done well, this type of content can naturally earn backlinks, citations, and mentions.

It can also appear in listicles from authoritative sources and be shared on social media. 

All of these send signals that search engines, LLMs, and AI Overviews can use.

E-E-A-T is about the user experience – and when you get that right, better SEO and GEO often follow.