In an era where AI-powered search and generative summaries are becoming mainstream, simply writing good content is no longer enough.

Organisations need to demonstrate four key qualities of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness (EEAT) so that their content can be surfaced reliably by large language models (LLMs) and AI-driven search engines.

Why EEAT still matters, if not matters more

Google’s guidance explains that the systems aim to reward original, high-quality content that shows the qualities of E-E-A-T.

In AI search experiences such as AI Overviews or AI Mode, the criteria for inclusion go beyond ranking first in blue links. The content must be trustworthy and clearly credible.

In practice this means your site and content should show real user or professional experience, verifiable expertise, recognition from others, and visible trust signals.

Experience reflects direct, real-world involvement with the topic. It means describing what you personally did or observed rather than producing generic how-to content.

Expertise shows that you or your authors know the subject in depth. Credentials, professional experience or domain knowledge should be visible and easy to verify.

Authoritativeness relates to how others regard your content or brand. It depends on whether you are referenced, cited or linked by trusted sources.

Trustworthiness is the foundation of the entire framework. If readers and Google cannot trust your site, the rest does not matter. It covers site security (HTTPS), accurate contact information, clear authorship, transparent policies and the absence of misleading or deceptive practices.

The entity layer – Prize, Nobility, Award, Contribution

EEAT is not assessed in isolation. It is often connected to entities such as people, organisations and creative works. When Google’s systems evaluate EEAT, they are building a map of how an entity is represented, recognised and validated across the web.

Several key components help form that understanding.

Prize refers to tangible achievements or recognitions that show peer or public validation, such as certifications, awards or published research.

Nobility relates to perceived integrity, mission and conduct. This includes transparency, community service, ethical standards or wider contributions to the field.

Award covers formal or informal recognition by authoritative sources, including citations, directory listings or mentions by respected publications.

Contribution is the most important and accessible of all. It represents demonstrable input to your field through articles, case studies, conferences, tools or open research.

Together these components help search and AI systems build a credibility profile around an entity. For example, a researcher with published studies (Prize), known for ethical practice (Nobility), cited in major outlets (Award) and contributing to open knowledge (Contribution) demonstrates EEAT in full.

In AI search, this understanding helps large language models decide whose insights are worth summarising or citing. Brands and authors with strong, consistent entity signals are more likely to appear in AI-generated results.

Can you optimise for EEAT

Technically no. EEAT is not a ranking factor or a field you can optimise like a title tag or Core Web Vitals score. It is a concept used by Google’s systems to understand quality and credibility. You cannot tune for EEAT, but you can demonstrate it consistently across your site and content.

That involves showing clear signals that back up your authority such as author bios, credentials, professional memberships, case studies and reviews. It also means keeping information accurate, transparent and regularly updated.

Think of EEAT not as something to optimise for, but as something to prove through every piece of content, every author page and every mention of your brand or name online.

A practical checklist mindset

When creating or auditing content for AI search visibility, ask three questions.

  • Who is speaking, meaning the author.
  • How have they arrived at the knowledge they share, which reflects their experience and expertise.
  • Why should the user trust this content, which relates to authority and trust signals.

AI search implications

As AI-driven answers increasingly dominate search results, the sites selected for citation tend to have strong EEAT and entity signals. Traditional SEO alone will not be enough. EEAT must be built into your content process, site structure and brand presence.

Focus on real evidence, structured data, author profiles, external mentions, transparent business details and frequent content updates. These elements help large language models recognise and prioritise trustworthy entities.

The ACE framework

The ACE framework (Accessibility, Consensus and Entity) from SALT.agency is designed to promote strong expression of EEAT on webpages while helping brands align with emerging AI visibility best practices.

  • Accessibility ensures your content can be easily discovered and understood by both users and machines through clear structure, schema and performance.
  • Consensus focuses on aligning your content with credible, established sources to build trust and reduce contradiction.
  • Entity ensures that the people and organisations behind content are clearly defined and verifiable, strengthening authority signals for AI systems.

Together, ACE helps translate human measures of credibility into machine-readable signals, supporting stronger EEAT performance and better visibility in AI search.

Key takeaway

EEAT is not a trend or a gimmick or another buzzword in SEO.

It is the baseline quality threshold for visibility in AI search. It is less about hacking algorithms and more about being credible in every sense.

Real experience, genuine expertise, visible recognition and trustworthy delivery all contribute to success. When your entity demonstrates those qualities through Prize, Nobility, Award and Contribution, it becomes not only findable but genuinely referencable in the age of AI search.

EEAT for AI Search – Table Checklist

The following checklist combines EEAT principles with the ACE framework to help you assess how well your site demonstrates credibility, trust and AI visibility readiness.

Pillar Checklist Item Quick Yes/No
Experience Author describes first-hand interaction or use case
Includes real examples or case studies
Content avoids generic anyone can do this tone
Expertise Author credentials or background clearly shown
Content depth matches topic complexity
Topic specific terminology and insight used
Authoritativeness Trusted external sources reference or link your content
Brand or author appears in external industry contexts
Domain has consistent mentions or citations on topic
Trustworthiness Site uses HTTPS and clearly displays contact or business information
Clear author byline and author profile available
Transparent policies such as privacy, refund and about pages
Content is accurate, cited where needed and up to date
Avoids misleading claims, sensationalist language and SEO only content
Accessibility (ACE) Content is crawlable and machine readable including clear URLs, sitemaps and no unnecessary blocking
Structured data schema markup and plain language used
Page performance including load speed, mobile first and accessibility standards
Site architecture allows easy navigation and indexing
Consensus (ACE) Content aligns with credible external sources and prevailing industry views
Messaging is consistent across your site, brand mentions and other channels
Your content contributes to public discourse for example papers or thought leadership
Contradictory or outdated statements are corrected or removed
Entity (ACE) Author or brand is identifiable as a consistent entity including name, role and credentials
Entity has notable mentions, citations or listings in recognised domains
Entity connections to relevant topics, partners or industry leaders are clear
Authoritative content is clearly tied to the entity brand or person