EEAT and major updates to Google’s Quality Raters Guidelines

The most significant change to the Quality Rater Guidelines is the introduction of the letter E at the beginning of the popular acronym EAT December 2022. 

Google has made significant changes to its Quality Rater Guidelines for Search. While Google updates this document several times a year, the 2022 version contains notable changes to the structure, with many new sections and tables, adding a total of 11 new pages of content.

Although many important details have changed, the introduction to the letter E in EAT is probably the most significant change.

Introduction of EEAT

Google introduces the concept of EEAT, which means:

  • Experience
  • Expertise
  • Authority (Authoritativeness)
  • Trustworthiness

The addition of “experience” means that content quality can also be assessed through understanding the extent of the content creator’s direct experience on the topic.

With this overhaul of the EEAT, Google also indicates that the Trust us is at the center of this concept and is the “most important member of the EEAT family”.

Google also provides many clearer examples of important concepts such as:

  • Evaluating the reputation of websites and content contributors.
  • How important is EEAT and how it should be assessed.
  • What Harmful Content Means.

More inclusive and more precise language

Google seems to be evolving its language to be more inclusive and in tune with the times. They've added a lot of mentions of social media platforms, influencers, and how content can take different forms, like videos, user-generated content, and social media posts.

In this release, Google is also taking a more detailed approach to answering common questions about how EEAT and its importance for different topics. Google clearly explains what content should be considered harmful and whether daily experience is sufficient to produce reliable content on a given topic.

Here are the significant changes to the guidelines

Here are some of the most significant changes to the Quality Reviewer Guidelines in December 2022:

  1. Understanding the Website – Section 2.5
    Google has updated its guidelines for identifying who is responsible for a website. The new version emphasizes the importance of knowing who actually owns and operates the site.
  2. Evaluating Page Quality – Section 3.0
    Google has revamped some of its guidance on evaluating page quality and reputation information. A new three-step process has been introduced for evaluating page quality.
  3. Main Content Quality – Section 3.2
    Google has made changes to how it evaluates the quality of a page's main content, with a focus on originality and effort.
  4. Site and Content Creator Reputation – Section 3.3
    Google has enhanced its recommendations regarding site reputation and content creators, emphasizing the importance of the context in which content is published.
  5. EEAT: Experience, Expertise, Authority, Reliability – Section 3.4
    Adding experience and centralizing trust in EEAT are among the most important developments in this update. Google specifies that trust is the crucial element.
  6. YMYL Topics: Experience or Expertise? – Section 3.4.1
    Google has introduced a new table to distinguish when experience or expertise is required for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) content.

In summary, the Quality Rater Guidelines are a crucial document for anyone working in search marketing. They serve as a guide to understand the direction in which Google wants to evolve its algorithms. By following these guidelines, sites can not only improve their visibility in Google Search, but also avoid penalties or negative impacts from future algorithm updates.

Rossitza Mavreau, Lead Traffic Manager SEO SEA Analytics at UX-Republic