Demonstrating first-hand experience is more important than ever for Google Search rankings. Updates to the search quality rater guidelines list the criteria Google looks for.
Google is upgrading the concept of E-A-T with an additional ‘E’ for expertise.
The new E-E-A-T acronym stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Google’s search quality rater guidelines have been updated accordingly, with insight into how the company instructs quality raters to evaluate a content creator’s expertise.
Google’s updated search quality rater guidelines say this about experience:
“Consider the extent to which the content creator has the necessary first-hand or life experience for the topic. Many types of pages are trustworthy and achieve their purpose well when created by people with a wealth of personal experience. For example, which would you trust: a product review from someone who has personally used the product or a “review” by someone who has not?”
In addition to adding experience as a factor, Google is placing renewed emphasis on trust.
See the diagram below for how trust is placed in the center of experience, expertise, and authoritativeness.