What is E-E-A-T?
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It's Google's framework for evaluating content quality—and increasingly, AI systems use similar signals to determine which sources to cite.
E-E-A-T Components
- Experience: First-hand or life experience with the topic
- Expertise: Knowledge and skill in the subject matter
- Authoritativeness: Reputation as a go-to source
- Trustworthiness: Accuracy, honesty, and reliability
Why E-E-A-T Matters for AI Citation
AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity must determine which sources to trust and cite. They evaluate:
- Is this source credible?
- Does the author have relevant expertise?
- Is the information accurate and verifiable?
- Is there first-hand experience backing the claims?
Strong E-E-A-T signals increase your chances of being cited in AI-generated responses. This is part of the broader Citation Economy where trust determines visibility.
Experience Signals in Press Releases
Experience—the first "E" added in December 2022—refers to first-hand knowledge of the topic.
How to Demonstrate Experience
- Case Studies: "After implementing X, we saw 47% improvement in Y"
- Customer Stories: Real examples from actual users
- Founder Insights: Personal journey and lessons learned
- Behind-the-Scenes: How products were developed
- Data from Operations: Internal metrics and observations
Experience Signals in PR Format
WEAK: "Our product helps businesses grow."
STRONG: "After 18 months of development and testing with
50 beta customers, we discovered that automated follow-ups
increased response rates by 34%. This insight shaped our
new Feature X."The strong version demonstrates first-hand experience with specific outcomes.
Expertise Signals in Press Releases
Expertise refers to specialized knowledge and credentials in the subject matter.
How to Demonstrate Expertise
- Credentials: PhD, MBA, certifications, licenses
- Track Record: Years in industry, previous roles
- Publications: Research papers, industry articles
- Speaking: Conference presentations, interviews
- Awards: Industry recognition, patents
Quote Attribution Format
WEAK: "This is a great product," said John Smith.
STRONG: "This breakthrough addresses a fundamental challenge
in enterprise security," said Dr. John Smith, former Chief
Security Officer at Fortune 500 companies and author of
'Zero Trust Architecture' (O'Reilly, 2024).Include credentials directly in the attribution for maximum E-E-A-T signal.
Schema.org for Expertise
{
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Dr. John Smith",
"jobTitle": "Chief Executive Officer",
"alumniOf": "MIT",
"award": ["Forbes 30 Under 30", "IEEE Innovation Award"],
"knowsAbout": ["Cybersecurity", "Zero Trust", "Enterprise Security"]
}Authoritativeness Signals in Press Releases
Authoritativeness refers to your reputation as a recognized expert or go-to source in your field.
How to Build Authoritativeness
- Industry Position: Market leadership, customer count
- Media Coverage: Publications that have covered you
- Partnerships: Relationships with recognized brands
- Customer Logos: Notable clients (with permission)
- Market Data: Third-party validation of your position
Authority Signals in About Section
WEAK: "About TechCorp: We make software."
STRONG: "About TechCorp: Trusted by 500+ enterprises including
Microsoft, Salesforce, and Adobe, TechCorp is the market leader
in enterprise automation (Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader, 2025).
Founded in 2018, the company has raised $150M in funding and
processes 1B+ transactions monthly."Link to Authority Sources
Reference recognized third-party sources:
- Gartner, Forrester, IDC for market position
- TechCrunch, Forbes, Bloomberg for funding/coverage
- Industry associations for certifications
Trustworthiness Signals in Press Releases
Trustworthiness is the foundation of E-E-A-T—it encompasses accuracy, transparency, and reliability.
How to Demonstrate Trustworthiness
- Accurate Statistics: Verifiable numbers with sources
- Transparency: Clear disclosure of relationships
- Contact Information: Real people, real emails
- Publication Dates: When information was published
- Corrections Policy: How errors are handled
Specific vs Vague Claims
UNTRUSTWORTHY: "Significant growth" | "Leading provider" | "Many customers"
TRUSTWORTHY: "47% revenue increase Q3 2025" | "Ranked #1 by G2 Crowd" | "847 enterprise customers"Source Your Statistics
WEAK: "The market is growing rapidly."
STRONG: "The AI optimization market is projected to reach
$15.7 billion by 2028 (MarketsandMarkets, 2025), growing
at 23.4% CAGR."Verification Infrastructure
Include verifiable elements:
- Domain-verified contact email
- Company registration numbers
- Physical address (for trust signals)
- Social media profiles for verification
How AI Systems Evaluate E-E-A-T
AI systems use proxies to evaluate E-E-A-T signals when deciding which sources to cite:
Experience Detection
- Presence of first-person case studies
- Specific outcomes and metrics
- Details that only come from direct involvement
Expertise Detection
- Author credentials and affiliations
- Technical depth of content
- Consistent publication history on topic
Authority Detection
- Backlink profile and domain authority
- Mentions in other authoritative sources
- Structured data (Organization schema)
Trust Detection
- Accuracy of verifiable claims
- Presence of contact information
- HTTPS and security signals
- Publication and modification dates
Schema.org for E-E-A-T
Implement these schemas to machine-encode E-E-A-T:
- Person: Author credentials and expertise
- Organization: Company authority signals
- Article: Publication dates and authorship
- Review/Rating: Third-party validation
E-E-A-T Press Release Checklist
Use this checklist to ensure your press releases maximize E-E-A-T signals:
Experience Checklist
- ☐ Includes first-hand insights or case studies
- ☐ Contains specific outcomes from real usage
- ☐ Features customer stories or testimonials
- ☐ Demonstrates behind-the-scenes knowledge
Expertise Checklist
- ☐ Quotes include full credentials and titles
- ☐ Company expertise areas are clearly stated
- ☐ Technical claims are backed by qualified sources
- ☐ Schema.org Person markup for quoted experts
Authoritativeness Checklist
- ☐ Industry position is clearly established
- ☐ Notable customers/partners are mentioned
- ☐ Third-party validations are included
- ☐ About section includes market position
Trustworthiness Checklist
- ☐ All statistics have sources
- ☐ Contact information is complete and verifiable
- ☐ Publication date is included
- ☐ Claims are specific, not vague
- ☐ Domain is verified (business email)