This is the second in a four-part series taking a close-up look at each element of Google’s Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EEAT) framework. If you’re just joining us, start with the overview post and then read Part 1: Experience first.
In Google’s EEAT framework, Experience is about whether you’ve done the work; Expertise is about how well you understand it. They’re clearly related, but they’re also distinct enough that in 2022 Google decided to make them separate components in its quality framework. While important for all businesses working to improve online visibility, the distinction matters more in some industries than others.
Recalling our mention of Indiana Jones from Part 1 of this series, we know that Indy has both Experience and Expertise. He’s been on archaeological digs and hunts, and he has the academic knowledge to recognize the provenance and importance of the artifacts he’s found. By contrast, a graduate student who has read numerous books about ancient civilizations might flawlessly recite facts from memory without ever having left the classroom. That student has Expertise and would probably do great writing a textbook, but they’d not likely be of much help on their first excavation. Google tries to sort out which is which, and it’s gotten quite good at it.
What Exactly is the Difference between Experience and Expertise?
Experience signals largely come from showing evidence like photos, case studies and specific observations from work that have been done. Expertise signals come from demonstrating depth of knowledge, and they show up best in the quality of explanations a business provides.
A plumber who can describe why a certain pipe fitting will fail under specific pressure conditions, what the correct fix is, and why, demonstrates Expertise. A landscaper who can explain the soil composition in the Front Range and the plants that will survive there over Colorado’s winter season demonstrates Expertise. A financial advisor who can walk you through the tax implications of a retirement account withdrawal in plain language demonstrates Expertise.
The common thread of these experts is the specificity of their knowledge and understanding. A Google search or AI prompt can tell you whether a pipe fitting might fail. A person with Expertise can tell you why one did under certain conditions, what it means to the rest of the plumbing system, and how best to address the situation.
Does the Type of Business Matter?
The type of business matters a lot, and this is where the concept of YMYL comes in. YMYL stands for “Your Money or Your Life,” and it’s how Google categorizes content where incorrect information could cause real harm to the people who follow it. Medical information, legal advice, financial guidance, and safety-related topics all fall under the YMYL designation. For businesses who operate in these fields, the Expertise bar is significantly higher than it is for a restaurant or a bookstore.
A medical practice writing about symptoms, treatments, and procedures carries a heavy responsibility. Their content should reflect genuine clinical knowledge, and it should be written or at least reviewed by a licensed professional who works in that specialty. Google looks for credentials, professional affiliations, and other evidence that the people behind such content are truly qualified to give this information and advice. Content published by an ENT practice about ear, nose, and throat conditions should be unmistakably written by people who understand and treat them.
This same principle also applies to legal content. A law firm writing about estate planning, personal injury claims, or employment law needs to show legal understanding with their content, with appropriate awareness of current statutes and nuance that comes from practicing in that area.
For businesses outside YMYL, the standard might be lower, but the principle holds. Whatever your business, your content should reflect the understanding that a knowledgeable person in your field would recognize as genuine.
What Does Strong Expertise Look Like?
Strong Expertise signals share these characteristics:
- The content is not just surface-level information that anyone can find with a quick search.
- It reflects specific knowledge that comes from working in a particular field, region, or specialty.
- Credentials like author bios, professional designations, licensing information, and affiliations are visible.
- Explanations of complex topics are clear, accurate, and in plain language where appropriate without losing substance.
For most small businesses, demonstrating Expertise comes from writing content that a peer in your industry would recognize as coming from someone who knows what they’re doing. If a fellow contractor, doctor, or financial professional could read your blog and find it both useful and accurate, that’s exactly the kind of content Google is looking for.
What Am I Doing Wrong?
Surface-level content that covers a topic without adding anything truly substantial is all over the internet. “Five signs you need a new roof” might be a useful topic for a roofing blog, but if every piece of content on a roofing company’s site is at that level, there’s really nothing to differentiate their Expertise from a generic home improvement blog. Google recognizes this pattern.
A second mistake – one especially relevant for YMYL businesses – is publishing content that was written by someone without relevant qualifications and presenting it as professional guidance. This has become an urgent issue as AI-generated content makes it easier to produce text that sounds authoritative but contains errors a licensed professional would immediately see. Google’s quality guidelines are explicit that YMYL content must come from people with genuine credentials, and they look for evidence of those credentials when awarding Expertise.
Another common but easily fixable error is making these credentials hard to find. If a qualified person in your organization writes your content, that person should be identified. An author bio with their professional background, links to professional profiles and visible affiliations all give Google concrete signals to evaluate.
How Does Expertise Connect to the Rest of EEAT?
Expertise builds on Experience in a natural way. A contractor who has done hundreds of jobs has genuine Expertise gained through their work, but articulating that understanding in content is what makes Google see it. Consistently publishing and showing Expertise is one of the most reliable paths to the “A” in EEAT: Authoritativeness.
Authority comes in large part from Expertise being recognized by others. This comes with backlinks, mentions, citations, and a reputation that people in your industry consistently find your content accurate and useful. We’ll talk about how this works in next week’s blog.
Up Next: Authoritativeness
In the next part of this series, we’ll look at the third component of EEAT: Authoritativeness. What does it mean when Google considers a business authoritative, how is it different from just being an expert, and what can your business do to build it?
At Wild Iris Marketing, we help businesses develop content strategies that reflect genuine expertise and make it visible to search engines. If you don’t think your content is accurately reflecting what you know, let’s talk about fixing that.
