December 2022: Google adds experience to E-A-T, creating E-E-A-T
Covers December 2022. Part of our search timeline: a month-by-month look at the changes that shaped SEO, AI search, paid ads and social media, written in November 2026 for local businesses with the benefit of hindsight.
Quick answer: In December 2022 Google revised its search quality rater guidelines and added experience to E-A-T as a new first letter. The result was E-E-A-T, short for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust. The aim was to recognise content made by people who have first-hand experience of the subject, with trust sitting at the heart of it all.
For trades and local service businesses this was good news. An electrician who has rewired hundreds of houses or a roofer who has spent twenty winters on ladders has exactly the kind of experience Google said it wanted to see. The challenge is showing it on the page.
What changed in December 2022?
The revised guidelines asked raters to consider whether a piece of content reveals genuine first-hand experience on the part of whoever made it, for example actually using the product or visiting the place. December also brought two other changes: an update to the helpful content system and another targeting link spam.
Why did it matter to UK businesses?
It handed UK businesses a simple framework: make it clear who wrote your content, what they have done and why they deserve trust. As AI-generated content became more common, genuine experience turned into a real advantage.
What to do about it now
- Put a named author with relevant experience and a short bio on your guides and service pages.
- Add first-hand details, examples and photos from your own jobs that nobody else could supply.
- Make trust signals easy to spot, such as contact details, reviews, accreditations and policies.
Frequently asked questions
Does E-E-A-T directly affect rankings?
Not as one single factor. It sums up what Google’s systems are trying to reward, using lots of different signals.
How can a small trades business show expertise?
Through named people, genuine examples of past work, reviews, qualifications and memberships, and content that clearly comes from doing the job.
Sources and further reading
Want help with this? Our content marketing service helps trades turn real experience into pages that build trust. Get in touch.
More articles
January 2023: ChatGPT and AI writing tools hit the mainstream
In January 2023 businesses piled into ChatGPT to write content. What local trades learned about speed, accuracy and keeping their own voice.
April 2023: Google’s reviews update expands to services and businesses
Google’s April 2023 reviews update grew beyond products to services and businesses. How local firms can write reviews that show real experience.
August 2022: Google rolls out the helpful content update
August 2022’s helpful content update went after pages written for search engines, not people. How it changed content for trades and local service firms.