Home » Free Tools » Free E-E-A-T Score Checker & AI Trust Analyzer

Free E-E-A-T Score Checker & AI Trust Analyzer

Free Tool · Updated 2026
Does your content pass Google's E-E-A-T bar, and would AI cite it?

Paste your page content or HTML and get an instant score across all four E-E-A-T pillars, twenty signals in total, plus a prioritised list of exactly what is missing.

20 signals checked
4 E-E-A-T pillars
YMYL aware scoring
100% free, no signup
1

Enter your content and target keyword

The main keyword you want this page to rank for.
YMYL content is held to a higher E-E-A-T standard by Google, so this checker scores it more strictly.
0 wordsPlain text mode
0/ 100
Calculating...

Signal-by-signal breakdown

Priority fixes

Content Quality

What Is an E-E-A-T Score Checker?

An E-E-A-T score checker is a free tool that scores your page against Google's Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness framework. It scans for 20 detectable on-page signals across all four pillars and returns a score out of 100 with a prioritised list of specific fixes.

Google uses E-E-A-T as its core framework for judging whether content is good enough to rank well and be trusted by AI citation systems. Instead of treating it as one vague idea, this checker breaks it into 20 measurable signals you can act on immediately, so you see exactly which pillar is weakest and what to fix first.

The tool accepts plain text or full HTML source. Paste your page HTML and it also detects schema markup, author meta tags, and structural signals that plain text hides, giving a fuller picture of how Google and AI engines are likely to read your page. It also adjusts to your content type: YMYL pages, covering health, finance, law, or safety, are held to a considerably higher E-E-A-T bar, and the checker scores accordingly.

The Framework

What Does E-E-A-T Stand For?

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, Google's framework for evaluating the credibility of web content as described in its Search Quality Rater Guidelines. Google added the second E, for Experience, in December 2022. Here is what each pillar means in practice and the signals this checker looks for.

Experience

Experience asks whether the author has genuine first-hand involvement with the topic. It is the newest pillar and matters more in 2026 because AI can generate generic information at scale but cannot replicate lived experience. The checker looks for first-person language, personal examples, anecdotes, and original observations that signal direct involvement rather than secondhand research.

Expertise

Expertise looks at whether the content shows deep, accurate subject knowledge: precise technical language, thorough topic coverage, correct terminology, and depth beyond a surface summary. The checker assesses whether the content covers the topic completely and uses the vocabulary a genuine expert would use.

Authoritativeness

Authoritativeness measures whether the content signals that the author or site is a recognised, credible voice. The checker looks for author attribution with credentials, references to credible sources, citations of data, and structural signals like publication dates that show accountability.

Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness is the most fundamental pillar. Google describes it as the most important of the four, since a page can show experience and expertise and still be untrustworthy if it hides who is behind the content or makes unsupported claims. The checker looks for clear authorship, publication dates, external citations, and accuracy signals.

Verified 2026 data: A Wellows analysis of AI Overview citation signals found named, credentialed authorship makes a page roughly 35 percent more likely to be featured, and that around 96 percent of AI Overview citations come from sources with detectable E-E-A-T signals. Separately, Google's Danny Sullivan has repeatedly told publishers that strong SEO fundamentals already function as strong AEO and GEO, since the same quality signals apply across search formats.

Why It Matters

Why E-E-A-T Matters More Than Ever in 2026

E-E-A-T has always mattered for SEO, but in 2026 it is the central battleground for visibility, for two reasons.

First, AI-generated content has flooded search results. When millions of pages can be produced fluently without genuine knowledge behind them, Google needs a reliable filter for content that actually reflects real expertise and experience. E-E-A-T is that filter.

Second, AI search engines including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews lean on the same trust and quality signals when choosing what to cite. A page that scores poorly on E-E-A-T is unlikely to be cited in AI answers regardless of how well it ranks in traditional search, which makes E-E-A-T a requirement across two visibility channels at once.

  • Generic, unattributed AI-written content is getting filtered out by both Google's quality systems and AI citation engines.
  • Author credentials, original data, and first-person experience are now among the most differentiating signals a page can carry.
  • YMYL content without strong E-E-A-T faces steeper ranking and citation penalties than non-YMYL topics.
  • Pages that already rank well but carry weak E-E-A-T signals are increasingly vulnerable to being displaced by pages with stronger trust signals, even with fewer backlinks.
Inside The Score

The 20 Signals This Checker Analyses

The tool checks 20 detectable on-page signals across four pillars, five per pillar. Here is what each category covers.

Experience signals (5 checks)

First-person language indicating direct involvement, concrete real-world examples, personal anecdotes or case references, specific named scenarios, and language patterns tied to hands-on knowledge rather than secondhand research. Pages that show real experience hold up better against updates that target thin or AI-generated content.

Expertise signals (5 checks)

Depth of coverage measured by word count and paragraph density, accurate technical or domain vocabulary, comprehensive answers with no obvious gaps, a logical structure reflecting expert understanding, and content depth beyond a quick summary. Expertise is the pillar most tied to ranking stability in competitive niches.

Authoritativeness signals (5 checks)

Author attribution with a name or credentials, external citations to credible sources, publication or update dates, data or statistics with attribution, and heading structures reflecting a well-researched approach. Authoritativeness is judged both on-page and off-page, but these on-page signals give Google's systems a baseline to assess credibility.

Trustworthiness signals (5 checks)

Transparent authorship, consistent factual signals, clear publication dates, absence of misleading patterns, and structural transparency markers. When HTML is detected, the checker also looks for Person schema, Article schema, author meta tags, and canonical tags, all of which feed the trustworthiness signals Google's systems read.

SignalPillarImpactEasy to Add
Author name and credentialsAuthoritativenessVery HighYes
Publication or update dateTrustworthinessVery HighYes
Statistics with cited sourcesAuthoritativenessHighModerate
First-person experience languageExperienceHighYes
Concrete real-world examplesExperienceHighYes
External links to credible sourcesAuthoritativenessMediumYes
Technical or domain vocabularyExpertiseMediumModerate
Word count 1000 or moreExpertiseMediumModerate
Person or Article schema markupTrustworthinessMediumYes
FAQ or How-To structureExpertiseMediumYes
Action Plan

How to Improve Your E-E-A-T Score: 9 Fixes That Work

Once you know which pillar is weakest, these are the highest-impact changes. Start at the top and work down.

Fix 1: Add a proper author byline

The single most important fix for Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. Add the author's full name visibly, ideally near the top, and link it to a bio page listing credentials and other published work. Google's quality raters specifically look for this when judging who is responsible for the content.

Fix 2: Include first-person language and real examples

Phrases like "in my experience" or "when I tested this" signal lived involvement rather than generic research. You do not need every paragraph to be a personal anecdote. Two or three genuine first-person touches per page make a measurable difference to the Experience score.

Fix 3: Add a publication date and keep it updated

A visible published or last-updated date is a direct Trustworthiness and Authoritativeness signal. It tells Google the content is maintained and attributed as of a specific point in time. Undated pages are treated as potentially stale, which weakens trust signals significantly.

Fix 4: Cite specific statistics with sources

Generic claims like "SEO is important" score close to zero for Authoritativeness. Specific, attributed claims score far higher. Add two or three sourced statistics per page and link to the original study or report where possible.

Fix 5: Add external links to credible sources

Linking to authoritative sources, official documentation, peer-reviewed studies, or industry reports signals both Expertise and Trustworthiness by grounding your content in verifiable information rather than opinion. Aim for two to four external citations per page.

Fix 6: Demonstrate deep topic coverage

Thin content is one of the fastest ways to score poorly on Expertise. Cover the questions readers are most likely to have, the edge cases, and the common mistakes, not just the headline question. Our AEO Readiness Checker can help you spot specific structural gaps.

Fix 7: Add a FAQ section

A FAQ section demonstrates Expertise by showing you know the audience's real questions, adds Authoritativeness by acting as a comprehensive reference, and gives you a natural place to add FAQ schema. Add four to eight questions and answer each one directly.

Fix 8: Add Article or Person schema to your HTML

When you paste HTML into the checker, it detects whether Article, BlogPosting, or Person schema is present. If not, that is a quick fix. These schema types tell Google's systems who wrote the content, when, and what type of page it is. Use our free Schema Markup Generator to build the JSON-LD in a couple of minutes.

Fix 9: Use precise, domain-specific vocabulary

Generic language scores poorly for Expertise. Domain-specific terms signal that the author understands the field well enough to use its proper vocabulary. You do not need to write for academics, just use the precise terms your topic actually requires.

AI Citation

E-E-A-T and AI Search: The Direct Connection

Many content creators still treat E-E-A-T as a Google-only concern. That framing is out of date in 2026. E-E-A-T signals now directly affect visibility in AI-generated answers across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude, because these systems are trained to prefer credible, verifiable sources and their citation criteria overlap heavily with E-E-A-T.

E-E-A-T PillarWhy AI Engines CareCitation Impact
ExperienceOriginal insight AI cannot replicate from training data aloneHigh
ExpertiseDeep coverage lowers the risk of an incomplete citationHigh
AuthoritativenessNamed authors and sourced data make citations verifiableVery High
TrustworthinessTransparency lowers the risk AI associates with citing the sourceVery High

Pages that score 80 or above on this checker consistently show the signals both Google and AI citation engines treat as markers of high-quality, citable content, which makes improving your E-E-A-T score one of the most direct ways to improve visibility in AI Overviews and chatbot answers.

Reading Your Result

What Is a Good E-E-A-T Score?

The checker scores content 0 to 100 based on how many of the 20 signals your page passes.

A
85 to 100
Excellent. Strong trust, authority, expertise, and experience signals. Focus on building off-page authority and topical depth.
B
70 to 84
Good foundation with a gap or two. Check the priority fixes for the fastest improvements.
C
55 to 69
Moderate. Several key signals are missing. May rank for low-competition topics but struggle in competitive or YMYL niches.
D
40 to 54
Weak. Google's quality raters are unlikely to rate this highly, and AI engines will rarely cite it.
F
Under 40
Very low trust signals. The content lacks the basic credibility markers Google and AI citation systems require.

Keep in mind on-page E-E-A-T is only half the picture. Off-page signals like backlinks, brand mentions, and author reputation across the web also shape how Google's systems ultimately evaluate a page. This tool checks everything detectable from the content itself.

YMYL Content

E-E-A-T for YMYL Content: Why the Standard Is Higher

YMYL stands for Your Money or Your Life. Google uses this category for content that could meaningfully affect a reader's health, finances, safety, or legal standing, including medical advice, financial guidance, legal information, and content that shapes major decisions.

For YMYL pages, Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines apply the highest E-E-A-T bar. A productivity blog post with a thin author bio is unlikely to be penalised heavily. A page giving dietary or investment advice without clear author credentials and sourced claims will be rated very poorly, regardless of keyword optimisation. If your content is YMYL, these signals become essential rather than optional:

  • Named author with verifiable credentials in the relevant field
  • Medical, financial, or legal review statement where applicable
  • External citations from authoritative bodies such as government sites, medical journals, or regulators
  • Clear publication and last-reviewed dates
  • Transparency about the source's qualifications and potential conflicts of interest

This checker applies stricter scoring when you select YMYL as your content type, reflecting the higher standard Google applies to these pages.

Build a Complete Trust and Visibility Stack

WritoryBuzz covers E-E-A-T, AEO, and technical SEO in depth. Start with these guides:

More Tools

Complete Your Trust and AI Search Workflow

🎯AI Search AEO Readiness Checker

Score your content against 15 AI citation signals to see if ChatGPT and AI Overviews will cite it.

Open Tool →
🧩Technical SEO Schema Markup Generator

Add Article and Person schema to close the biggest Trustworthiness gap this checker finds.

Open Tool →
📜AI Search llms.txt Generator

Tell ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity which pages to read and cite.

Open Tool →
🔍SEO Google SERP Simulator

Preview how your title and meta description appear before you publish.

Open Tool →
🔖SEO Meta Tag Generator

Generate SEO, Open Graph, and Twitter Card tags with live previews.

Open Tool →
🤖SEO Robots.txt Generator

Control which AI crawlers, including GPTBot and ClaudeBot, can access your site.

Open Tool →

FAQ

E-E-A-T Score Checker FAQ

What is E-E-A-T and why does it matter for SEO?+
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, Google's framework for judging whether content is high enough quality to rank well and be trusted by users. It is not a direct ranking factor, but it shapes the quality signals Google's algorithms are designed to reward. In 2026 it also directly affects AI citation visibility, since the same trust signals determine whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews cite your content in generated answers.
Is this E-E-A-T checker free to use?+
Yes, completely free with no account and no usage limits. The tool runs entirely in your browser and your content is never sent to a server. Paste your content, enter your keyword, select your content type, and get your score instantly.
How is E-E-A-T different from traditional SEO signals?+
Traditional SEO focuses on technical signals like backlinks, keyword density, page speed, and meta tags. E-E-A-T focuses on credibility: who wrote the content, whether they have real expertise and experience, and whether the content is authoritative and trustworthy. The two are complementary. Technical SEO gets pages indexed and crawled. E-E-A-T determines whether those pages are considered high quality once found.
Does E-E-A-T affect AI search visibility?+
Yes, significantly. Pages with strong E-E-A-T signals are far more likely to be cited in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. A 2026 Wellows analysis found that around 96 percent of AI Overview citations come from sources with detectable E-E-A-T signals, and that named, credentialed authorship makes a page roughly 35 percent more likely to be featured. Improving your E-E-A-T score is a direct lever on AI search visibility.
What makes YMYL content different for E-E-A-T?+
YMYL stands for Your Money or Your Life and covers content that could affect a reader's health, finances, legal situation, or safety. Google applies its highest E-E-A-T standard to YMYL pages because the potential harm from low-quality or inaccurate content is significant. Author credentials, medical or financial review statements, citations from government or journal sources, and clear publication dates are essential for YMYL content rather than just recommended.
Can I paste HTML source code into this checker?+
Yes. Switch to HTML mode using the toggle above the text area and paste your full page HTML. In HTML mode the tool also detects Person schema, Article schema, author meta tags, and other structural signals not visible in plain text, giving a more complete analysis, particularly for the Trustworthiness and Authoritativeness pillars.
What score should I aim for?+
For most content, aim for 80 or above, which indicates the majority of detectable E-E-A-T signals are present. For YMYL content, aim for 85 or above given the higher standard Google applies. A score between 70 and 84 is a solid foundation needing one or two targeted fixes. Below 60 suggests significant gaps that need addressing before the content is likely to perform well in competitive search or AI citation contexts.
Does AI-generated content automatically have lower E-E-A-T?+
No. Google does not penalise content for being AI-generated. It penalises content that lacks genuine Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness signals, regardless of how it was produced. AI-assisted content reviewed by a real expert, carrying first-person experience, sourced citations, and a named author can score well. Unedited AI content attributed to nobody and sourced from nothing will score poorly.