E-A-T (legacy)
The original three letter version of EEAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) before Experience was added.
Key takeaways
- E-A-T (legacy) is the original three letter version of EEAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) before Experience was added.
- Read older E-A-T advice with the newer Experience element in mind.
- Avoid: following outdated E-A-T checklists that ignore experience.
What is E-A-T (legacy)?
E-A-T was used in Google's documentation from 2014 to 2022. EEAT (with Experience) replaced it in December 2022 to recognise first hand experience as a distinct quality signal.
Why E-A-T (legacy) matters for EEAT in 2026
E-A-T is the older name for E-E-A-T, used before Google added Experience in December 2022. You'll still see it in older guides; the ideas carry over, with first-hand experience now counted separately.
For a wider view of where this fits, see our full EEAT glossary or explore the Strategy and Audits service we run for clients.
How to apply E-A-T (legacy) on your site
Knowing the concept is only half of it. Work through these steps in order to put E-A-T (legacy) into practice on your own pages:
- Read older E-A-T advice with the newer Experience element in mind.
- Show first-hand experience alongside expertise and authority.
- Use the current Quality Rater Guidelines as the reference, not old summaries.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most sites that struggle with E-A-T (legacy) fall into the same traps. Check your pages against each of these before moving on:
- Following outdated E-A-T checklists that ignore experience.
- Treating E-A-T and E-E-A-T as different systems.
- Assuming either is a single score Google calculates.
Questions about E-A-T (legacy)
The original three letter version of EEAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) before Experience was added.
E-A-T is the older name for E-E-A-T, used before Google added Experience in December 2022. You'll still see it in older guides; the ideas carry over, with first-hand experience now counted separately.
Start here: read older E-A-T advice with the newer Experience element in mind. Then show first-hand experience alongside expertise and authority.
The most common is following outdated E-A-T checklists that ignore experience. Another is treating E-A-T and E-E-A-T as different systems.