E-E-A-T Score
E-E-A-T — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — is the framework Google publishes in its creating helpful, reliable, people-first content guidance and Search Quality Rater Guidelines to describe the qualities of high-quality, trustworthy content.
Paceghost turns that framework into a concrete, measurable score. We evaluate each scanned page for the observable on-page signals that map to each E-E-A-T dimension, then combine them into a structured E-E-A-T score computed entirely from the page your snapshot captured in Step 2. The score is deterministic: the same page always produces the same result.
Google states that E-E-A-T is not itself a single, direct ranking factor — its automated systems use a mix of signals that align with these qualities. Paceghost’s score does not read Google’s systems or predict search placement. Instead, it makes Google’s own quality framework actionable: it shows where your page demonstrates experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, and where it could be strengthened.
The composite runs from 0.0 to 10.0, built from five pillars. Each pillar contributes up to 2.0 points.
The five pillars
Section titled “The five pillars”1. Entity & Author
Section titled “1. Entity & Author”Does the page identify who is responsible for it? We check for structured Person or Organization schema markup, and whether it includes verified social or identity links (sameAs).
- Strong: recognized entity with identity links
- Partial: recognized entity, no identity links
- None: no structured identity markup
2. Outbound Citations
Section titled “2. Outbound Citations”Does the page reference authoritative sources? We look at the links inside the main content and how many point to recognized authority domains (such as educational, governmental, or established reference sites).
- Strong: at least 5% of outbound links are authoritative
- Partial: outbound links exist but few are authoritative
- None: no outbound links
3. Experience Media
Section titled “3. Experience Media”Does the page include original media with meaningful descriptions? We count images inside the main content that carry descriptive alternative text (and filter out UI noise like icons and logos).
- Strong: at least two images with rich alt text
- Partial: media present but weakly described
- None: no original media
4. Content Density
Section titled “4. Content Density”Is the page mostly substantive content, or mostly layout and boilerplate? We compare the length of the main content text against navigation, headers, footers, and cookie banners.
- Strong: main content heavily outweighs boilerplate
- Partial: main text outweighs boilerplate, but moderately
- None: heavy layout or clutter
5. Linguistic POV
Section titled “5. Linguistic POV”Does the page speak with a first-hand, experiential voice? We count first-person pronouns and first-hand experience phrases in the page text (with language-aware rules for English, German, French, and Spanish).
- Strong: clear first-person voice with experience quotes
- Partial: some first-person or experience signal
- None: third-person, objective voice
The “verified” badge
Section titled “The “verified” badge”On the dashboard, a pillar is marked verified when its individual score reaches the top band (≥ 1.5 of its 2.0). A page can show “N of 5 pillars verified” — a quick read of how many signals are strongly present. This badge is a presentation of the raw score; it does not change the underlying composite.
A point-in-time signal
Section titled “A point-in-time signal”Like the rest of the audit, the E-E-A-T score is a point-in-time measurement. Rescanning after you update your content produces a fresh score — improving structured markup, adding original media with real alt text, and citing authoritative sources are the most direct ways to strengthen it.