Module 20: E-E-A-T, Citations & Authority Patents
25+ patents revealing how Google evaluates expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trust.
Overview
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is Google's framework for evaluating content quality. These patents reveal the technical mechanisms behind E-E-A-T signals.
Author Credibility Patents
US8126882B2 - Credibility of an Author of Online Content
Year: 2012-2013
Key Innovation:
- Author credibility scoring based on community reviews
- Reputation of publishers and content creators
- Community quality maintenance signals
- Author authentication signals
Mechanism: Author reputation determined by reviews from third parties; reputation scores influence search rankings.
US8150842B2 - Reputation of an Author
Year: 2011-2013
Key Innovation:
- Author reputation scoring from community reviews
- Multiple author detection and ranking
- Author identity verification
- Time-based reputation growth signals
Key Insight: Longer authenticated author history increases credibility.
US8458196B1 - Determining Topic Authority
Year: 2012-2013
Key Innovation:
- Topic-specific expertise scoring
- Authority signature values for authors
- Document topic weights
- Authorship percentages by topic
- Multi-document expertise accumulation
US11275895B1 - Generating Author Vectors
Year: 2020-2022
Modern E-E-A-T Patent:
- Author writing style identification
- Communication style characterization
- Author personality type detection
- Implicit authorship identification
- Topic-to-author association mapping
Key Insight: Google can identify authors through writing style alone without explicit attribution.
Citation & Link Authority Patents
US6285999B1 - PageRank (Foundation)
Year: 1998-2001
The Original Citation Patent:
- Citation-based authority ranking
- Link-based importance calculation
- Transitive authority propagation
- Authority from linking documents
Core Concept: Rank = sum of ranks of citing documents; higher-ranked sources pass more authority.
US9165040B1 - Ranking Using Distances in Web-Link Graph
Year: 2015
Key Innovation:
- Distance-based authority calculation
- Seed page quality signals
- Trust propagation through link distance
- Topic-relevant authority assessment
Mechanism: Pages closer to trusted seed pages are more authoritative.
US8577893B1 - Ranking Based on Reference Contexts
Year: 2004-2014
Key Innovation:
- Link context analysis
- Surrounding content relevance
- Topical link relevance scoring
- Context-based authority weighting
Key Insight: Link value influenced by surrounding content context; thematic relevance matters.
Trust & Reputation Patents
US7603350B1 - TrustRank
Year: 2006-2012
Core TrustRank Patent:
- Trust propagation from seed sites
- Seed page selection methodology
- Trust-based ranking adjustment
- User-sourced trust signals
Mechanism: Uses trusted seed sites to propagate trust across the web.
US9031929B1 - Site Quality Score
Year: 2013-2015
Key Innovation:
- Overall site quality assessment
- User visit duration signals
- Click patterns from unique queries
- Site-level reputation calculation
Key Insight: Longer dwell times indicate higher quality.
Fact-Checking Patents
US9015037B2 - Interactive Fact Checking System
Year: 2013-2015
Key Innovation:
- Automated fact verification
- Source information comparison
- Factual accuracy validation
- Interactive fact correction
Method: Monitors and fact-checks information against web pages, databases, encyclopedias, social networks.
US9684871B2 - Efficient Fact Checking
Year: 2016-2018
Key Innovation:
- Scalable fact validation
- Multi-source information comparison
- Quality and character assessment
- Content type determination
Topic Authority Patent
US20210004416A1 - Topical Authority Ranking
Year: 2021
Major Modern Patent:
- Granular topical authority measurement
- Key phrase extraction from content
- Topic-specific expertise scoring
- Machine learning-based topic authority
Key Insight: Moves beyond global domain authority to calculate authority for specific topics.
E-E-A-T Signal Categories
Based on patent analysis:
Experience Signals
- Author history with topic
- Time-based reputation growth
- Demonstrated expertise over time
Expertise Signals
- Topic-specific authority scores
- Author vector analysis
- Key phrase expertise mapping
- Document topic weights
Authoritativeness Signals
- Citation-based authority (PageRank)
- Distance from trusted seed pages
- Context of inbound links
- Site quality scores
Trustworthiness Signals
- TrustRank propagation
- Fact-checking verification
- Source consistency
- User behavior indicators
Practical Applications
Building E-E-A-T:
Demonstrate Expertise
- Consistent publishing in topic area
- Deep, comprehensive content
- Clear author attribution
Build Authority
- Earn quality backlinks
- Get cited by trusted sources
- Build topic-specific content clusters
Establish Trust
- Accurate, verifiable information
- Consistent NAP for local
- Secure website (HTTPS)
Show Experience
- First-hand experience signals
- Case studies and examples
- Real-world application content
Key Patents Referenced
| Patent | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| US8126882B2 | Credibility of an Author of Online Content | 2012-2013 |
| US8150842B2 | Reputation of an Author | 2011-2013 |
| US8458196B1 | Determining Topic Authority | 2012-2013 |
| US11275895B1 | Generating Author Vectors | 2020-2022 |
| US6285999B1 | PageRank | 1998-2001 |
| US9165040B1 | Distances in Web-Link Graph | 2015 |
| US8577893B1 | Ranking Based on Reference Contexts | 2004-2014 |
| US7603350B1 | TrustRank | 2006-2012 |
| US9031929B1 | Site Quality Score | 2013-2015 |
| US9015037B2 | Interactive Fact Checking | 2013-2015 |
| US20210004416A1 | Topical Authority Ranking | 2021 |
Cross-Reference
- Module 5: Content Quality - Quality signals
- Module 6: PageRank & Links - Authority algorithms
- Reviews & FTC Module - Third-party validation
Next Steps
- Reviews & FTC Module - Review signals
- CTR & User Behavior - Engagement signals
- Internal Linking - Link architecture