Definition Trustworthiness became the central component when Google updated E-A-T to E-E-A-T by adding Experience in 2022. The other three components (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness) support trustworthiness.
How it works System and human quality raters evaluate trust signals: accurate information, sources, author transparency, secure commerce (HTTPS, payment security), contact and address info, privacy policy, third-party reviews. The bar is much higher in YMYL (Your Money Your Life) topics. Low trustworthiness drives low ranking even when content quality is high.
Where you see it in Scope Trends The **E-E-A-T Report** scores trust components per page: HTTPS, author info, sources, privacy policy, contact page, last update date. **Brief Producer** auto-suggests citations on YMYL content.
Frequently asked questions **Does trustworthiness alone determine ranking?** It is a defining quality layer. In YMYL topics it is nearly critical; low trust drops rankings even with perfect technical and content quality.
**Where do third-party reviews come from?** Industry-dependent: Trustpilot, Google Business Profile, Yelp, professional association listings, press mentions.