Content Quality Criteria: What Are They? How Does E-E-A-T Apply in the Chinese Market?
Chapter 2: Search Fundamentals · Question 24
You may have heard the saying "content is king," but what exactly counts as "good content"? Search engines have a systematic set of evaluation criteria. Google calls it E-E-A-T. Baidu doesn't use the same acronym, but the underlying logic is exactly the same.
What is E-E-A-T?
E-E-A-T is the content quality framework proposed by Google in its Search Quality Rater Guidelines (Search Quality Rater Guidelines, an official public document):
| Letter | Meaning | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| E | Experience | Does the author have first-hand experience with the topic? |
| E | Expertise | Does the author have professional knowledge in this field? |
| A | Authoritativeness | Does the website/author have recognized standing in the industry? |
| T | Trustworthiness | Is the content accurate, and is the website safe and reliable? |
Among these, Trustworthiness is the core—experience, expertise, and authoritativeness all ultimately serve to build user trust.
Baidu's Equivalent Criteria
In its "Baidu SearchHigh-Quality Content Guide" (a public document from the Baidu Search Resource Platform), Baidu does not directly use the term E-E-A-T, but it proposes similar evaluation dimensions:
- Reliability of the content producer: producers with qualifications and certifications are prioritized
- Quality of the content itself: original, in-depth, accurate, and complete
- Presentation of the content: reader-friendly layout, clear images, and no excessive ad interference
- User satisfaction signals: dwell time, bounce rate, engagement data
Simply put:Baidu also looks at "who wrote it, how well it's written, and how others evaluate it."
Actual signals of E-E-A-T in the Chinese market
Experience
- The article includesphotos of personal use(not images scraped from the internet)
- with specific time, place, and process details (“I used it for two weeks in March 2024 and found...")
- Real interaction in the user comment section
Expertise
- The author hasa clear personal introduction and credential background(e.g., "registered dietitian" “10-year SEO practitioner”)
- Content citesauthoritative data sources(e.g., National Bureau of Statistics data, industrywhite papers）
- Accurate terminology and rigorous logic
Authoritativeness
- Published onindustry-recognized platforms(industry vertical media, well-known company official websites)
- Cited or linkedby other authoritative websites
- The author hasZhihuverification badgeson platforms such as Baijiahao,
Trustworthiness
- The website hasICP filing, HTTPS certificate
- Clearcontact information, company address, privacy policy
- ContentIndicates update date, regularly maintained
- No false advertising, no exaggerated promises
YMYL topics: higher E-E-A-T requirements
YMYL = Your Money Your Life, referring to topics that may affect users' health, finances, or safety.
In the Chinese market, the following types of content fall under YMYL:
- Medical health: symptoms, medications, treatment plans
- Finance and investing: investment advice, insurance, loans
- Legal: contracts, rights protection, regulatory interpretation
- Safety: food safety, child safety, cybersecurity
For these topics, Baidu willsignificantly raise the content quality threshold. An unqualified personal blog writing "how to treat high blood pressure" has basically no chance of ranking well—Baidu prioritizes authoritative sources such as top-tier hospitals and Dingxiang Doctor.
What if you don't have an authoritative background?
Small businesses and individual creators can also do E-E-A-T well:
- Highlight real experience: show your usage process, test data, and lessons from failures
- Build a good author page: clearly state who you are, how many years you've worked, and what your representative work is
- Cite reliable sources: note the source for every data point
- Let users vouch for you: display customer reviews and case results
- Continuous updates: regularly revise old articles and mark the "last updated time”
Practical recommendations
- Add an "About Us" and "Author Introduction" page to your website: clearly describe the team background, years of experience, and service cases—this is the easiest and most effective E-E-A-T signal
- Add professional endorsement to YMYL content: if you write health or finance content, have a qualified professional review and sign off, or at least note "This article was reviewed by XX professional"
- Replace generic assets with original images and data: photos you took yourself, experimental data you produced, and charts you drew carry stronger experience signals than images downloaded from stock sites
