The sense of discomfort with the convenient use of the term E-E-A-T

"Let's strengthen E-E-A-T" or "E-E-A-T is important."

Every time I hear these words, I feel a slight hesitation.
They aren't wrong.
In fact, in the context of SEO, they should be correct.

Yet, for some reason, when these words come up in the field or from vendors, there are moments when they suddenly sound suspicious.

E-E-A-T is originally an evaluation axis that Google is said to prioritize.
It is defined, but its content is as vague as grasping at clouds,
and it is never clearly stated "how to improve it."

Nevertheless, in the field, it is treated as if it were an actionable measure.
And if there are no results, the same words are used again as the cause.

At this point, a slight distortion is born.
And that distortion begins to function as a universal explanation:
"You lack E-E-A-T."

In the first place, E-E-A-T is not a measure.

To begin with, E-E-A-T is not the name of something you do.
It is an acronym for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust,
and it is merely talking about a "state of being evaluated."

To summarize it a bit crudely, it comes down to this.

• Appearing to have experience

• Being judged to have expertise

• Being recognized as having authority

• Being thought of as trustworthy

It's all about "whether it looks that way or not."
This is where the gap arises.
Because in the field, people convert what should be a state into "things to do."

• "First, let's strengthen E-E-A-T."

• "We will increase content that enhances expertise."

• "Let's include supervision to ensure reliability."

Vendors and agencies say these stock phrases.

And,

• Added supervision by a doctor -> Expertise increased

• Padded the profile → Increased authority

• Added personal experience → Increased experience

This is how 'plausible-sounding elements' are piled up.

Of course, this is not wrong.
But whether that truly brings you closer to being evaluated that way is another matter.

E-E-A-T is something that should naturally emerge as a result.
The moment you break it down into a 'to-do list,' it starts to drift slightly off course.

And that drift accumulates without being noticed.

E-E-A-T is used as both a 'sales pitch' and an 'excuse'

What makes E-E-A-T tricky is that the fact that it is 'important' is already fixed as a premise.

Since it is explicitly stated as an evaluation metric, it cannot be denied.
At the same time, actions taken to improve it are also hard to deny.

The problem lies beyond that.

While E-E-A-T is said to be important,
'how to improve it' and 'what constitutes an improvement' are not clearly defined.

In other words, it ends up like this.

• There are metrics

• There are actions that seem like things to do

• But the causality is never verified

What does this state produce?
E-E-A-T begins to function as a word for explanation.

In a proposal setting, if you say 'we will strengthen E-E-A-T,'
it sounds correct just by saying that.

In the execution phase, initiatives can be explained with phrases like 'we are enhancing expertise' or 'we are ensuring reliability.'

And in the results phase, it goes like this.

• It went well → 'E-E-A-T was evaluated'

• Things aren't going well → "You still lack E-E-A-T"

Either way, the explanation holds up.

What we have here is a structure of
undeniable metrics, hard-to-refute actions, and unverified causality.
When these come together, the term E-E-A-T becomes extremely convenient.

When these align, the term E-E-A-T becomes extremely convenient.

• When selling, it becomes a term to explain value

• When things aren't going well, it becomes a convenient excuse

This is the true nature of the "unease."
E-E-A-T is not wrong.
However, it is better to also recognize that it is being used far too conveniently.

SEO vendors and agencies jump on whatever is convenient

E-E-A-T is not the only special case.
Looking back, there have always been terms in SEO that sound plausible and correct.

• The era when it was said that backlinks were important

• The era when content SEO spread and word count was discussed

• The era when the metric of domain power was emphasized

And now, terms like E-E-A-T and AIO are lined up.

None of them are wrong.
In fact, they are correct elements that have been incorporated as evaluation axes.

That is precisely why they cannot be denied.

But at the same time, they have something in common.
That is the point that "because they are correct, they can be used conveniently."

The reason SEO vendors and agencies jump on these terms is simple.
It is because they are easy to explain, hard to refute, and allow for the blurring of responsibility.

• Not enough backlinks

• Not enough word count

• Domain power is weak

• Lacking E-E-A-T

The phrasing has changed, but the structure remains the same.

By making concepts that cannot be measured, like E-E-A-T, or areas with shifting definitions, like AIO, the subject, the degree of freedom for explanations and excuses has increased.

Of course, these concepts themselves are important.
Since they are incorporated as evaluation criteria, they cannot be ignored.

However, being a correct concept and being used correctly are two different things.

SEO is evolving.
And there is nothing wrong with these ways of thinking or approaches.
But the way convenient terms are used has not changed much.

I have no memory of thinking about SEO for the sake of E-E-A-T

To be honest, I have no memory of doing anything for the sake of E-E-A-T.

I know it is an important concept, and I have no intention of denying it.
But I have never acted with the conscious thought that 'this is a measure for E-E-A-T'.

Even so, I was able to do SEO, and I still can.

Looking back, backlinks, word count, and domain power have also
been said to be important at various times.

None of them are wrong.
But I have never once worked with them as the subject.

What I have done is simple.

• Create content appropriate for the search intent

• Do not miss the basics of SEO

• Think about user value linked to results

That is all.

As a result of that,

• experience accumulates

• expertise is polished

• Trust remains

If you are going to explain it using the term E-E-A-T, that is what it comes down to.

The order is reversed.

You don't do things to satisfy E-E-A-T;
you are evaluated that way as a result of doing things properly.

Of course, if you enter a phase where you want to delve deeper,
it is fine to look back from the perspective of E-E-A-T.

But that is not something you put first.

And the words spoken by SEO vendors and agencies
are not necessarily the "subject for achieving results."

In many cases,
they are also the "subject for making the work happen."

• Let's strengthen E-E-A-T

• Let's adapt to AIO

• This area is important right now

None of these are wrong.
But those words sometimes explain "what we will decide to do"
rather than "what we should do."

Correctness and convenience sometimes wear the same face.

That is precisely why:

Think with your own head, not just with words.
Determine whose subject it is.

If you chase only the words without this premise,
you will be caught in the same structure in every era.