E-E-A-T, meaning experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness, is a set of criteria used to measure how knowledgeable, experienced, trustworthy and recognized a website or a writer is on a given subject. Search engines work toward giving people the most accurate, reliable and useful information there is. E-E-A-T plays a critical part in judging the quality of content and how reliable its source is.

E-E-A-T matters most for content on sensitive subjects such as finance, health and law, the area called YMYL (Your Money, Your Life), because wrong or incomplete information in those fields can damage people’s lives or their finances. So E-E-A-T is more than a ranking signal: it is the foundation of building lasting reputation and trust online.

In this piece we go through the certification programs that carry weight around the world and in Turkey, and we will keep the list updated. Keep one thing in mind: E-E-A-T is not something you can build out of certificates alone. It is shaped by a great many things, from your degree to your work experience, from the conferences you attend to the projects you take on.

E-E-A-T is also written EAT on some sites.

Certificates are still a good way of showing what you can do. You have to start somewhere, and building on your degree with certificates will serve you well in demonstrating your expertise.

We covered the plugins for showing your profile on a WordPress site in author box plugins.

The Certification Portals and Fields That Support E-E-A-T

1. Digital marketing and SEO expertise

These certificates matter for “expertise” and “authoritativeness”, particularly for people producing and marketing content on the web.

  • Google Skillshop: Official certificates on Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google Business Profile and the like.
  • Semrush Academy: Broad free and paid courses and certificates on SEO, content marketing, PPC and social media marketing.
  • HubSpot Academy: Free certification programs on inbound marketing, content marketing, social media marketing and sales.
  • Ahrefs Academy: Lessons on SEO and content marketing focused on using the tools and on strategy.
  • Moz Learn SEO: Resources and certificates on the fundamentals of SEO and on advanced subjects.

2. Field specific academic and professional expertise

The strongest proof of the “experience” and “expertise” parts of E-E-A-T is a person’s formal education and professional licenses in their own field.

  • Universities and higher education institutions: Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. (University courses through platforms such as Coursera and edX, for instance.)
  • Professional chambers and bodies:
    • Medicine: in Turkey the Turkish Medical Association and the specialist societies (the Society of Cardiology, for instance).
    • Law: the bar associations.
    • Engineering: in Turkey the chambers under TMMOB (the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, for instance).
    • Finance: the CFA Institute (Chartered Financial Analyst), and in Turkey the Capital Markets Board (SPK).
    • Architecture: the chamber of architects.
    • Education: in Turkey the institutions approved by the Ministry of National Education, and teaching certificates.

3. Technology and software development

For anyone producing content in technology, these certificates carry real weight.

  • Microsoft Learn: Certifications on Azure, Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365 and the like.
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) Training and Certification: Certificates on cloud computing and AWS services.
  • Cisco Certifications: Certificates on network technology and cybersecurity (CCNA, CCNP).
  • CompTIA: Certificates on core IT skills and cybersecurity (A+, Network+, Security+).
  • Oracle University: Certificates on Oracle technologies such as its databases and Java.
  • Google Cloud Certifications: Certificates on Google Cloud Platform services.

4. Project management and business development

  • Project Management Institute (PMI): Project management certificates such as the PMP (Project Management Professional).
  • Scrum.org / Scrum Alliance: Certificates on agile methodologies and Scrum.

5. Data science and analytics

  • IBM SkillsBuild: Certificates on artificial intelligence, data science and cloud computing.
  • DataCamp: Practical, skills focused lessons and career tracks in data science and analytics.
  • SAS Certification: Certificates on SAS, the statistical analysis and data management software.

6. Content creation and communication skills

They are not E-E-A-T certificates as such, and these skills still raise the quality and the reliability of content.

  • Coursera / edX: University courses on written communication, technical writing and academic writing.
  • Adobe Certified Professional: Certificates on graphic design (Photoshop, Illustrator) and video editing (Premiere Pro).

7. Cybersecurity and data privacy

Critical for trustworthiness on digital platforms, particularly for sites handling sensitive data.

  • (ISC)²: Globally recognized cybersecurity certificates such as CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and SSCP (Systems Security Certified Practitioner).
  • ISACA: Information systems audit and management certificates such as CISM (Certified Information Security Manager) and CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor).
  • IAPP (International Association of Privacy Professionals): Data privacy and GDPR compliance certificates such as CIPP (Certified Information Privacy Professional) and CIPM (Certified Information Privacy Manager).

8. UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) design

How usable a site is and how satisfied its users are indirectly support the “experience” and “trustworthiness” parts. A user friendly site raises the sense that you are professional.

  • Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g): Offers certification programs and training in user experience. A highly respected body in the field.
  • Google UX Design Professional Certificate (through Coursera): A certificate program from Google teaching the fundamentals of UX design.
  • IDF (Interaction Design Foundation): Various courses and certificates on UX and interaction design.

9. Fact checking and journalism ethics

Vital for “trustworthiness” and “authoritativeness”, particularly for people producing news, research and reference content.

  • Poynter Institute: Offers courses on journalism ethics, fact-checking and digital verification.
  • First Draft News: Provides training and resources on countering disinformation and verifying information online.
  • Specialist journalism schools and programs: Specialist journalism courses or master’s programs (science journalism, business journalism and so on).

10. Language and translation skills

For sites addressing international audiences or offering translation services, these can signal “expertise” and “trustworthiness”.

  • ATA (American Translators Association) certificates: Professional certifications in translation and interpreting. (Most countries have their own equivalent professional bodies.)
  • Goethe-Institut, Alliance Française, Instituto Cervantes: Foreign language proficiency certificates (TestDaF for German, DELF/DALF for French, DELE for Spanish).

11. Additional expertise in health and medicine

This field sits inside YMYL and requires deep expertise and accreditation. Alongside the professional bodies above:

  • American Medical Association (AMA) and the medical specialty societies: Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits and certificates for particular specialties.
  • Nutrition and dietetics associations: Certificates in nutrition and dietetics.
  • Training platforms run by pharmaceutical companies: Training on drug information and pharmacology.

12. Expertise in hobbies and niche fields, for anyone building authority in a particular hobby or niche (photography, food, specialist crafts and so on).

  • PPA (Professional Photographers of America) certificates: Proficiency in professional photography.
  • Le Cordon Bleu and other gastronomy institutes: Certificates in culinary arts and pastry.
  • Online art and design schools: Course certificates showing technical knowledge and creative skill in a particular discipline (illustration, animation).

13. Environment, sustainability and green technology

Knowledge and credibility on environmental awareness and sustainability keep getting more critical for content producers in the related sectors.

  • LEED Green Associate / LEED AP (USGBC): Certificates on green building design and sustainable construction standards.
  • GRI (Global Reporting Initiative): Training on sustainability reporting standards and practice.
  • ISS (International Society of Sustainability Professionals): General and specialist certificates in sustainability.

14. Ecommerce and digital sales

For people selling online or producing content for ecommerce sites, competence here directly affects trust in the site and its products.

  • Shopify Partner Academy: Courses and certificates on specializing in Shopify and on running an ecommerce operation.
  • Google My Business Sertifikasyonu (Google Skillshop): Proves competence in local SEO and managing a business listing.
  • Amazon Seller University: Training on selling on Amazon, listing optimization and logistics.

15. Human resources and leadership

For anyone writing about HR or leadership, professional certificates in this field matter a great deal.

  • SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management): Globally recognized certificates in human resources management (SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP).
  • HRCI (HR Certification Institute): Various certificates for HR professionals (PHR, SPHR).
  • Coaching certifications (ICF, the International Coaching Federation): Programs documenting professional coaching competence.

For people writing in particular branches of law, specialist certificates are useful alongside the formal licenses.

  • Specialist bars and associations: Specialist certificates and programs in fields such as copyright law, cyber law and international law. (In Turkey, the Union of Turkish Bar Associations and the relevant specialist societies.)
  • Online law courses (Coursera/edX): Courses in particular areas of law offered by some universities.

17. Art, culture and the creative fields

For artists, culture critics and creative producers, “experience” and “expertise” count for a lot.

  • Art academies and conservatories: Diplomas and certificates in music, painting, sculpture and theater.
  • Music theory and production certificates: From recognized institutions or software companies (Ableton and Logic Pro certificates, for instance).

18. Public relations (PR) and media relations

Critical for the public reputation and trustworthiness of brands and individuals. Particularly useful for anyone writing about corporate communication or crisis management.

  • PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) certifications: Certifications on ethics, strategic communication and management skills in public relations.
  • CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations): UK based, internationally recognized PR qualifications and accreditations.

19. Teaching and training skills

For people producing teaching material or “how to” content, pedagogical qualifications strengthen the “expertise” and “trustworthiness” parts.

  • CELTA/DELTA (Cambridge Assessment English): Internationally recognized certificates in teaching English. Equivalents exist for other languages.
  • Teacher training certificates: Teacher training programs offered by universities or, in Turkey, by the Ministry of National Education.
  • E-learning design certificates: Courses on building online learning material and on instructional design (found on platforms such as Coursera and edX).

For people producing original content or advising on it, command of the legal process signals “trustworthiness” and “authoritativeness”.

  • WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) Academy: Free online courses on intellectual property law and copyright.
  • Specialist training from law faculties and legal institutions: Certificate programs in fields such as copyright law and trademark law.

21. Sector specific management and operations skills

For content producers specializing in a particular sector (hospitality, retail, logistics and so on), certificates showing command of that sector’s dynamics matter.

  • AHLEI (American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute) certificates: Various certificates on hospitality management and operations.
  • APICS/ASCM (Association for Supply Chain Management): Global certificates in supply chain and operations management (CPIM, CSCP).
  • Retail management certificates: Courses on retail operations, customer service and sales management.

22. Personal development and life skills

For people producing content on coaching, motivation or life guidance, training and certificates here reinforce the personal “experience” and “trustworthiness” elements.

  • Coaching programs approved by the International Coaching Federation (ICF): Professional certifications in life coaching, career coaching and similar fields.
  • Mindfulness and meditation teacher certificates: Programs documenting deep knowledge and practical competence in the field.

23. Management systems and standards expertise

Compliance with international standards such as quality management, information security management or environmental management is a serious signal of “trustworthiness” and “authoritativeness” for organizations and individuals producing content in those fields.

  • ISO certifications (Lead Auditor / Lead Implementer): “Lead Auditor” or “Lead Implementer” training and certificates in international standards such as ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 27001 (information security management) and ISO 14001 (environmental management). They document your competence in building, auditing or maintaining a given management system.
  • ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library): A globally recognized certification series for IT professionals representing best practice in IT service management (Foundation, Practitioner and Expert levels). Particularly important for anyone writing about technology or service management.

24. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)

DEI keeps growing in importance in business and in public conversation, and it can make a difference to “trustworthiness” and “authoritativeness”, particularly for people, consultants and institutions producing content about people.

  • Cornell University – Diversity and Inclusion Certificate: Offers online certificate programs on inclusive leadership, diversity management and equity in the workplace.
  • eCornell (Cornell University’s online learning platform): Various courses and certificates on diversity and inclusion leadership.
  • Global Diversity & Inclusion Benchmarks (GDIB) practitioner training: Training documenting competence in building and applying corporate diversity and inclusion strategy.

25. Innovation and design thinking

For anyone writing about product development, service design or strategic planning, competence here strengthens “expertise” and “experience”.

  • IDEO U: A well known platform offering online courses and certificates on design thinking, innovation and creative skills.
  • Coursera and edX (particularly from universities such as Stanford and Michigan): Courses on design thinking methodology, innovation management and creative problem solving.

26. Market research and consumer behavior

For people writing about market analysis, consumer trends or strategic marketing planning, scientific competence here raises “expertise” and “trustworthiness”.

  • ESOMAR (European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research): Professional training and certificates on the ethical standards and methodology of market research.
  • MRS (Market Research Society): UK based professional qualification programs on market research and analysis.
  • Training from research firms such as NielsenIQ and Kantar: they run dedicated training on their own data and methodology (usually at enterprise level).

27. Health and wellness expertise (widening the scope)

For people writing about health and wellbeing outside conventional medicine but on a scientific footing, “trustworthiness” and “expertise” are critical.

  • ACE (American Council on Exercise) / NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine): Fitness and wellness certificates covering personal training, nutrition coaching and group fitness instruction.
  • Yoga Alliance registered teacher (RYT): Internationally recognized certificates for yoga teachers, documenting training completed to a set number of hours and a set curriculum.
  • Holistic nutrition and functional medicine institutes: Certificate programs on specialist approaches to nutrition (when you choose here, it matters that you check the institution’s scientific grounding and standing).

28. Business analysis and process improvement

For people writing about business processes, systems analysis or efficiency, competence here reinforces “expertise” and “trustworthiness”.

  • IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis): Globally recognized business analysis certificates such as CBAP (Certified Business Analysis Professional).
  • Lean Six Sigma certificates (Yellow, Green, Black Belt): Certifications on process improvement and efficiency methodology. Offered by many training providers.

29. CRM (customer relationship management) and marketing automation

For people writing about customer relations, sales automation or marketing technology, deep knowledge here raises “expertise” and “authoritativeness”.

  • Salesforce certificates: Official certificates on the various Salesforce modules (Admin, Developer, Sales Cloud Consultant, Marketing Cloud Consultant and so on).
  • Adobe Experience Cloud certificates: Certifications on Adobe’s marketing and experience management products (Marketo Engage, Adobe Analytics, Adobe Experience Manager).

30. Database management and development

For people producing technical content on databases, data modeling or back end systems, competence here is vital.

  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate: Competence on platforms such as Microsoft Azure SQL Database and Azure Cosmos DB.
  • Oracle Certified Professional (OCP): Certificates on Oracle database administration and SQL development.
  • MongoDB Certified Developer/DBA Associate: Specialist certificates on NoSQL databases (MongoDB).

31. Financial planning and investment

For people writing about finance, investment or personal budgeting, formal qualifications here are non negotiable for “expertise” and “trustworthiness”.

  • Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board: A globally recognized certification in personal financial planning.
  • Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC): A certificate program giving you the basics on financial markets, economic indicators and the investment sectors.
  • FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) licenses: Licensing exams such as Series 7 and Series 63, required for brokers and investment advisers in the United States (with equivalent local licenses wherever you write about markets).

32. Supply chain and logistics

For people writing about global trade, inventory management or logistics processes, expertise here reinforces “authoritativeness” and “experience”.

  • CSCMP (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals): Professional qualification programs in supply chain management (SCPro Certification, for instance).
  • FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding: A diploma program recognized worldwide in international freight and logistics.

33. Digital literacy and media analysis

For content focused on countering disinformation, media criticism or analyzing digital content, competence here raises “trustworthiness”.

  • News Literacy Project: Training aimed at building media literacy and the skill of reaching accurate information.
  • Google Digital Garage: Offers free courses and certificates on the fundamentals of digital marketing and building a business online (useful for general digital literacy).

34. Life sciences and biotechnology

For people producing content in health sciences, biotechnology, drug development or genetics, deep scientific knowledge and command of the methodology is critical.

  • ACRP (Association of Clinical Research Professionals) certifications: Professional certifications on clinical research and drug development.
  • ASCP (American Society for Clinical Pathology) certifications: Specialist certificates in medical laboratory science.

35. Remote work and digital workflows

In the period after the pandemic, practical knowledge and methodology here matter for anyone writing about remote work and digital collaboration.

  • Zapier integration expert programs (where offered): Expertise in automation and workflow software.
  • Certifications from tools such as Asana, Trello and Monday.com: On using project management and collaboration tools well (some platforms run their own training).

Continuing education centers (SEM) in Turkey

Taking courses at continuing education centers and collecting the certificates can raise your standing on E-E-A-T. Below we list the main continuing education centers operating in Turkey.

Istanbul University Continuing Education Center (SEM): Offers a wide range of online certificate programs, from personal development through to professional specialization (family counseling, digital forensics, sign language, digital arts and more).

Ankara University Continuing Education Center (ANKUZEM): Offers online and in person certificate programs across different disciplines (health literacy, intellectual and industrial property rights, adult assessment testing).

Istanbul Technical University Continuing Education Center (İTÜSEM): Offers more specific, more thorough programs in engineering, architecture, management and technology (business analysis, ecommerce, a micro MBA).

Yıldız Technical University Continuing Education Center (YTÜ SEM): Runs certificate programs across IT, psychology, marketing and leadership.

Sabancı University EDU: Offers certificate programs focused on management, digital marketing, human resources and innovation.

Anadolu University e-certificate programs: With a long history in distance learning, Anadolu University offers a wide range of e-certificate programs (basic coaching training, lifelong learning and more).

Üsküdar University Continuing Education Center (USEM): Offers programs on psychology, family counseling and urban regeneration.

Karabük University Continuing Education Center (KASEM): Offers various online courses, including certificate programs verified through the Turkish e-government system.

Besides the continuing education centers, you can build your experience in a field by taking certificates from the private courses that work alongside universities.

Contributing to academic papers

Certificates help with E-E-A-T up to a point. Taking part in academic papers alongside your studies and getting them published in academic journals will do more to demonstrate your expertise. Start by opening a Google Scholar and an ORCID account.