E-E-A-T is Google’s shorthand for experience and expertise, then authoritativeness and trust, used in its page-quality guidance. Google says it is not a specific ranking factor and that trust matters most. For a small business, that means naming the author, showing what they know first-hand, linking the sources and saying why the page exists.
By Donnie Strompf. Updated October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Google’s rater guidelines (September 11, 2025) call trust the most important part, and its helpful content guidance (updated October 5, 2026) says E-E-A-T itself isn’t a specific ranking factor.
- Google’s practical test is three questions: Who wrote this, How was it made, and Why does it exist.
- Pages on health, money, safety or society topics are held to a higher standard. Put a named, qualified author or reviewer on them.
- Reviews and testimonials fall under FTC rules on fake reviews and undisclosed connections.
- Check the pages that sell or advise first, then your highest-traffic posts.
I’m Donnie Strompf. I’ve done SEO since 2008 and lead SEO at Good At Marketing, our agency in Boynton Beach, Florida. This page turns Google’s public guidance and the FTC’s review rules into checks you can run before you publish. For how search works, read our SEO pillar guide.
What does E-E-A-T mean, and does it affect rankings?
Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines (September 11, 2025 edition, section 3.4) say all four parts matter when raters judge page quality, and that trust is the most important of them. An untrustworthy page has low E-E-A-T however experienced its author looks.
Two Google pages answer the ranking question. Its guidance on creating helpful, reliable, people-first content (updated October 5, 2026) says E-E-A-T itself isn’t a specific ranking factor, though a mix of factors that identify good E-E-A-T is useful. Its rater overview (November 2023) says no single rating directly changes how a page ranks. Ratings measure how well the search systems perform.
I know of no E-E-A-T score published by Google, so check whether a reader can verify the author, the claims and the business. The table gives a plain-English reading of each part, in my wording.
| Part | What a reader looks for | Where it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Experience | You have done the work | Own photos, dated notes, your numbers |
| Expertise | You know the subject | Accurate detail, credentials, expert review |
| Authoritativeness | Others rely on you | Named references, press, trade bodies |
| Trust | The page is accurate and safe | Sources, contact details, clear policies |
What three questions does Google ask about every page?
Google’s helpful content page asks who created the content, how it was made and why it was published. Each has a fix you can make on the page.
| Question | Google’s point | Put on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Readers can tell who wrote it | Byline, short bio, bio link |
| How | Readers benefit from knowing how it was made | A note on method or tools |
| Why | The page helps visitors first | A clear purpose and next step |
Who. Google says visitors should be able to tell who created the content, with bylines where readers would expect them and a link to author background. It warns against deceptive authorship, including AI-generated headshots, made-up names and false credentials.
How. Google says it helps readers to know how a piece was produced, and asks whether any use of automation or AI is clear to visitors.
Why. Google calls this perhaps the most important question. It wants pages made to help people who visit your site, not mainly to attract search traffic, and it says using automation, including AI, mainly to manipulate rankings violates its spam policies. Our guide on whether AI makes mistakes in digital marketing covers that policy.
Which of your pages count as YMYL?
YMYL stands for “Your Money or Your Life.” Section 2.3 of the rater guidelines uses it for topics that could significantly affect a person’s health, financial stability or safety, or the welfare of society. The four categories are Health or Safety, Financial Security, Government, Civics & Society, and Other.
In my reading of those categories, these small-business pages are likely to qualify, because they give advice a reader might act on:
- Medical, dental, mental health and senior care pages
- Legal pages that explain rights or deadlines
- Insurance and tax advice
The guidelines hold these pages to a higher standard. Section 4.5.2 tells raters to treat a highly inexpert YMYL page as untrustworthy and rate it Lowest. Section 4.5.1 says YMYL pages or sites that handle sensitive data, with absolutely no information about the website or content creator, should be rated Lowest.
Name a qualified author or reviewer, state a credential a reader can check, and cite the primary source for each rule or number. If your profession is regulated, read your licensing board’s advertising rules first.
I would treat a page that tells people whether they have a legal claim as YMYL. When you are unsure, treat the page as YMYL.
What trust signals belong on each type of page?
| Page type | Put on the page | Question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Service page | Named lead, service area, price link | Who does this, and where? |
| Guide or blog post | Byline, bio link, updated date, sources | Who says so, and how current? |
| Pricing page | Ranges, what moves the price, review date | What will this cost? |
| Case study | Client, dated result, your role | Did this happen? |
| Reviews page | Source, date, any incentive | Are these independent? |
| YMYL page | Qualified author or reviewer, credential | Is it safe to act on? |
| About or team page | Names, roles, years in the field | Who is behind the business? |
A byline, an updated date and a source list will not correct a wrong number. Google’s self-check asks about easily verified factual errors, so check each number against its source.
What should a byline and author bio say?
A bio needs a name, a role, the work that qualifies this person on the topic, and a link to a fuller profile. Two to four sentences is enough.
Skip adjectives such as passionate, because a reader cannot check them. Years in the field and a license number can be checked. Of everything on this list, a bio with a checkable credential costs the least and removes the most doubt.
Avoid bylines such as “Admin” or “Staff” on advice pages, since they give a reader nothing to look up.
If your site uses structured data, Google’s Article documentation (last updated September 8, 2026) lists author as a recommended property, not a required one. It says to put only the person’s name in author.name and to point author.url at a page that identifies them, such as a bio page. Job titles go in a separate property.
Dates work the same way. Google’s guidance on dates (last updated December 10, 2025) recommends a visible date labeled with text like “Publish” or “Last updated,” consistent with datePublished and dateModified in the markup. It says dates must describe the page’s own publication or update, so change “Updated” only when the content changes.
How do you show first-hand experience?
Google’s questions ask whether a page demonstrates first-hand expertise and adds original information instead of rewriting other sources. These show it:
- Photos you took, with a date and place, instead of stock images
- Numbers from your own jobs or accounts, labeled with the period they cover
- A mistake you made and what you changed afterward
- Local detail only someone on the job would know, such as a permit step
Use photos from your own work when they help readers see what you did. Definitions are easy for a competitor to copy, and your job photos are not.
How do reviews and testimonials fit under the law?
The FTC’s consumer reviews and testimonials rule took effect on October 21, 2024. The FTC’s staff Q&A (modified May 1, 2025) says it prohibits:
- Writing, creating or selling fake or false reviews and testimonials
- Incentives that require a review to express a particular sentiment
- Insider reviews, such as from employees or their relatives, without a clear and conspicuous disclosure
- Suppressing reviews through intimidation, false accusations or unfounded legal threats
The FTC’s Endorsement Guides Q&A (modified July 15, 2025) adds that an endorsement must reflect the endorser’s own views. A connection such as payment, free product or employment should be disclosed clearly and conspicuously when a significant minority of consumers wouldn’t expect it and it would affect how they weigh the endorsement. The FTC says a disclosure behind a link, or in the comments of a post, is easily avoidable and so not clear and conspicuous.
Neither FTC page offers a safe harbor from liability. Ask a lawyer if you are unsure how the rules apply to your reviews. To ask customers for reviews within Google’s rules, read our guide to getting more Google reviews.
What is the pre-publish checklist?
Run these checks on the draft before it goes live.
- The page has a named author or a clear company owner, linked to a bio or about page.
- Every number and rule has a source link naming the publisher and year.
- Each source is the primary one, from whoever issued the rule.
- The page shows something first-hand: your photos, your data, your decision.
- A note says how AI or a ghostwriter helped, if either did and readers would ask.
- YMYL topics name a qualified author or reviewer with a checkable credential.
- Reviews and testimonials come from customers, carry dates, and disclose any connection.
- The visible “Updated” date matches the last change to the content.
How do you audit pages you already have?
Start where a mistake costs the most: YMYL pages, then pages that bring in calls, then your ten most-visited posts. Our guide to measuring content marketing ROI shows how to find the pages that produce leads.
For each page, answer Google’s questions with a yes or no: is the author clear, are the sources visible, and would a quick check expose an error? Start with errors that could mislead readers, especially on health, money, legal or safety topics.
If you want help with the writing and review, see our content marketing services and the published pricing. The cost side has its own guide: How much digital marketing costs for a small business. For the steps that help AI engines name your business, read our guide to getting recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews.
Related reading
- Marketing funnel optimization for local service businesses
- How Content Marketing and SEO Work Together for Local Businesses
Next step
The free audit comes first, then a 15-minute call with Donnie Strompf.
FAQ
Do I need a degree to write about my own trade?
Not necessarily. Google’s expertise questions ask whether content was written or reviewed by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well. Years of hands-on work count as experience. On YMYL topics, add a qualified reviewer, because advice about health, money or legal rights carries more risk than a how-to on your own services.
Can I use the company name or a pen name as the author?
A company name is fine on pages the company issues, such as policies and price lists. Avoid invented personas, since Google warns against made-up names and false credentials. If a person wrote the advice, name that person and link to a page showing they exist.
Can a tool score my E-E-A-T?
I know of no E-E-A-T score published by Google, and its helpful content page says E-E-A-T itself isn’t a specific ranking factor. A score from a third-party tool is that tool’s opinion of your page. Use the questions in this guide instead: author, sources, first-hand detail and accuracy. You can check each of those yourself.
Does a pricing page count as YMYL?
Usually not by itself. YMYL covers topics that could significantly affect health, financial stability, safety or society, and a list of what you charge for a service is a commercial fact. In my reading, advice on loans, insurance, treatment or legal rights is different. A pricing page still needs accurate ranges, an update date and a way to reach you.
Do I have to tell readers that AI helped write a page?
Google’s helpful content page asks whether the use of automation is self-evident to visitors, and says disclosures are useful where readers would reasonably expect them. Its generative AI guidance (updated October 1, 2026) suggests adding information on how your content was created. A short note near the top does that.
Does E-E-A-T apply to service and contact pages?
Yes, though the signals differ by type. Section 2.5.3 of the rater guidelines calls contact and customer service information extremely important for websites that handle money. It looks for ways to reach the business and, for shops, for return and payment policies. In my view, a service business should show equivalent details plainly.
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