E‑E‑A‑T Checklist for SEO Content Writers

Tony Yan

·November 19, 2025

·4 min read

Illustrated — Image Source: statics.mylandingpages.co

If you’re writing for search, you’ve heard about E‑E‑A‑T—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Think of this checklist as your practical QA: use it per article and during quarterly audits. It won’t “flip a ranking switch,” but it will help you create helpful, reliable, people‑first content aligned with Google’s guidance.

E‑E‑A‑T is a quality framework referenced in Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines and reflected across ranking systems; it’s not a single, direct ranking factor. See Google’s creating helpful, reliable, people‑first content and the core updates explainer for orientation.

1) Author & credentials

Bylines on every article with a link to the author page. Make authorship obvious and consistent (Google asks you to be clear about who created the content in its people‑first guidance—link above).
Author bio essentials: relevant credentials, verifiable experience, a current photo, and 1–2 notable publications or projects. Add a short “why this author” note for the topic.
First‑hand experience signals: include unique details from actual use, projects, or research. For reviews and evaluations, Google’s Reviews system favors original insights, evidence, and tangible pros/cons.
Distinguish roles when needed: if an expert reviewer verifies accuracy (common for YMYL topics), add a “Reviewed by” line with credentials and a link to the reviewer’s bio.

2) Citations & evidence

Prefer primary/authoritative sources and use descriptive anchor text inline (e.g., link the concept in the sentence, not a bare “source”). Avoid low‑quality aggregators and spammy sites. When citing Google policies, link to the original page (see above).
Show dates and context. If you mention performance claims or “a study,” note the year and basics (sample size, timeframe) or link to a methodology page. Google’s people‑first guidance encourages evidence and transparency.
Disclose material connections near the mention (affiliates, sponsorships, free products). The U.S. FTC requires clear, conspicuous endorsements; review the FTC’s endorsements and reviews guidance and, for context, the 2024 FTC rule banning fake reviews/testimonials.

3) Page & site trust

HTTPS is table stakes; ensure the lock icon and valid certificate. Keep visible site trust pages: Contact, About, Privacy Policy, and Terms. Google’s page experience overview emphasizes a good experience and baseline technical hygiene—see page experience.
Mobile responsiveness and fast performance. Avoid intrusive interstitials and pop‑ups that block content. Confirm content parity across devices—critical info like bylines and references must be accessible. See mobile‑first indexing best practices.
Reputation research: link to independent mentions where relevant (press, awards, professional profiles). The Search Quality Rater Guidelines instruct raters to look for off‑site reputation signals; make it easy for users to verify.

4) People‑first quality

State a clear purpose early and answer the primary intent thoroughly. Avoid scaled, duplicative pages—Google’s March 2024 update and spam policies target “scaled content abuse.” See spam policies for Google web search and the March 2024 core update note.
Keep structure useful: scannable headings, short paragraphs, and supportive media. Provide alt text for informative images and captions that add context.
Moderate ads and monetization. Don’t let ads or affiliate blocks overwhelm the main content or obscure authorship and references.

5) YMYL guardrails (health, finance, legal, safety, civic)

Identify whether the topic is YMYL. If yes, assign a qualified author or add a subject‑matter expert reviewer with credentials visible on the page. The QRG outlines higher standards for accuracy and trust.
Evidence standards: prioritize primary sources (government, regulators, medical journals). Add disclaimers when appropriate (e.g., “not medical/legal advice”) and ensure visible contact info/policies.
Review workflow: use a simple sign‑off path—writer → SME reviewer → editor → compliance (if applicable). Set a review‑by date and refresh cadence for time‑sensitive guidance.

6) AI use & scaled content hygiene

Human review is required. If you use AI assistance, add original value, verify facts, and avoid mass‑producing near‑duplicate pages.
No bulk translations without QA. Google’s spam policies define scaled content abuse as generating many pages primarily to manipulate rankings, regardless of whether AI or humans produced them—see spam policies.

7) Structured data & identity

Add Article JSON‑LD with author as Person and publisher as Organization. Include headline, dates, image, and mainEntityOfPage where applicable. See Article structured data.
Implement Person structured data on author pages: name, url, image, jobTitle, worksFor, and sameAs (link official profiles to disambiguate identity). See Person structured data.
Implement Organization structured data site‑wide: name, url, logo, sameAs, and contactPoint where relevant. See Organization structured data. Validate all JSON‑LD with the Rich Results Test and monitor Search Console enhancements.

8) Accessibility & inclusivity

Use semantic headings and meaningful link text. WCAG 2.2 highlights clear structure and link purpose—see Headings guidance and Link purpose in context.
Provide text alternatives: write alt text that describes function/meaning, not just the object. The W3C alt text decision tree is a handy quick check.
Maintain readable contrast (generally 4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for large text). See WCAG contrast minimum.

9) Ongoing monitoring & freshness

Show a published date and an updated date; for major revisions, add a brief “What changed” note. Google’s core updates guidance encourages assessing helpfulness, originality, and trust over time.
Run quarterly audits: check for broken/outdated links, stale claims, and schema validity. Refresh high‑value evergreen pages on a sensible cadence.
Keep author bios, reviewer credentials, and disclosures current—roles change, certifications expire, and partnerships evolve.

How to use this checklist (quick pass vs. deep audit)

Per‑article quick pass: before publishing, confirm author byline and bio; add evidence links; scan for intrusive interstitials; validate Article JSON‑LD; check accessibility basics (headings, alt text, link text).
Quarterly deep audit: run reputation checks, sample page experience, confirm policies are visible, refresh YMYL pages with SME review, and validate structured data site‑wide.

Here’s the deal: E‑E‑A‑T is about showing your work. If you make every page traceable—who wrote it, why they’re qualified, what evidence backs the claims, and how users can trust the site—you’re building durable search performance and user confidence.