E-E-A-T is a build standard, not a checklist item
Most E-E-A-T guides treat it as a box to tick: add an author bio, get some links, you’re done. That’s not how it works in production.
E-E-A-T is a build standard. Every page you publish either builds or erodes it. The question isn’t “do we have E-E-A-T?” — it’s “does this page demonstrate the experience and expertise of a real person who knows this subject?”
Here are the 14 signals that matter in 2026, drawn from auditing and building sites in local service, affiliate, e-commerce, and B2B niches.
Experience signals (the new E)
1. First-person language. Phrases like “in my experience,” “I’ve tested this,” “when I built this for [client]” — experience language that can’t be replicated by AI. This is the primary differentiator between editorial content and generated content.
2. Original photography and media. Site-specific images — not stock photos. Screenshots of real tools and dashboards. Photos of the actual work being done. These are strong experience signals.
3. Case studies with real numbers. Not “$X results are possible” — but “we generated $21K in 90 days using this methodology, for [type of client], starting from [starting point].”
4. Insider Tip callouts. A formatted aside on every content page that shares a non-obvious insight the author discovered through direct experience. Flagged clearly as an editorial element.
Expertise signals
5. Named author with a verifiable profile. Not “the editorial team.” A real person, with a linked author page, a professional bio that mentions credentials, and ideally external verification (LinkedIn, YouTube channel, published books).
6. Author schema. Person schema on every author page, with sameAs pointing to social profiles and external sites. Article schema on every post with author property linking to the Person node.
7. Credentials stated inline. Not just in the bio — in the body copy, where the claim is made. “As someone who’s built 25+ authority sites over 25 years, I’ve found that…” The credential is anchored to the claim.
8. Primary source citations. Links to original research, government data, peer-reviewed studies — not just to other blogs. Every factual claim should be traceable to a primary source.
Authoritativeness signals
9. Named entity on the homepage. A clear statement of who the site is about — not a brand name, but a person or organisation with a verifiable real-world presence.
10. External mentions and links. Other sites citing the author by name. Guest posts, podcast appearances, conference presentations. These build entity authority — the signal that tells Google this person exists beyond this one website.
11. Topic cluster depth. A three-tier content architecture (pillar → cluster → entity) that demonstrates the site covers a topic fully, not just superficially.
Trustworthiness signals
12. Full contact information. Physical address or service area, phone number, email — not just a contact form. For YMYL topics (health, finance, legal), this is non-negotiable.
13. Transparent business model. Clear disclosure of affiliate relationships, sponsored content, and how the site makes money. Hidden monetisation is a trust signal in the wrong direction.
14. Schema accuracy. LocalBusiness schema on the homepage with accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone). FAQPage schema on every cluster page with questions that match actual user search queries. Article schema with accurate datePublished and dateModified.
The audit process
When I audit a site, I run through these 14 signals in order. Experience signals first — because they’re the hardest to fake and the easiest to verify. If a site has thin experience signals, no amount of schema will fix it.
The production sites running on this system have all 14. Not because it’s a compliance exercise — because each one directly corresponds to a type of user trust and a type of Google quality signal.