# E-E-A-T Authority Building Guide

## E-E-A-T Audit Checklist

### Experience
- [ ] Content demonstrates first-hand experience with the topic
- [ ] Author has used/tested products or services discussed
- [ ] Original photos, screenshots, or data from actual use
- [ ] Personal anecdotes and real-world application examples

### Expertise
- [ ] Author has verifiable credentials (education, certifications, work history)
- [ ] Author bio page exists with credentials, photo, and links
- [ ] Content demonstrates deep subject knowledge (not surface-level)
- [ ] Technical accuracy verified by qualified reviewer

### Authoritativeness
- [ ] Brand is recognized in the industry (media mentions, awards, citations)
- [ ] Other authoritative sources link to or cite the brand
- [ ] Industry experts reference or endorse the brand
- [ ] Brand participates in industry organizations and events

### Trustworthiness
- [ ] Contact information is easily accessible
- [ ] Privacy policy and terms of service are current
- [ ] Content is factually accurate and well-sourced
- [ ] Corrections/updates are transparent
- [ ] Site is secure (HTTPS) with no security warnings
- [ ] Reviews and ratings are genuine (not manipulated)

---

## Author Optimization

### Author Page Requirements
- Professional headshot
- Full name and credentials (degrees, certifications)
- Current role and company
- Relevant experience (years, notable achievements)
- Published works and media appearances
- Social proof (speaking engagements, awards)
- Links to social profiles (LinkedIn, Twitter)

### Author Schema
```json
{
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Author Name",
  "url": "https://yoursite.com/team/author-name",
  "jobTitle": "Title",
  "worksFor": {"@type": "Organization", "name": "Company"},
  "alumniOf": {"@type": "Organization", "name": "University"},
  "sameAs": ["https://linkedin.com/in/...", "https://twitter.com/..."],
  "knowsAbout": ["Marketing", "SEO", "Content Strategy"]
}
```

---

## Trust Signal Taxonomy

### Site-Level Signals
| Signal | Implementation |
|--------|---------------|
| About page | Detailed company history, mission, team, and contact info |
| Editorial policy | How content is created, reviewed, and updated |
| Correction policy | How errors are handled (transparency) |
| Contact page | Multiple contact methods (phone, email, address, chat) |
| Privacy/terms | Current, comprehensive, easy to find |
| Security | HTTPS, security badges on transaction pages |

### Content-Level Signals
| Signal | Implementation |
|--------|---------------|
| Source citations | Link to primary research, studies, official sources |
| Expert quotes | Include quotes from credible third-party experts |
| Data attribution | Every stat has a source and date |
| Author byline | Every article has an identified, credible author |
| Date published/updated | Visible dates show content is current |
| Methodology transparency | Explain how conclusions were reached |

### External Signals
| Signal | How to Build |
|--------|-------------|
| Backlinks from authoritative sites | PR, guest posting, original research |
| Media mentions | PR outreach, expert commentary, data studies |
| Industry citations | Publish unique data others want to reference |
| Wikipedia references | Create citable original research (not editing Wikipedia directly) |
| Reviews on third-party platforms | Customer review generation program |

---

## YMYL Content Requirements

For Your Money Your Life topics (health, finance, legal, safety):

- **Expert authorship required**: Author must have relevant professional credentials
- **Medical/legal/financial review**: Content reviewed by licensed professional
- **Disclosure**: Clearly state who wrote and reviewed the content
- **Conservative claims**: No unsupported health/financial claims
- **Current information**: Update more frequently than non-YMYL content
- **Primary sources**: Link to government, academic, or peer-reviewed sources
- **Disclaimers**: "Not medical/legal/financial advice" where appropriate

---

## Measurement

| Metric | Tool | Target |
|--------|------|--------|
| Domain Authority / Domain Rating | Moz / Ahrefs | Increasing trend |
| Referring domains | Ahrefs / SEMrush | Monthly growth |
| Brand search volume | Google Trends | Increasing trend |
| Knowledge Panel presence | Google Search | Active and accurate |
| Media mentions | Google Alerts, Mention | Monthly count increasing |
| Author Authority | Byline placements, speaking invites | Portfolio growing |
