The E-E-A-T Content Checklist: Write “Expert” Pages Google Will Rank

If you have ever published a page you felt weirdly proud of, only to watch it sit on page 6 forever. Yeah. That is usually not a “my SEO plugin is broken” problem.

It is almost always a trust problem.

Google’s quality systems are trying to figure out a simple thing: should they trust this page, from this site, for this query, for this person, right now. And E-E-A-T is basically the mental model for that.

Experience. Expertise. Authoritativeness. Trust.

Not a direct ranking factor in the “add 3 keywords and unlock position 1” sense, but it shapes what Google’s systems want to surface, especially for anything that can affect money, health, safety, big decisions. Even outside strict YMYL, you can feel the difference between “someone who knows” and “someone who summarized a Reddit thread”.

So here is a practical checklist you can use while writing or auditing content. Not theory. Not vibes. Stuff you can actually add to the page.

First, what E-E-A-T really means (in plain English)

E-E-A-T is not a badge you earn once. It is what your content signals.

• Experience: Have you actually done the thing? Used the tool? Shipped the project? Lived through the problem?
• Expertise: Do you understand the topic at a deeper level than surface definitions?
• Authoritativeness: Do other credible sources treat you like you know what you are talking about?
• Trust: Is the page honest, safe, transparent, and accurate?

And importantly. It is not only about the words on the page. It is also about the website, the author, the references, the business details, and whether the content is maintained.

Now the checklist.

The E-E-A-T content checklist (use this before you hit publish)

1) Match search intent, but do not stop there

This sounds basic, but it is where “expert” pages start.

Quick checks:

• Does your page answer the same job the top ranking pages answer?
• Is it the right format (guide, list, comparison, definition, template, tool, calculator)?
• Does it solve the problem faster than the alternatives?

Then the E-E-A-T part.

Add the expert layer:

• Include a short “what we do in practice” section, not just “what it is”.
• Mention constraints, tradeoffs, edge cases. The stuff that makes advice real.

If you are writing “how to do a content audit”, the expert layer is not “check for duplicate content”. It is “here is how we prioritize fixes when we have 400 URLs and 2 hours”.

2) Put real experience on the page (not generic claims)

This is the easiest E-E-A-T win because most AI content does not include lived details.

Add one or more of these:

• A brief story: what happened when you tried it.
• A screenshot, or a short step list based on your workflow.
• Mistakes you made, what you would do differently.
• A benchmark result, even if it is small.

Even a simple line like “We usually start by sorting pages by clicks, then by conversion value, because traffic alone lies” reads like a person who has done the job.

If you do have a system for reviewing content quality at scale, you can also point readers to a dedicated process page. For example, here is a solid starting point for a structured content audit workflow.

Additionally, incorporating an effective SEO content optimization checklist can further enhance your content's performance and visibility.

3) Make authorship obvious (and credible)

A lot of sites hide who wrote the page. Or they add a fake “Admin” byline. That is not helping.

Checklist:

• Add a real author name.
• Add an author bio that explains why this person is qualified.
• Link to a profile page, LinkedIn, publications, or relevant work.
• If it is reviewed by someone else, say so.

If you have a team, you can do “Written by X, reviewed by Y”. Google and users both love that, because it shows accountability.

4) Cite sources like you mean it

You do not need to turn every article into a research paper. But you do need to prove you are not making stuff up.

Do this:

• Cite primary sources when possible (Google documentation, original studies, official product docs).
• Use quotes sparingly, but accurately.
• Link out to the exact page, not a homepage.

Avoid:

• Vague references like “studies show”.
• Statistics without a date.
• Copying competitor citations without reading them.

A small but important detail: if you mention a number, add context. Sample size, timeframe, market, anything. Otherwise it is just decoration.

5) Be specific about recommendations (and show your criteria)

“Use internal links” is not expertise. It is a fortune cookie.

Instead, write like this:

• When should you add internal links?
• How many is too many?
• What anchor text patterns work and what feels spammy?
• What pages deserve links first?

Even better. Give a mini framework.

Example:

• Link from high traffic pages to high intent pages.
• Use descriptive anchors that match the destination intent.
• Update old posts first because they already have authority.

This is also where automation can be mentioned without sounding salesy. If your content program relies on repeating the same high quality steps consistently, a platform like SEO software can handle the boring part, like planning topics, drafting, publishing, internal linking, and keeping a content calendar moving. The human part is still the human part. But the machine can do the scheduling and the repetition.

If you want to see what that kind of workflow looks like, this page explains content automation in a pretty straightforward way.

6) Add “trust blocks” that reduce anxiety

People bounce when they feel uncertain. Especially on pages that recommend tools, tactics, or decisions.

Trust blocks can be small:

• “Last updated” date.
• Who this is for, and who it is not for.
• Disclaimers when needed (health, legal, finance).
• Clear pricing notes when you mention products.
• Transparent affiliate disclosures.

Also, do not hide contact info or business identity. A real about page, a real way to reach you, a real company name. It all adds up.

7) Remove fluff, add proof

This is harsh, but true: long content does not rank because it is long. It ranks because it is useful. Sometimes usefulness takes length. Sometimes it does not.

Cut:

• Empty intros that rephrase the title for 200 words.
• “In today’s digital world” filler.
• Lists of obvious tips with no explanation.

Add:

• Examples.
• Screens.
• Templates.
• A short checklist inside the article (yes, even though this is already a checklist).
• “What to do if…” troubleshooting sections.

A page that helps someone fix something is hard to beat. Especially when it has the annoying details.

8) Cover the topic completely, but not randomly

Topical completeness matters. But you do not want to cram every related keyword into one post like a junk drawer.

A good “expert page” structure usually includes:

• What it is (brief)
• Why it matters (brief)
• When it applies (this is where expertise shows)
• How to do it (step by step)
• Common mistakes
• Example or case
• Tools or resources
• Next step

If the topic is too big, split it into a hub and spokes. That can also boost authority because it creates a clean topical cluster.

9) Show maintenance, not just publication

Stale content is one of the biggest silent killers of trust.

Checklist:

• Add “Updated on” and actually update it.
• Review screenshots quarterly if they are tool based.
• Remove tactics that no longer work.
• Fix broken links.
• Refresh examples.

Even small updates send a signal that the site is alive and paying attention.

If you are producing content at scale, this is where systems matter. Because manual updates on 200 pages is how good intentions die. Automation plus a periodic review schedule tends to be the sweet spot.

10) Avoid “AI tells” (because they scream low trust)

Google is not hunting AI content like a monster under the bed. But low quality content is low quality content, and AI makes it easy to publish a lot of low quality content fast.

Common AI tells to remove:

• Repetitive phrasing and circular sentences.
• Too many headings with thin paragraphs.
• Overconfident statements with no evidence.
• Generic examples that could apply to anything.
• No point of view.

The fix is simple but not easy. Add a point of view. Add constraints. Add experience. Add citations. Add a real voice.

11) Add real-world comparison, not fake neutrality

If you are writing a “best X” or “X vs Y” page, E-E-A-T is brutal. Because everyone is biased, and pretending you are not makes it worse.

Do this instead:

• State your evaluation criteria.
• State what you tested, and what you did not.
• Give pros and cons that are actually tradeoffs.
• Recommend different options for different situations.

A good comparison page reads like a friend who has tried stuff and is tired of hype.

12) On-page clarity signals (small, boring, effective)

These are not glamorous, but they help users and they help algorithms interpret the page.

Checklist:

• Descriptive H1 that matches the query.
• Clear subheadings that map to the steps.
• Short paragraphs. Real spacing.
• Table of contents for long pages.
• FAQ section if it genuinely answers common questions (not stuffed).

Also, if you are making claims, make them close to the claim. Do not hide your only source link at the bottom like a citation graveyard.

A quick “E-E-A-T audit” you can run in 10 minutes

If you are looking at an existing page and wondering why it is not ranking, do this fast pass:

1. Can I tell who wrote it and why I should trust them?
2. Does it include at least one real example, screenshot, or personal workflow detail?
3. Are there at least 2 to 5 credible outbound citations where needed?
4. Does it answer the query better than the current top 5 results, or is it just similar?
5. Does it have a recent update date, and is that honest?
6. Are there any parts that sound like filler?
7. Does it make specific recommendations with criteria?

If you fail 3 or more, you have work to do. Not more keywords. More substance.

The “expert page” template (steal this)

If you want a simple structure that tends to perform well, here is a clean one:

• Intro: what problem we are solving and who this is for
• Quick answer or summary (optional, but nice)
• Step by step process
• Example (real or at least realistic and detailed)
• Mistakes and edge cases
• Tools and resources
• FAQ
• Conclusion and next step

This is boring. And it works.

Where SEO software fits (without pretending it replaces expertise)

If you are building E-E-A-T pages consistently, the hard part is not typing words. It is maintaining quality while publishing regularly, keeping internal links clean, updating old posts, and not losing your mind.

That is the pitch for SEO software in a nutshell. It automates the content marketing pipeline, from scanning your site and building a topic plan, to generating articles, scheduling, publishing, internal linking, and rewrites. You still need a human POV, ideally a real editor, and a willingness to add experience and proof.

But you do not need to do every repetitive step manually.

If you are curious, take a look at the platform’s content automation approach, and if you are sitting on a lot of old pages that need cleanup, start with a proper content audit. Those two things together are usually where rankings start to move.

Wrap up (what to do next)

E-E-A-T is not a checkbox you slap onto a page at the end. It is the page.

If you want Google to rank “expert” content, you need to make it obvious that a real person with real knowledge created it, that it is accurate, and that the site behind it is legitimate and maintained.

So pick one page you care about. Run the checklist. Add one experience element. Add two solid citations. Clarify authorship. Remove fluff. Update it.

Then repeat, because honestly, that is the whole game.