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The E-E-A-T audit checklist

Thirty checklist points across five categories. Check items off as you review your own site, print the page when you're done, and use the progress meter to see how far through you are.

A printed website audit checklist with a pen and coffee cup on a wooden desk — Built to be worked through in a single sitting

Your progress through this checklist

0 of 30 checked

Experience

Content includes first-hand details, not just general descriptions
Photos or media show your own work, not stock imagery, where relevant
Reviews or testimonials, if used, reference specific, verifiable details
Product or service pages mention how long you've actually used or offered them
Case studies or project write-ups describe real, specific outcomes
Content distinguishes "we have done this" from "here is what this is"

Why this category matters

Experience is the newest pillar and the easiest to overlook, since it's tempting to write about a topic without ever stating whether you've lived it. Small, specific details do more work here than broad claims.

Expertise

Relevant licenses, certifications, or training are stated somewhere on the site
Years in the field or industry are mentioned where appropriate
Technical claims are explained clearly enough for a non-expert to follow
Content avoids vague claims that can't be checked or explained further
For regulated topics, a credentialed reviewer is named where applicable
Service descriptions reflect actual practice, not generic industry copy

Why this category matters

Expertise is judged against the standard of the topic, not a universal bar. A trade certification matters here the way a medical degree matters for health content.

Authoritativeness

Business is listed accurately on relevant local or industry directories
External reviews are reasonably consistent with what the site claims
Any press mentions, awards, or affiliations are linked or referenced
Social presence, if any, is active enough to look maintained
Other sites in the same field occasionally reference or link to yours
Business name and details are consistent across every external listing

Why this category matters

Authority is largely built outside your own site. Raters are told to check what the wider web says about a business, not just what it says about itself.

Trust

A real name, address, and phone number appear somewhere accessible
Content is dated, and time-sensitive pages are kept current
A basic editorial or service policy page exists and is easy to find
Pricing, process, or scope is described honestly, without vague promises
Contact methods actually work and get a reasonably timely response
Claims made on the homepage can be verified elsewhere on the web

Why this category matters

Google's guidelines describe Trust as the foundation the other three pillars support. A site can look experienced and expert and still fail here if it can't be verified.

Authorship & Access

Every published page or post has a named author, not "Admin" or "Staff"
Author bios link to a fuller profile page describing background
An about page exists and describes the actual people behind the business
Contact page includes more than a bare form, such as address or phone
Site loads reliably on mobile without broken layout or blocked content
Legal pages (privacy, terms) exist and are current, not placeholder text

Why this category matters

Authorship and basic accessibility sit underneath every pillar. A brilliant, experienced write-up published anonymously with no way to contact the business still leaves a rater with unanswered trust questions.

Read the reasoning first

Not sure what a checklist item means?

Every category here connects back to an explainer in the archive that walks through the reasoning in plain language.

Browse the archive