PILLAR 3, TRUST SIGNALS · 3.1 Authorship & E-E-A-THighVerified
No named author
Content with no named author gives Google and readers no one to trust. A real, named author with a track record is the foundation of the experience and expertise signals.
What it is
Content has no author attribution.
Why it matters
Authorship supports E-E-A-T and the ‘who created this’ question Google’s guidance highlights.
How to fix it
Add named authors with bylines.
How to find it on your site
- Check whether articles show a named author, not just the brand or admin.
- Identify content published anonymously.
- Attribute each piece to a real, named author.
- Link the byline to an author page.
Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors
A named author underpins E-E-A-T, especially for advice and YMYL content. Anonymous content has no one to vouch for it.
Impact
Medium-high. Direct.
Evidence
Self-assessment: who created the content; E-E-A-T. Google Search Central, Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content; Google, Search Quality Rater Guidelines (PDF)
Sources