SEO courseModule 8 of 10: TrustLesson 8.1
E-E-A-T: Proving You’re Real and You Know Your Stuff
Showing visitors and Google that you're a real, established agency that knows what it's talking about: real people, real credentials, real results and clear sources.
Why it matters
People hand you their home and their money. They look for proof before they do.
Why Google cares
Matters most for decisions about money, like property
Do this first
Add named authors, real photos and links to your registrations on your key pages.
01What it is
Would you take a swimming tip from someone who has actually swum in races, or from someone who has only read about it? People trust those who’ve really done it and can show proof.
Think of it like
A doctor with a certificate on the wall, a name badge and good patient feedback feels safer than a stranger handing out advice from a van.
02Why it matters
To the people searching
People hand agencies their homes, their money and their personal details. Before they do, they look for proof: who you are, who they'd deal with, whether you're registered, and what other people say.
buyers
Trust honest, specific information and agents who respond.
tenants
Look for proof that their deposit and details are safe.
sellers
Make one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives, and look for evidence of expertise.
landlords
Look for proof you protect landlords: registrations, insurance, a named team.
To Google and Bing
Matters most for decisions about money, like propertyE-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) comes from Google's guidelines for the people who assess the quality of its results. It isn't a single ranking score, but it describes what Google's systems aim to reward, and Google says it matters most on topics that affect people's money and lives, which includes property. The evidence: identifiable experts, accurate information, real experience, clear business details, an independent reputation and proper sources. An anonymous site that collects leads under a borrowed local name is exactly what it's designed to filter out.
An agent example
A landlord guide names the lettings director who wrote it, says how long they've managed property in the area, links to the gov.uk guidance it relies on, and shows the date it was last reviewed. A competitor's equivalent page has no author, no date and no sources.
03Your turn
Check yours, then fix it
- On each key page, check for: a named author, a real photo, relevant credentials, a review date, sources for any facts, contact details, reviews and policies.
- Ask three people who don't know you: "Would you trust this agency with your home, or your deposit? Why, or why not?"
- 1Confirm your entries on Companies House, your redress scheme's register, your client money protection scheme and the ICO register.
- 2Search "[agency] scam" and "[agency] complaints" and see what comes up.
Review this page against Google's E-E-A-T guidance for a UK estate and letting agent. What evidence of experience, expertise, authority and trust is present, and what's missing?
- 1Bylines, bios and review dates on guides (lesson 8.2).
- 2Real work: case studies and sold examples, with the client's permission.
- 3Memberships and registrations, with logos that link to the official verification page.
- 4Your reviews and your complaints procedure, both easy to find.
- 1Claims like "the best" or "number one in [town]" undermine trust unless you can back them up.
- 2Fix any gaps in registrations or insurance before you advertise them.
04Keep it up
Review your key pages against the checklist twice a year.
That's lesson 8.1
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