SEO & Content 2026

Readers check who wrote it before they read it. Fix your About page before you add more articles.

What to fix first, sourced from Google Search Central and Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency.
"Who"
First question in Google's framework
Experience
The first E in E-E-A-T
1 Oct 2023
Stealth marketing became a violation in Japan
9 slides
2

They look for the author before the article

2 / 9
Scroll a little for a name. Tap the site title. Find no page explaining who runs it. Leave.
The body of the article has barely been touched. When posts go up and search brings nothing, all ten new ones raise the same unanswered question.
💡 Ten articles, one question: who wrote this?
3

Google's self-assessment opens with "Who"

3 / 9
①
"Is it self-evident to your visitors who authored your content?"
②
"Do pages carry a byline, where one might be expected?"
③
"Do bylines lead to further information about the author or authors involved, giving background about them and the areas they write about?"
💡 Source: Google Search Central, "Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content". Its expertise questions name an author page and an About page as the examples
4

But this is not a ranking promise

4 / 9
"E-E-A-T itself isn't a specific ranking factor"
The same page says using a mix of factors that identify content with good E-E-A-T is useful, and that Google's systems give even more weight to strong E-E-A-T for topics affecting "the health, financial stability, or safety of people" — YMYL.
⚠️ Side income, investing and money articles sit on the YMYL side. No practice guarantees a position.
5

Unlived topics run out fast

5 / 9
✅
Asked: "Does your content clearly demonstrate first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge (for example, expertise that comes from having actually used a product or service, or visiting a place)?"
⚠️
Warning sign: "Did you decide to enter some niche topic area without any real expertise, but instead mainly because you thought you'd get search traffic?"
⚠️
Warning sign: "Are you mainly summarizing what others have to say without adding much value?"
💡 You can only be specific about what you tried — but that part, you can always write
6

What belongs on the About page

6 / 9
1️⃣
Who: a name or consistent pen name, plus background — day job, years, scope
2️⃣
Why: what you actually do, stated separately from what you do not
3️⃣
Contact: a form or address where replies reach you
4️⃣
Byline: author name on every article, linked to the author page
✅ If automation wrote part of it, disclose what was used and why — Google asks three questions about exactly that
7

Don't hide the fact that there's an ad

7 / 9
Advertising that hides the fact that it is advertising is what Japan calls stealth marketing.
A violation of the premiums and representations law since 1 October 2023 (Consumer Affairs Agency). The regulated party is the business supplying the goods or service — the advertiser — not a commissioned third party such as an influencer.
⚠️ The reader does not care who the regulated party is. Finding out afterwards that a page was an ad is the one thing that cannot be walked back
8

What people do / what to do instead

8 / 9
What people doWhat to do instead
Publish more because nothing worksFix the About page once, then make one post specific
Profile reads "side-hustle blogger"Day job, years, scope — specific enough to check
Write up a service never usedWrite what you tried; say plainly what you did not
Bump the date to look freshLeave the date alone unless the content changed
💡 On bulk adding or removing content to seem "fresh", Google answers itself in brackets: "(No, it won't)"

One thing to do today

1
Open one of your article pages on a phone, logged out
2
Count the taps it takes to find out who wrote it
3
If it is not zero, closing that distance is today's job
4
That one fix attaches to every post you have and every post you write next
*
General information only. No guarantee of rankings or income. For how advertising rules apply to your wording, consult the published guidance and a qualified professional
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