E-01 Fake people, credentials or personas must not be used

Why it matters

Readers rely on author details to judge whether advice is trustworthy, so an invented expert or a synthetic face is a direct deception. Google's guidance on helpful, people-first content and its ProfilePage documentation both assume that the people shown are real. Fabricated personas put the whole site's credibility at risk, which matters most where the content is relied upon.

How to implement

1. Replace invented authors with real people who have real names and experience.
2. Where no individual is needed, switch to a genuine company or editorial team byline.
3. Remove AI avatars that pose as real expert photos.
4. Add each person's real role, expertise, related work and a real profile link.
5. Make sure any Person or ProfilePage markup reflects the visible, real profile.
6. Check names, company ties and credentials before publishing.

Checklist

• If there is a real person, use their real name and real experience.
• If no person is needed, use a real company or editorial team byline.
• Do not present an AI avatar as a photo of a real expert.
• State the real role and real area of expertise.
• Show related projects or publications where they exist.
• Link to a real social or professional profile.
• Person and ProfilePage markup must be based on a visible, real profile.
• Instead of inventing a person's name, use a genuine 'Editorial Team' where needed.

How to audit

• Verify author names, company relationships and credentials.
• Spot-check identities.
• Verify credentials.

Related controls

• E-02 Bylines and author profiles must show real responsibility and experience P1
• E-03 Who, How and Why must be explainable P1
• E-04 E-E-A-T must not be treated as a hidden single score P2
• E-05 YMYL topics must meet higher accuracy and expert review standards P0

Sources

• [G2] Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
• [G15] ProfilePage structured data