Ranking higher on Google in Australia in 2026 will increasingly rely on demonstrating Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T) to Google’s systems, particularly through structured data and performance within Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE). SGE, currently in testing as of December 2025, prioritises results that directly answer user queries, often leveraging information from websites that clearly signal their expertise.
Schema.org markup, a vocabulary of tags used to annotate website content, is central to this. As of December 2025, Google uses schema to understand the *meaning* of content, not just keywords. Specifically, schema types like ‘Person’, ‘Organization’, ‘Article’, and ‘FAQPage’ help Google identify authors, their credentials, and the content’s purpose. Google’s Search Console now includes reports on schema validity, showing errors that may hinder SGE inclusion. In 2026, Google is expected to further refine SGE’s ability to synthesise information from schema-annotated pages, potentially displaying direct answers sourced from Australian businesses that effectively utilise this markup. Australian businesses should also be aware of the Australian Consumer Law and ensure all schema claims are accurate and verifiable.
Ultimately, Google’s ranking systems function by analysing website content and associated data to determine relevance and quality, with a growing emphasis on structured data to understand and present information within the evolving SGE interface.
