Authority Signals

Authority Signals are various indicators that help AI systems evaluate the credibility, expertise, and trustworthiness of content. These signals influence whether AI systems cite, recommend, or trust information from a source.

Types of Authority Signals:

Author Attribution

• Named, real authors
• Author bios with credentials
• Links to author profiles
• Publication history

Temporal Signals

• Publication date
• Last updated date
• Content freshness indicators
• Version history

Citation Signals

• References to authoritative sources
• Academic citations
• Links to primary sources
• Data attribution

Schema/Structured Data

• Author markup
• Organization markup
• Article metadata
• Review/rating markup

Technical Signals

• HTTPS security
• Fast page speed
• Mobile responsiveness
• Clean URL structure

External Validation

• Backlinks from authoritative sites
• Social proof (shares, engagement)
• Reviews and testimonials
• Industry recognition

How AI Uses Authority Signals:

1. Source Selection: Prioritize trustworthy sources
2. Fact Verification: Cross-reference claims
3. Citation Decisions: Choose what to cite
4. Confidence Levels: Affect certainty in responses

Improving Authority Signals:

• Add comprehensive author bios
• Include publish and update dates
• Cite sources and link to research
• Implement schema markup
• Build genuine external citations