The Complete Trust Signals Checklist
This checklist covers every trust signal that AI systems evaluate when deciding whether to cite your content. The checklist is organized by priority — signals at the top have the most impact on AI citation likelihood.
Critical Trust Signals
Required for AI citation. Missing any significantly reduces citation likelihood.
High-Impact Trust Signals
Strongly increase AI citation likelihood.
Medium-Impact Trust Signals
Contribute to overall trust evaluation.
Enhancement Trust Signals
Refine trust evaluation for competitive advantage.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most critical trust signals are: named author with relevant credentials on every content page, visible publication and update dates, a substantive About page, accessible contact information, and Organization schema. Missing any of these significantly reduces AI citation likelihood.
Focus on all 'Critical' signals first (8 items) — these are required for AI citation. Then implement 'High-Impact' signals (8 items) for strong citation rates. The 'Medium' and 'Enhancement' categories provide competitive advantage but aren't strictly required. Most sites can implement all Critical and High-Impact signals in under a week.
Audit Your AI Search Visibility
See exactly how AI systems view your content and what to fix. Join the waitlist to get early access.
Audit Your AI Search Visibility
See exactly how AI systems view your content and what to fix. Join the waitlist to get early access.