Authoritativeness

Authoritativeness is one of the indicators present in Google’s E-E-A-T paradigm: specifically, it concerns the recognition and respect that an author, a piece of content or the entire website has earned in its field or industry.

On a general level, a website or author is considered authoritative if it is recognized as a trusted and respected source of information by other experts, industry professionals, and general users. Authoritativeness is built through the publication of accurate, detailed, and useful content that demonstrates in-depth knowledge and expertise; other factors that contribute to authority include recognition by external authoritative sources, such as being cited or linked to by respected sites, having positive reviews, and earning recognition or awards in one’s field.

Authoritativeness is a central concept in SEO, as Google and other search engines seek to present the most reliable and, indeed, authoritative results to users: sites with high authority are often considered more trustworthy and may receive better rankings in search results. This is especially true for content that falls into the YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) category, where accuracy and reliability of information are of paramount importance.