Authority and trust signals
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Authority and trust signals are the third-party websites AI models rely on when they recommend brands, such as review sites, retailers, forums, social platforms and publications. The Authority & trust signals tab in the Track My Visibility application lists these websites and tells you what to do about each one.
If these websites mention your competitors but not your brand, AI models usually do the same. Earning mentions on them is one of the most reliable ways to grow your AI visibility, because AI answers draw heavily on independent sources.
How to read the opportunities table#
Click Opportunities under Overview in the left sidebar, then select the Authority & trust signals tab. Each row is one website, and the list is sorted from the highest Domain Authority to the lowest. The columns show:
- Priority: High, Medium or Low. Start with High.
- Opportunity: the website AI models are citing.
- Domain Authority: how strong the website is.
- Total Mentions: how often it was cited in answers to your prompts.
- Competitors Found: the competitors already mentioned on it.
- Source Type: the kind of website, such as Social Media, Ecommerce, Institutional or Blog.
- Recommended action: what to do, such as Earn a mention or Join the conversation.
How to filter opportunities#
Use the filters above the table to narrow the list:
- All priorities: show only High, Medium or Low.
- All sources types: show one kind of website, such as forums or blogs.
- All domain authority: show websites in one authority range, such as 80 and above.
How to act on an opportunity#
Step 1. Open the opportunity#
Click View opportunity on a row. You'll see the exact pages AI models cited, the prompts they were cited for and the competitors they mention. Each page also comes with an outreach checklist.
Step 2. Follow the recommended action#
Join the conversation is for forums and social platforms. Reply to the thread with a helpful answer or an honest experience. Don't just drop a link, because posts like that often get removed.
Earn a mention is for retailers, publications, directories and blogs. Contact the author or editor, get listed with the retailer, or submit your brand to the directory.
Step 3. Mark it as completed#
Once you've acted on the opportunity, move it to Completed.
Frequently asked questions#
What are authority signals for AI search?
Authority signals for AI search are mentions of your brand on websites that AI models trust, such as review sites, publications, forums and retailers. AI models use these websites to decide which brands to recommend, so mentions there improve your AI visibility.
How do I get mentioned on websites AI models cite?
Start with the High priority websites in the Authority & trust signals tab. Contact authors and editors of roundups that leave your brand out, list your products with the retailers AI models cite, and answer relevant questions on forums and social platforms.
What does Domain Authority mean in this table?
Domain Authority shows how strong a website is, based on its overall reputation and links. A higher Domain Authority usually means the website carries more weight, but a website cited for many of your prompts can matter more than a stronger website cited once.
Should I post links on forums and Reddit threads?
No. Posting links without a helpful answer often gets removed and can hurt how your brand is described. Reply with a genuine answer or experience, and mention your brand only where it is relevant.
How long does off-site work take to affect AI answers?
Off-site work usually takes several weeks to show in AI answers, and often longer than changes to your own pages. AI models need to find the new mentions and cite them in new answers, so track the linked prompts over time.
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Last updated 3 Nov 2026
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