How AI determines authority
When AI generates an answer, it consults multiple sources and builds its response from the information it judges most reliable. In that judgment of reliability, a brand's authority plays a decisive role.
These are the factors AI is thought to consider when judging authority:
- Quality and quantity of backlinks: Links from authoritative sites are a strong signal of credibility
- Media exposure: How often you are mentioned on news sites and in industry media
- Expert authorship and review: The expertise of content authors
- Ties to public institutions: Relationships with government agencies, academic institutions and industry associations
- User reviews and ratings: An accumulation of third-party evaluations
- Years in operation and track record: A long history of publishing information
Five strategies for building authority
Strategy 1: Design content with E-E-A-T in mind
Google's E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is also an important quality signal in AI training data.
How to demonstrate experience
- Content based on real experience: Offer first-hand information, for example "After actually using X for three months, we found..."
- Case studies: Publish case studies of your customers' implementations, with specific figures
- Customer testimonials: Feature feedback from real users (with their permission)
How to demonstrate expertise
- Detailed author profiles: On every article, clearly state the author's background, qualifications and areas of expertise
- In-depth expert content: Offer insights only an expert could provide, not surface-level information
- Citing research data: Cite academic papers and industry reports properly
How to demonstrate authoritativeness
- Industry media citations and interviews: Showcase your media coverage on your own website
- Awards and certifications: Make your industry recognition visible
- Industry association membership: Make it clear that you belong to the relevant industry associations
How to demonstrate trustworthiness
- A complete company profile: Clearly list basic information such as your address, CEO, year founded and number of employees
- Privacy policy and terms of use: Have these legal documents in place to ensure transparency
- SSL certificates and security measures: Establish your site's technical reliability
Strategy 2: Increase media exposure strategically
AI training data includes a large volume of news articles and media content. Increasing your media exposure directly raises the chance that AI answers will include your company.
Action steps
- Regular press releases: Issue one or two newsworthy press releases a month
- Bylined articles in industry media: Write columns and articles for industry media as an expert
- Proactive media relations: Say yes to interview requests from the media. Build a media list and set up a process for offering information to journalists yourself
- Speaking at events and conferences: Speak at industry events to gain media exposure and showcase your expertise
Strategy 3: Get your information into the Knowledge Graph
Once your company's information is in Google's Knowledge Graph, AI can more easily recognize your company as a distinct entity.
Action steps
- Google Business Profile: Register accurate, detailed company information and keep it up to date
- Wikidata: Add your company to Wikidata (if it meets the notability criteria)
- Structured data: Implement Organization structured data on your website; see using structured data for generative engine optimization (GEO)
- Consistent social media profiles: Use the same company name, description and URL on every social platform
For more on optimizing for the Knowledge Graph, see Knowledge Graph optimization: getting AI search to show accurate brand information.
Strategy 4: Leverage expert networks
There is a limit to how much authority you can build on your own. Work with outside experts to make your content more credible.
Action steps
- Expert review: Have experts review your articles and content, and clearly state the reviewer's name and qualifications
- Joint research: Run studies with universities or research institutions and publish the results
- Conversations and interviews: Publish conversations with recognized authorities in your industry
- Advisory board: Bring in experts as advisors and make that public
Strategy 5: Make user trust visible
Third-party evaluations are an important signal when AI judges credibility.
Action steps
- Collecting and displaying reviews: Encourage customers to post reviews, and display them both on your own site and on third-party sites
- Client logos: Show the logos of your client companies (with their permission)
- Publishing key figures: Share numbers such as how many companies use your product, how many users you have and satisfaction scores
- Third-party certifications: Obtain and display certifications such as ISO certification or Japan's PrivacyMark (a data-protection certification)
For more on using reviews, see How reviews affect AI recommendations, and how to improve them.
A roadmap for building authority
Building authority does not happen overnight. Work through it in stages with the roadmap below.
Phase 1 (months 1–2): Laying the foundation
- Audit your site's E-E-A-T elements
- Create author profile pages
- Implement Organization structured data
- Complete your Google Business Profile
Phase 2 (months 3–4): Stepping up publishing and outreach
- Start issuing press releases regularly
- Start writing for industry media and taking interview requests
- Publish content reviewed by experts
Phase 3 (months 5–6): Building awareness
- Speak at industry events
- Publish joint research and survey reports
- Scale up your review-collection efforts
Summary
Becoming a brand that AI chooses requires building authority continuously. Work through these five strategies in stages to strengthen your brand's authority:
- Design content with E-E-A-T in mind
- Increase media exposure strategically
- Get your information into the Knowledge Graph
- Leverage expert networks
- Make user trust visible
Once these initiatives are underway, be sure to monitor how your brand's mentions in AI answers change. To see how ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude answer Japanese users' questions about your brand today, contact us.
Related articles
- What is GEO? The basics of optimizing for AI search — Get the big picture of GEO before you start building authority
- How AI search decides which brands to recommend — Knowing how AI evaluates brands makes it clear what to prioritize when building authority