Authority or Authoritativeness refers to the perceived credibility and trustworthiness of a website or its content within a specific niche or industry. Authority is a critical factor that influences how search engines, like Google, rank web pages in their results. Authority can be established through various ways. However in most cases search engines assess authoritativeness by evaluating factors like backlinks from other credible websites; social signals indicating popularity; domain age; and overall site structure. Websites with numerous inbound links from respected domains are often viewed as more authoritative because they indicate endorsement by peers in the field.
In addition to the above, authoritativeness aligns with Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) which serves as a guideline for assessing content quality. YMYL content like medical or financial content must demonstrate higher levels of expertise due to the potential impact on users’ health or finances.
