AI Trust Signals Playbook

Executive Summary: What C‑Suites Need to Know
The AI Trust Signals Framework
Diagnostic: Trust Gap Scorecard
Technical Foundations (Crawl, Speed, Schema)
Authority & Backlinks: Credibility Engine
AI‑Friendly Content Architecture
Governance: Roles, RACI & Cadence
Measurement: KPIs, OKRs & Executive Dashboard
90‑Day Action Sprints
Appendix: Templates & Checklists

1) Executive Summary: What C‑Suites Need to Know

Quality is necessary-but trust wins citations. Modern AI systems favor sources that look credible, structured, and safe to quote. If competitors with worse content are quoted over you, it’s usually because their trust signals are stronger, not their prose.

What drives AI citations

Domain & author authority (E‑E‑A‑T signals)
Technical reliability (speed, Core Web Vitals, mobile, schema)
External endorsements (high‑quality backlinks & press mentions)
Extractable formats (FAQs, lists, clear headings, structured data)
Freshness & transparency (updated dates, sources, corrections)

Board‑level risks

Invisible on AI‑mediated queries → demand leakage
Brand risk from outdated or unsourced content
Under‑investment in technical health compounds losses
Upside: trust compounding reduces CAC across channels

Imperative: Treat visibility as a system. Build trust signals deliberately, measure weekly, and sprint on the weakest link.

2) The AI Trust Signals Framework

The framework below turns a vague goal (“be more trusted”) into a concrete operating model.

Pillar	Objective	Signals AI Consumes	Owner
Technical	Be reliable, fast, machine‑readable	Speed, CWV, mobile, sitemap, robots, schema, status 200	Head of Web / SEO Lead
Authority	Be cited by credible entities	Backlinks quality/velocity, PR mentions, author profiles	Comms / PR / SEO
Content	Be extractable and up‑to‑date	FAQs, lists, headings, citations, updated timestamps	Content Lead / SMEs
Transparency	Show who, why, and when	Authorship, bios, methods, corrections & changelog	Editorial
Engagement	Prove usefulness	Dwell time, CTR, low bounce, repeat visits, brand search	Growth / Analytics

3) Diagnostic: Trust Gap Scorecard

Score each area 0–5 (0 = missing, 5 = best‑in‑class). Prioritize the lowest pillar first.

Category	Evidence	Score (0–5)	Owner	Next Action
Core Web Vitals	All key templates passing	__	Web	Fix LCP/CLS on top 10 pages
Structured Data	Article/FAQ/Product schema valid	__	SEO	Add schema to 20 cornerstone URLs
Expert Authorship	Bios + credentials on content	__	Editorial	Standardize byline policy
Backlink Quality	Links from Tier‑1 industry/media	__	PR	Secure 10 high‑quality links in 90 days
Content Extractability	FAQs/lists/headings per page	__	Content	Refactor 15 pages into Q&A + TL;DR
Freshness	Updated within last 6 months	__	Editorial	Quarterly refresh cadence
Transparency	Sources, methods, corrections	__	Editorial	Add citations + changelog

Target: average ≥4 in each pillar, no pillar <3.

4) Technical Foundations (Crawl, Speed, Schema)

Non‑negotiables

Healthy sitemap.xml and robots.txt (no accidental blocks)
Fast TTFB; pass Core Web Vitals on top templates
Mobile‑first; responsive and accessible (WCAG AA)
Consistent 200/301 status; eliminate 404/soft 404 chains
Valid structured data on all cornerstone pages

Schema deployment starter set

Page Type	Schema	Key Properties
Articles/Guides	Article / NewsArticle	author, datePublished, dateModified, citation
FAQs	FAQPage	mainEntity (Question/AcceptedAnswer)
Products/Solutions	Product / Offer	name, description, brand, aggregateRating
Organization	Organization	logo, sameAs, contactPoint
Person (Authors)	Person	name, jobTitle, sameAs

Tip: ship schema via components in your CMS so every new page inherits it.

5) Authority & Backlinks: Credibility Engine

PR Flywheel

Define 3–5 category POVs your execs can own
Build a sourcebook: stats, quotables, frameworks
Pitch tier‑1 industry media & data journalists
Publish research briefs (PDF + HTML + schema)
Repurpose to LinkedIn carousels & webinars

Link Acquisition Targets

Top industry publications & analysts
.edu/.gov and standards bodies (.org)
High‑signal partner co‑marketing pages
Original research / benchmark studies

Anchor text policy

Favor branded + topical anchors; avoid aggressive exact‑match. Prioritize relevance over volume.

6) AI‑Friendly Content Architecture

Make it extractable

Open with a Context‑Lean → Scroll‑Stop → Contrarian Snapback hook
Front‑load a TL;DR and 3–5 FAQs
Use clear H2/H3s; 40–120 word paragraphs
Add sources, data, charts, and updated timestamps
Close with a clear action (calculator, benchmark, or booking)

Reusable page outline

H1: Outcome + category
Intro hook: context → but → snapback
TL;DR: 3 bullets with proof
H2: What decision-makers get wrong
H2: Framework (visual)
H2: Step-by-step (numbered)
H2: FAQs (5)
Sources & last updated

7) Governance: Roles, RACI & Cadence

Activity	R	A	C	I	Cadence
Core Web Vitals remediation	Web Eng	Head of Web	SEO	CXO	Monthly
Schema deployment & QA	SEO	Head of Web	Editorial	Comms	Monthly
Backlink/PR campaigns	PR	Comms Lead	SEO	CFO	Quarterly
Cornerstone refreshes	Editorial	Content Lead	SMEs	Sales	Quarterly
AI citation monitoring	SEO	Growth Lead	Analytics	Exec	Weekly

8) Measurement: KPIs, OKRs & Executive Dashboard

North‑Star KPIs

Quoted share on priority queries (AI answers)
High‑authority backlink velocity (Tier‑1)
Organic demo/SQL volume and CAC
Brand search & direct traffic growth

Quarterly OKR example

O: Become the most cited source in [your category].

KR1: Win citations on 10/15 target AI queries
KR2: +20 Tier‑1 backlinks; +3 data‑driven PR features
KR3: 100% of cornerstone pages pass CWV & have valid schema

9) 90‑Day Action Sprints

Week	Milestone	Output
1–2	Trust audit & prioritization	Scorecard, target query list, gap report
3–4	Technical fixes	CWV pass on top templates, schema live
5–8	Authority sprint	Research brief + 10 PR pitches; 8–12 links
6–10	Content refactor	15 cornerstone pages into extractable format
11–12	Measurement & iterate	Dashboard; next‑quarter OKRs

Appendix: Templates & Checklists

Executive PR Pitch Template

Subject: New data on [topic]: {company} findings journalists will want
Hi [Name],
We analyzed [dataset/scope]. Key finding: [counterintuitive insight].
Happy to share embargoed charts + expert quotes from [Exec Name].
Best, [You]

Backlink Prospecting Sheet (columns)

Domain • Type (media/edu/partner) • Relevance • Authority tier • Contact • Pitch angle • Status

Cornerstone Page QA

Author bio + credentials present
Last updated within 6 months
FAQ block (5+), TL;DR, numbered steps
Valid schema (Article/FAQ/HowTo/Product)
Sources cited; outbound to authorities

AI Citation Monitoring Cadence

Weekly: track quoted share on 15 target queries
Monthly: backlink velocity & PR placements
Quarterly: refresh top 20 evergreen pages

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