Author, dates and trust signals

WebAISEO: free AI-search check Prices WebAISEO Terms For AI agents

Published 11 November 2026 · by TrueTest

When an AI answer picks sources, a page that says who wrote it, when, and how to reach them is easier to trust than an anonymous, undated one. Our check scores four trust signals; together they are 10% of the score, and they are some of the quickest fixes.

Check my trust signals free See a full example first

Type your address into the box at the top of the WebAISEO page: the Readiness basics check reads one public page and its robots.txt, sitemap and llms.txt, takes a few seconds, needs no sign-up and is free. The paid audits are described on the WebAISEO page.

What does the check look for?

Signal	What counts	Points
Published or updated date	an `article:published_time` or `article:modified_time` meta tag, a `datePublished` / `dateModified` in JSON-LD, or a `<time>` element	3
Named author or organisation	a `<meta name="author">`, an `"author"` in JSON-LD, or a `rel="author"` link	3
About / Contact links	a link whose address or text mentions about or contact	2
Images described	at least 80% of the page's images have alt text (no images also passes)	2

Quick fixes

Show the date the page was published or last updated, in a <time datetime="2026-11-11"> element.
Name the author or the organisation, on the page and in the JSON-LD.
Link About and Contact pages from the header or footer of every page.
Describe each meaningful image in its alt text.

A real example

On 11 November 2026 our own WebAISEO page scored 60 in this area: no date, no named author and no About or Contact link were found, while its images (none) passed. That is 4 points of the total score lost to fixes that take minutes (the worked example). This page has all four signals.

Do dates need to change often?

Only when the content really changes. An "updated" date with no real change is misleading, and AI answers favour pages that are both dated and accurate.

More guides: Is my website visible in ChatGPT? · llms.txt checker: does my site need one? · AI crawler robots.txt checker · Can AI crawlers read my JavaScript site? · Do noindex or nosnippet block AI answers? · AI readiness check as an MCP tool · Sitemaps, HTTPS and speed for AI crawlers · AI search optimisation vs classic SEO

Questions people ask

Does a personal author name score better than a company name?

The check accepts either: it looks for a named author or organisation.

Is alt text only for accessibility?

It is first for people using screen readers; it also tells engines what an image shows.

Do trust signals matter more than access?

No. Access comes first (30% of the score): a page AI crawlers cannot read cannot be trusted or quoted at all.

Is the check free?

Yes, for one page, with no sign-up.