The standard for trust signaling across search and answer engines.
The National Signaling Authority sets the benchmark by which organizations demonstrate authentic, verifiable trust signals — and certifies those that meet it.
The Authority
A single, impartial reference for what trustworthy signaling means.
As search shifts from ranked links to direct answers, the signals that establish credibility have become fragmented and easy to imitate. The National Signaling Authority exists to bring order to that landscape — publishing open standards, certifying compliant organizations, and maintaining a public registry the world can verify against.
Define
Open Standards
The Signaling Trust Framework (STF) specifies, in plain and testable terms, what constitutes a genuine trust signal across search and answer engines.
Certify
Independent Review
Organizations are assessed against the framework and, when they meet it, are authorized to display the Signaling Compliance Mark.
Verify
Public Registry
Every credential we issue is recorded in an open registry, so any signal bearing our mark can be confirmed in seconds.
Scope
Two domains of signaling. One standard.
Search Engine Signaling
The structured, behavioral, and reputational signals that establish an entity’s identity, authority, and integrity to traditional search engines — from schema and citation provenance to local and authorship signals.
Answer Engine Signaling
The emerging signals that determine whether an entity is cited, summarized, and trusted by AI answer engines — including source provenance, factual consistency, and machine-verifiable attribution.
The STF Series
Five core standards.
Each standard in the Signaling Trust Framework addresses a distinct dimension of credibility. Together they form the basis of certification.
| Reference | Standard | What it governs | Domain |
|---|---|---|---|
STF-100 | Entity & Identity Signaling | Consistent, verifiable identity of the organization across the open web. | SEO / AEO |
STF-200 | Structured Data Integrity | Accurate, non-deceptive schema and machine-readable markup. | SEO |
STF-300 | Citation & Source Provenance | Traceable, attributable sources for claims surfaced to answer engines. | AEO |
STF-400 | Local & Geographic Signaling | Truthful representation of location, service area, and presence. | SEO |
STF-500 | Content Authenticity & Authorship | Genuine authorship, disclosure, and content provenance. | SEO / AEO |
Hold your signaling to the standard.
Organizations that meet the Signaling Trust Framework earn the right to display the Signaling Compliance Mark — a single, verifiable indication that their trust signals have been independently reviewed.
Begin certification