While Google and the other search engines have laid down what they consider to be the criteria for authority and trustworthiness in a website or webpage, these terms seem to have led to more confusion than before, especially since most people think of SEO the moment they think about website or page quality. It can make it very difficult to know which way is which when you get either vague or even over precise information. Let us break things down into an easier to digest checklist of what makes a webpage a "quality" page.
Authority
This is a basic drill down technique. If the page does not meet the first criteria for authority, then move on to the next until one is found that works.
Is the author themselves an outright authority
This may occur when the author is a very well-known person that requires no proof or validation. If Stephen Hawking has something to say about the origin of the planets, you just take it at face value without a word otherwise.
Credentials
Granted, not many people have a running list of all the experts in the world. If a site author is unknown to you, they most likely are,...