AI Trust Signals

Find out just how likely AI is to recommend YOU. 

SEO got you found. AI trust signals get you recommended. And the brands that win tomorrow are the ones AI trusts today.

Co-Founder

PriceGuide.ai

Explode leads on your website with PriceGuide.ai, allowing you to quickly, easily, and inexpensively create a pricing estimator for your product or service, giving your website visitors what they want while giving you way more of what you need-- LEADS.

The Question First Group

Helping leaders and sales teams connect deeper and win more trust by learning the art of breakthrough conversations.

Marcus Sheridan International, Inc.

In 2017 Forbes named Marcus 1 of 20 “Speakers You Don’t Want to Miss the Opportunity to See." He has been featured in The New York Times, Inc., The Globe and Mail, Content Marketing Institute, Social Media Examiner and more. Having spoken to hundreds of audiences and thousands of people around the world, Marcus delivers riveting and passionate performances that motivate and inspire!

Keynote Speaker

They Ask, You Answer

Rated the #1 Marketing Book to read in 2017 by Mashable and the "#2 Marketing Book of All-Time" by Book Authority, Forbes listed it as one of "11 Marketing Books Every CMO Should Read."

"They Ask, You Answer" is a revolutionary approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today’s Digital Consumer.  In it, Marcus shares his simple approach to inbound marketing that has earned an exceptional track record across many industries and throughout the world.  How can a single approach to selling be so versatile? Simple - it's all about the customer.  All potential customers need answers along their way to making a purchase and "They Ask, You Answer" definitively shows businesses, B2B and B2C, exactly how to become the most trusted voice in their industry.

Author

The Visual Sale

How to Use Video to Explode Sales, Drive Marketing, and Grow Your Business in a Virtual World.

IMPACT

Recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the “Top 25 SMB Workplaces” in 2017, IMPACT is obsessed with helping businesses and organizations succeed.  By offering full support from strategy to implementation, as well as education and in-depth training, IMPACT is able to help lead their clients to success regarding all things inbound, digital, and today’s changing buyer.

Owner/Partner

River Pools

Currently one of the largest fiberglass pool installers in the United States with the most visited swimming pool web site in the world.  In 2001 and fresh out of college, Marcus stumbled across his first business with two friends: installing swimming pools out of the back of a beat-up pickup truck. Nine years later, with the help of incredible innovations through inbound and content marketing, Sheridan’s company overcame the collapse of the housing market and became a leader in the industry.

Partner

The Sales Lion

The Sales Lion is a Marketing/Sales consulting company focusing on helping organizations develop a culture of content and inbound marketing while dramatically improving sales, marketing and video communication.  We offer world-class training, consulting, workshops, and keynotes for businesses, brands, & agencies around the globe.

Founder and President

Working with Chris Marr, founder of the Content Marketing Academy, Marcus has developed workshops focused on achieving true “World Class Communication.”  His true passion is found in helping others reach their potential as teachers, communicators, and speakers. Marcus’s workshops are focused on pushing business professionals and executives to improve their ability to communicate, motivate, and inspire in all walks of life.  Covering such topics as: Presentation Design, The Power of Story, The Columbus Principle, and Trust Techniques; Marcus helps attendees to elevate their communication skills on stage, in the boardroom and in the home.

Co-Founder:  World Class Communication

Along with sales and marketing experts Joey Coleman and Ian Altman, Marcus created and hosted two unprecedented conference events focused on sales, marketing and customer experience.  The Remarkable Growth Experience conferences were held in historic Arlington, VA.  Attendance was limited to 100 participants allowing for more intimate discussions and interaction.  Conference attendees were able to have full access to event speakers, participate in hands-on practical applications, develop individualized specific action items and leave with clear plans for immediate improvement and success.

Co-Founder: The Remarkable Growth Experience Conferences

TED Conferences

The Honest Economy:  How Transparency Can Change the Economy and Inspire a New World

TEDx Speaker

Keynote Speaker on Sales, Marketing, and Building Trust...Author of They Ask You Answer...Ranked #1 LinkedIn Voices for Entrepreneurship...and a Dang Good Follow on LinkedIn

Called a “web marketing guru” by the New York Times, the Story of how Marcus Sheridan was able to save his swimming pool company, River Pools, from the economic crash of 2008 has been featured in multiple books, publications, and stories around the world and is the centerpiece to his best-selling book, They Ask You Answer, which has been named “One of the 5 Best Marketing Books of All Time” by BookAuthority and his follow up book, Endless Customers, was named a National Bestseller by USA Today.

Sheridan is a highly sought-after global speaker (averaging 50 keynotes yearly) in the digital sales and marketing space, working with hundreds of businesses and brands alike to achieve their potential in a rapidly evolving marketplace, ultimately helping them to connect deeper and become the most trusted voice in their respective industry.

Companies Marcus is a Part of: IMPACT, River Pools, Marcus Sheridan International, Question First Group, PriceGuide.ai

Keynote topics include:  Sales, Marketing, AI, Leadership Communication

Marcus Sheridan

Most people assume I “run” all my businesses.

But the truth is I barely run any of them.

Here’s the actual timeline of businesses I’ve started:

   2001 - Swimming pool installation
   2012 - Professional speaking
   2014 - Consulting/coaching agency
   2017 - Pool manufacturing
   2019 - Swimming pool franchise
   2020 - Sold #4 and #5
   2021 - Offshore fishing charter
   2024 - PriceGuide (software) + The Question First Group
   2025 - AI Trust Signals (software) + Pet food manufacturing

I’m still an owner in all of them except the two I sold.

People ask me all the time:
“How do you manage so many companies?”

My answer is simple:
"I don’t."

At least, not really.

I have exceptional business partners (and people) who run them without me.

My job is strategy, big picture, and making sure we are world-class in sales and marketing.

But a great CEO I am not.

And I’m perfectly fine with that.

After 25 years of building, failing, pivoting, selling, and starting again… here are a few lessons that stick:

👉 1. Most entrepreneurs don’t make great CEOs.
At a certain size, the skills that built the business aren’t the same skills needed to run it. This isn’t a knock, it’s self-awareness. Sadly, most CEOs never know when this day has come.

👉 2. Choose partners who are great at what you’re terrible at.
If your partner is just another version of you, you don’t have a partner, you have a mirror. You do NOT need another you.

👉 3. Your first “vision” for the business is almost always wrong.
The market will teach you what it wants...if you’re willing to listen. Observe. Adjust. Observe. Pivot. Observe…

👉 4. Someone on the team has to go to bed thinking about the business.
If that’s not you, you better know exactly who that person is.

👉 5. Your business only scales when you stop trying to be everything.
Ego doesn’t scale. Self-awareness does. You do NOT need to be everyone’s hero.

I could go on and on, but hopefully there’s a nugget or two for you.

I’d love to know, what would you add to the list? What has your journey taught you? 👇

One of the most engaging keynote speakers on the planet—I create experiences that change how businesses sell, connect, and win | Author of Endless Customers and They Ask, You Answer | Entrepreneur | Master Storyteller

What a magical couple of days teaching MasterCraft Boat Company dealers how to create extraordinary connections with their customers. But let me tell you a powerful story how one man in the audience immediately applied what he learned to his personal life:

During the event, one of the attendees recieved a text from his daughter that she was having a really hard time.  Instead of calling her and quickly going into "Dad" mode by telling her what she needed to do (or think, or feel, etc.) he simply reached out to her and kept inviting her to "tell me more."

He said it was one of the most powerful conversations he'd had with his daughter in a long time.

That's what is so rewarding about teaching leaders and sales pros to communicate at the highest levels - when done properly, it transcends their "professional" life and deeply affects their "personal" life.  And then, because of that, they come to you months later and  say, "That training has affected my entire life. I can't thank you enough for the impact you've had on my family."

Once again, this is just another reason why I love my job.

It was a good day. 🙂

Wild Stat:
After analyzing 3,500 websites, only ONE scored a “perfect” for NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone Number).

If you own a business (especially a location-based one) you already know NAP matters. Legacy Google has always relied on it for local signals. But here’s the part business must now understand:

👉 LLMs (like ChatGPT) rely on NAP even more.

To a large language model, inconsistent NAP is a major "ding" on your trust score. If your core business identity isn’t consistent across the internet, the model questions whether you’re legitimate… which directly impacts whether it will recommend you.

When Patrick Moorhead and I reviewed this dataset from AI Trust Signals, we honestly thought something was broken, so we checked the data again and again.

But the result held: 1 out of 3,500. 😳 

Yes, that's a pretty shocking number.

So here’s the takeaway:

AI needs every possible reason to trust you. (I really can't stress this enough.)

NAP consistency is one of the simplest (and strongest) trust signals you can control.

So do this today:
👉 Audit every platform, directory, social profile, association listing, map entry, citation, and third-party mention of your business.
 👉 Make every instance of your name, address, and phone number identical--same formatting, same punctuation, same abbreviations, everywhere.

It may take an hour or two but will be well worth it.

Remember my friends, when it comes to AI recommending you online, small inconsistencies create potentially massive visibility penalties.

And if less than 1% of businesses are doing this correctly, that means one thing:
Fix your NAP, and you instantly separate yourself from the entire market.

Turns out that AI (and humans) HATE recommending stale/old content.

That's why EVERY marketer should make this a non-negotiable in 2026:

👉 Put a “Last Updated” timestamp on every major page and article on your website, just like you see in the photo here from HubSpot.

I know, this may seem incredibly tedious.

But at AI Trust Signals, we’re seeing over and over that it matters a lot, not just to readers, but to the AI systems deciding whether your content is confident, current, and *safe* to recommend.

And please understand, this isn’t just a "front-end" thing.

You also need the machine-readable version on the back end.

This means implementing the proper schema markup so AI can instantly verify when the page was truly updated. (Yes, it appears every marketer will be forced to a Schema expert in the future. 🤷‍♂️ )

This is just one of many "new rules of the game" that we're seeing because of AI.

And yes, it may feel a little annoying.

But it's the reality of where online content is heading, and so there's no need to complain about it.

Fact is, "content freshness" as a trust signal will only matter more and more moving forward. 

It's a new era in content my marketing friends.

Time to lean in.

While teaching a workshop this morning, I had a salesperson come up to me during a break and said, "Marcus, I don't do well with conflict. When a customer is upset, I freeze. Can you help?"

This simple question led to a great conversation, but the core of the answer I gave comes down to three simple steps any team can learn with a little bit of practice. 

Step #1: LET THEM VENT: 
This is a bit hard for folks to understand because the tendency is to immediately try to "fix" the situation. The issue with fixing is that the customer doesn't get a chance to feel heard. Your job is to make sure they feel VERY heard. Which means you let them vent, and even when you think they may be done, you ask them if there is anything else they're unsettled about. This step is the most important by far, yet the most overlooked in the world of customer experience.

Step #2: REPEAT WHAT THEY SAID: 
Not only must they feel heard, but they must feel *understood.* This occurs when you repeat the words they used and confirm, "What I've heard you say is..." (Again, do not use your words here. Use *their* words. Those are the ones that matter.)

Step #3: LET THEM VERBALIZE THE POTENTIAL SOLUTION: 
Assuming the individual has has a legitimate complaint (which is true in most cases), once you've allowed them to vent and have repeated their thoughts, you sincerely ask, "What would you like to happen to make this right?"

Now, granted, businesses can't always do what the customer asks for, but you at least want to put the ball in their court first.  Interestingly enough, often times the only thing they were looking for were step 1 & 2. In other words, they just wanted to feel heard and understood. But by asking them what they would like to do to make the situation right, you've now allowed them to at least state what they feel would be the appropriate solution.

Ultimately, there is no foolproof method of resolving customer frustration, but at a minimum you want to train (with role play) your team what to say and how to say it for these situations. 

Like the young man that approached me this morning, they shouldn't freeze when moments of conflict arise.

Instead, they should be ready for the moment. And if they follow these three simple steps, they are very likely to not only diffuse the situation, but create a lasting relationship as well.

As always, a little training goes a long ways.

#QuestionFirst

Have you seen this article from Inc. Magazine this month? It verifies everything I've been begging organizations to understand since AI changed the way we search.

👉 Pricing Transparency is about to be forced on ALL businesses. 👈 

Why? Here are a few impending realities (all of which have already begun):

1. In the future, if you don't discuss pricing/cost in detail on your website, it's highly unlikely that AI (like ChatGPT) will recommend you.

2. In the future, anytime someone is given a "price" , "quote" , or "estimate" they will run this through AI and it will give them an assessment as to whether or not they are getting a good value. 

3. In conjunction with #2, if someone doesn't feel good about a quote they've been given, they'll then be able to task their AI-agent to go out and "find" a better value...immediately.

I can assure you, these three things will be COMMON. The norm. Table stakes.

I can also say with high certainty most companies still do not realize this is what is happening.

The solution?

Get in front of this. 

Don't wait for everyone in your industry to move while you continue to do things the ways they've always been done.

Entire industries where "call for quote" is the norm are about to be upended.

Act now. Start winning today. And stay in front of all the laggards tomorrow.

Because it's all coming.

D. Hills Sales

WHAT I DO: I help businesses attract new clients and increase revenue by increasing brand awareness through social and digital media and social video production services. Optimizing your Google Business Profile and regularly updating it with photo/video updates and offers have proven successful in increasing visibility, authority and sales. Using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram. Videos created for Social Media are essential for increased engagement and communicating your messages effectively. 

WHOM I WORK WITH:  Small and medium-sized businesses and not-for-profits who know they need to increase their local SEO but lack the time and resources to reach their goals.

HOW I DO IT: Create, produce, and post content using photos and videos to boost a business' authority with its clients and target markets. Offering content creation and content management using social video and photos; posting on social media channels including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google My Business, and Google My Business.
Using Social Listening, I have generated over $100,000+ of media coverage at no cost.

WHAT OTHERS SAY:  "On behalf of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, congratulations on your 10,000th tweet today as our volunteer Tweeter! You alone have built this social media app into a great resource for the Museum. Well done, and thank you!"​ Al -  Marketing Manager.

He's enthusiastic, patient, talented and really knows his stuff. Just when I think I have a handle on the various levels of social media, he shows us other powerful tools that take it to another level. - Morgan Elliott - Documentary Producer

A Court Qualified Expert witness for a legal matter regarding local search results, Google Business Profiles and Reviews.

MY BACKGROUND: 10+ years of social media marketing experience, including a two-year international social media marketing campaign that generated 250,000 views a week and contributed $1 million in proceeds.

Community Manager, Social Video Creator, Google Business Profile Optimization 

Suddenly Seemore... Productions Inc.

Created content for and content content management for The Film Talk Series using Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Business Profile

Promoted the "Band Geeks" documentary and other projects, across Facebook, Twitter, Google My Business and YouTube. 

Coordinated with the TV network, producer, documentary talent and management organization that met and then exceeded the goal of increased engagement across the platforms. 

Creating social media content and content calendar for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn

Tracked and interpreted social media analytics and insights.

Created Facebook ad campaign targeted nationally directed to client personas in the musical niche.

Building up a social media profiles for the film festival season.

Created knowledge panels that work to increase brand awareness.

On-call service to optimize campaigns and posts for projects and productions as needed.

Digital Marketing Manager

Canadian Warplane Heritage

Social Media Consultant and Admin for 12 years - @CWHM Twitter account (currently at 27,000 + followers), Facebook 100,000 likes, managing the Google Business Profile and curating the CWHM LinkedIn Business Page.
- Meta and Twitter Community Manager for Lancaster Bomber 2014 UK Tour, with over 50,000 views/week and increased the following to over 10,000 followers.
- Contribute photos and videos for Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and GBP. Images regularly published in CWHM Flightlines.
- A published photographer with photos in FlyPast Magazine, Skies Magazine and books. 
Success Story: Starting with social listening, facilitated a July 2016 live on-air visit by City TV Breakfast Television, from initial request initiated through social listening and immediate invitation to planning with the museum team, and finally coordinating the three live on-air segments with their videographer which lead to a significant attendance increase for the Lancaster Day event. This first step led to 4 additional segments worth over $120,000 of media coverage at no cost.
- Airshow Media Team for 2011 to 2015 Hamilton Airshows, SkyFest 2014-22, the 2014 Lancaster UK Tour, Community Charity Airshow 2017-19.
- Create, curate and manage the CWHM LinkedIn page (3,400+ followers and growing)
- Videographer and vintage aviation location video consultant.  
- Weekly content creation for social channels and marketing
- Facilitated communication leading to CTV Canada AM's national coverage of the 2013 Hamilton Airshow.
- Coordinated interview segments for and interviewed for/by CH Morning Live, CTV News, The Weather Network, CBC, and local and international print media. 
- Coordinated segments for the 2012 - 2016 Remembrance Day coverage.`
- Managed off-site retail sales booth, including set-up, merchandising, selling clothing, souvenirs and memorabilia and vintage aircraft flights in austere environments from 2007-13.

Community Manager / Media Relations / PR / Retail

As half of the Social Media Marketing and Media Relations team, I was interviewed by and worked with local (in the UK), national and international news from the UK, Canada and beyond. 
Starting pre-launch and tour launch on February 24, 2014, through the tour documentary trailer release (that created the account's first viral (+500,000 views) post and through to the theatrical release of the “Reunion of Giants” tour documentary released in November of 2015. I worked to ensure accurate and exclusive information was relayed to sponsors, partners, and followers and responded and engaged with thousands of posts and questions about the tour and events in real-time.

As a Mobile Retail Team member, we sold promotional clothing and memorabilia at over 20 days of airshows and aviation events across the UK and at our base at RAF Coningsby.

• Community Manager for the CWHM Twitter and Facebook accounts, with an international following (over 9,000 followers; up 200% over pre-tour follower count) - multiple messages that reached over 25,000 views in 24 hrs. This account generated over 2 million tweet views during the tour.

• Contributing photographer and videographer and created content for the CWHM social media pages (Twitter and Facebook) and for the tour's primary sponsor Thwaites Brewery, contributing to a reach that totaled more than 30 million impressions over the tour's marketing campaign.

Liaised with Royal Air Force, RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Documentary Producer and tour sponsor - Thwaites Brewery, and Social Media Teams at over 20 locations during the seven-week travelling UK tour.

2014 Lancaster Bomber UK Tour  Social Media, Media Relations and Retail Sales

Community Charity Airshow 

Created photo and video content, and social media calendar and worked with stakeholders and influencers to increase brand awareness of rebranded for 2017, and continued through the 2018 and 2019 events.
Manage, curate and monitor social accounts including Twitter and Facebook to grow followers and increase engagement resulting in increasing attendance each year.
Integrate content from supporting organizations, sponsors, suppliers, performers and influencers to increase reach prior to the event. 
Promote on Facebook and Twitter to increase awareness and engagement. 
Answering questions about the event as we are reaching beyond traditional airshow fans.
Ensure that supported organizations are acknowledged regularly.
Go to www.communitycharityairshow.com for more information about the Airshow.
Check @CommCharAirshow on Twitter and https://www.facebook.com/CommunityCharityAirshow for updates.

Social Media Manager

CanWeb Printing Inc.

I worked with clients to maximize the benefits of their print marketing materials, whether on paper, wide-format or targeted variable data printing. I do this using professionally designed print communications, giving them tools to meet their marketing and sales goals.

How can your print marketing pieces hold the attention of a new prospect longer and convert to requests that lead to sales? 
I offered a single-team solution for design printing and website services-- for start-ups, entrepreneurs, and businesses that don't have the time or design expertise. 
Working with clients and the graphic design and production teams to meet tight timelines for marketing teams and entrepreneurs.
New client generation: from entrepreneurs and SMEs to corporate-level marketing - Pantone matching is available. 
Printing available included: large format for graphics and signs and banner stands, digital and offset printing for business cards, flyers, trade show displays, retractable banner stands, book printing, newspapers, and exam booklets.

Communications Advisor / Print Sales

LaserAge

Inside and outside sales and marketing of laser printers, copiers and fax machines, printer and copier service, specializing in OEM, remanufactured and compatible toner and ink cartridges.  
Our supplies, services, and follow-up to keep clients' printers operating efficiently without worrying about whether they needed to order or keep high stock levels of cartridges.
Consulted with clients on printer, copier and fax machine needs, whether laser or ink, with the goal of reducing the client's long-term costs.
Daily purchasing and negotiating of OEM and compatible laser toner and inkjet cartridges, and laser printers and copier equipment.  
Weekly maintenance of competitive price structure to maintain competitiveness.
Maintained major accounts (for ink, toner cartridges and laser and inkjet printers) up large (150+ machines), educational clients in Hamilton for over 4 years.

Inside/Outside Sales and Purchasing

Forzani Group

Shipping, Receiving, and Sales
Trained multiple receivers for 3 other locations.
Recognized for 4 "Perfect Quarters" for receiving accuracy within two years.
Coordinated four complete warehouse inventory counts within an 18-month period.
Managed inventory and back-of-house inventory counts for 2 store re-brandings within 18 months: from Sportchek to "Save On Sports" and then "Save on Sports" to Sportmart.
Achieved the highest sales for a racquet and accessories sales contest for Black Knight racquets.

Shipper / Receiver / Sales

Office Depot

Promoted through 4 positions from Part-time Stock person to Receiver / Warehouse Manager in less than 2 years.
Maintained highly accurate inventory, high level of efficiency for receiving goods, pricing and product preparation for the sales floor. 
Scheduled daily deliveries for the warehouse.

Receiver / Warehouse Manager

Optimizing and Managing of Google Business Profiles for LocalSEO and to increase visibility for Small and Medium sized businesses. Digital Manager | Video Creator

Your company's visibility in search results is critical. For local search, an optimized Google Business Profile is a necessity. A LinkedIn Company Page is often a top search result. Your GBP is essential for visibility on Google Maps and in the local pack. GBP optimization and consistency across the SERP are crucial to increasing clicks and calls. If you'd like to learn how to start, I can help you out. Send me a DM here on LinkedIn to get started.
 
WHAT I DO: Work with businesses and entrepreneurs, creating effective Google Business Profiles and social content to increase engagement. Working with social video video 📹 that increases engagement and connects with their clients and prospects. Optimize Google Business Profiles, manage their profiles, or work with and train clients to use GBP features effectively and improve their local SEO or local search results ranking.

WHOM I WORK WITH: Small and medium-sized businesses, business owners, agencies, and marketing managers, helping them to tell their brand's story and be viewed higher in search results of their target market. 

WHY IT WORKS: You receive an optimized Google Business Profile and social media expertise your business or marketing team needs without the lengthy time commitment required to build it. This increases the authority of your digital and social profiles and posts and raises visibility and engagement with your brand.

WHAT MAKES ME DIFFERENT? I have 15 years of experience managing conversion-creating Twitter/X and Facebook accounts with up to 500,000 - 2 million views/month. I have demonstrated expertise in increasing client ranking in search results and profile engagement for social media channels and campaigns, along with over 20 years of experience in sales.

WHAT OTHERS SAY: "We get new clients whenever we post a video.' Steve: Without your assistance, we'd get fewer new customers. Over 25% of our business comes from social and our optimized Google Business Profile.

HOW IT WORKS: We'd meet for an initial consultation and audit your social profiles, appearance in search results, and previous successes. Then, we design a plan to increase the quality and quantity of your posts, using short videos to showcase the prospect's perception of your expertise and increase engagement.

READY TO TALK? Message me here on LinkedIn, or email me at dhillssales@gmail.com, or call 905-541-0880.

Success Story! 
I was requested to be a Subject Matter Expert for a legal matter regarding a Google Business Profile and local search results, and I helped the legal team and client win.

taplio

The Battle

Marcus Sheridan

David Hills

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreMarcus Sheridan's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Marcus Sheridan

David Hills

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Marcus Sheridan's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreMarcus Sheridan's LinkedIn Performance