This research examines whether manufactured expertise can fool AI search engines, using the MyJobQuote scandal where 11 fictional "experts" were quoted across 600+ UK media articles as a test case. When we queried nine AI models with topic-based questions like "Who are the UK's leading experts on home security?", zero fake personas appeared. But when asked directly whether specific fake names were recognised authorities, models failed 29.5% of the time, sometimes confidently inventing career histories for people who don't exist. The contrast with genuine experts is stark. Real authorities in SEO like Jason Barnard dominate AI recommendations because they've built deep, corroborated brand entities; consistent profiles, third-party validation, years of published work. The takeaway for SEOs and marketers: AI doesn't rank pages anymore, it recommends entities. You can trick a model into recognising a name, but you can't trick it into recommending that name ahead of genuine authorities. Brand building isn't optional - it's your moat.
Authoritas Platform API
Straightforward programmatic access to key SEO data from your projects managed in our SEO platform
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What can I build with the Platform API?
What types of customer uses the platform API and what do they do with the data?
The Platform API is used both by large in-house SEO teams at major brands and by SEO agencies looking to improve internal efficiencies in SEO project management by automating site audits, pre-sales pitches and client reporting.
What type of SEO data can I extract from the platform via API?
We facilitate the extraction of the most essential data from your SEO projects including; keyword ranking, Share of Search, Market Winners, Tag Analysis, website crawling, link campaigns and backlink data.
Is the Authoritas Platform API available on all packages?
It is part of the Advanced and Expert level business packages and is available on all Agency packages.
Alternative no-code SEO solutions
You will find it tough to use the platform API without having a reasonable level of software development experience.
If you lack these skills in-house, then you can try either of our no-code SEO solutions.

Is this SEO Platform right for me?
The platform is ideal if you need data to power your in-house systems and want a User Interface for your SEO team
Can I access API data without programming skills?
You will find it tough to use the platform API without having a reasonable level of software development experience.
The API is robust and comprehensive in nature, as it allows your SEO team to use the User Interface whilst facilitating the management of potentially thousands of SEO projects and campaigns programmatically, by allowing you to send new projects and keywords to the platform, as well as amending and deleting existing projects.
You will need to create a system capable of sending jobs (API queries) in batches on-demand or on a schedule, that’s also capable fo processing, parsing, storing and visualising the data returned.
If you lack these skills in-house, then you can try either of our no-code SEO solutions.
SEO Plugin for Google Sheets
Big Query and Google (Looker) Data Studio platform integration.
You just need to setup an account and we handle the rest for you.
What types of customer uses the platform API and what do they do with the data?
The Platform API is used both by large in-house SEO teams at major brands and by SEO agencies looking to improve internal efficiencies in SEO project management by automating site audits, pre-sales pitches and client reporting.
Is the Authoritas Platform API available on all packages?
It is included in the Advanced and Expert level business packages and is available on all Agency packages.
Checkout our Pricing page for details.What type of SEO data can I extract from the platform via API?
We facilitate the extraction of the most essential data from your SEO projects including; keyword ranking, Share of Search, Market Winners, Tag Analysis, website crawling, link campaigns and backlink data.
What format is the data returned in?
The data is returned to you in XML format.
Where do I find technical documentation about how to use the Platform API?
All the information your engineer will need to get started making and receiving API requests is set out here:
Platform API DocumentationDiscover for yourself why we're different to other SEO APIs
Complete the form and we'll automatically send you a free trial API key with 1,000 free API queries and some simple instructions to get you started quickly.
Featured Posts from our blog
Expert content from our team and our friends. Read our original SEO research studies, news about our software, algorithm updates, SEO advice and opinion.
Introducing our new free tool to convert exported Google Search Console keyword data into AI-ready question prompts, going beyond the traditional regex approach of filtering for "how", "what", "why" queries. The tool analyses up to 1,000 GSC queries, automatically generates natural language prompts, and supports multilingual output with English translation options - making it particularly useful for international SEO teams. The core argument is that since no AI platform currently releases reliable first-party prompt volume data, starting with keywords where you already have proven Google performance (impressions and clicks) provides a more meaningful baseline for AI search optimisation than guessing at prompt demand.

Analysis of 1.5 million ChatGPT conversations and 10,000 Grok AI interactions reveals a fundamental shift in how people use AI, from simple search-style queries to complex, conversational interactions, with ChatGPT usage flipping from 47% work-related to 70% personal use since launch. The research shows distinct platform personalities emerging: ChatGPT users favour direct, task-oriented prompts (65% simple to medium complexity) for practical advice and writing help, while Grok users engage in longer, exploratory discussions (55% complex prompts, 83.8% open-ended questions). Crucially for SEOs, this data demonstrates that optimising for AI visibility now requires moving beyond keyword-based strategies to conversation-based optimisation that supports natural language queries averaging 30+ words.
