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Authority Weekly
Edition 3 · Saturday, October 24, 2026
Tanya Smith, Digital Authority Strategist
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A note from Tanya
Last week, I was in Orlando for Momentum, and it reminded me what the right room can do.
This was not a big pitch fest. It was a room full of business owners sharing what was working, asking honest questions, and helping one another think more clearly.
No performing. No posturing. Just helpful people generously sharing what they knew.
That matters because digital authority does not start online. It starts in rooms where people experience your judgment, your generosity, and the way you solve problems.
Your online presence has a job: carry that same experience to the people who were not in the room.
When someone finds you through a referral, a podcast, or an AI search, your profile should not feel like it belongs to a stranger. It should sound like the person people trusted in person.
This week, choose one place where your expertise already has credibility and make it easier to find online. Update your bio. Clarify who you help. Or publish the answer you keep giving in real conversations.
This week
- Half of small businesses have checked whether AI can find them
- LinkedIn is turning expert profiles into places to sell advice
- Nine in ten AI shoppers verify recommendations before buying
- From my desk: Build truer rooms, not louder ones
- Join me November 12 in Plano
Worth knowing
1. Half of small businesses have checked whether AI can find them
What happened: BrightLocal’s 2026 Small Business Marketing Report surveyed 1,000 U.S. small business owners. About half said they had checked whether their businesses appeared in AI search results.
Even more, 65%, said they are actively working on AI visibility. That is a higher percentage than those keeping their Google Business Profile active.
What it means for you: Your peers are already paying attention. But checking your visibility once is not enough.
AI systems and prospective clients need accurate, consistent, current information to understand what your business offers.
Start by asking an AI tool what it knows about you and your business. When available, review the sources behind its response.
If the information is outdated or incomplete, correct one public source you control.
That simple step can make your experience easier to discover and easier to trust.
Source: BrightLocal
2. LinkedIn is turning expert profiles into places to sell advice
What happened: LinkedIn announced new features that allow eligible professionals to earn money directly through the platform.
Advice Sessions allow eligible U.S. Business Premium members to offer paid one-on-one consultations from their profiles, with booking and payment handled through LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is also testing In-Stream Ads, which allow selected creators to earn revenue from advertising shown with their videos.
Availability varies by feature and account.
What it means for you: LinkedIn is creating more ways for professionals to turn expertise into paid opportunities.
Even if you never use these features, your profile should make it obvious what someone can hire you to do.
Take five minutes to review your headline and About section.
Do they describe the problems you solve today? Or do they mainly summarize the positions you have held?
Your experience matters. Make sure people can see how it helps them.
Source: Net Influencer
3. Nine in ten AI shoppers verify recommendations before buying
What happened: Product.ai’s October 2026 Trust in AI Commerce Report surveyed 550 people who use AI for product research.
The study found that 89.9% verify an AI recommendation with another source before making a purchase, up from 85.7% in June.
Only about one in five respondents had allowed an AI agent to complete a purchase. And 37.5% said they would not let one spend anything without asking first.
What it means for you: AI may introduce someone to your business, but an introduction is not the same as trust.
People still want to verify what they have been told.
Although this study focuses on shopping, the lesson applies to consultants, coaches, and service providers, too.
Someone may discover you through an AI recommendation and then visit your website or LinkedIn profile.
Does what they find confirm the recommendation?
Are your services described consistently? Can they see evidence of your experience? Is the next step clear?
The connection between discovery and trust matters.
Make sure the information people find about you supports what they were told.
Source: MarTech Cube
From my desk
Here is my takeaway from Orlando: I do not want to build louder rooms. I want to build truer ones.
The events and communities that stay with people are the ones where the teaching is practical, the people are generous, and no one has to decode a sales pitch to get value.
That is the model I am carrying into my own workshops and into the Studio.
Digital authority works the same way. Show up with substance. Make your expertise easy to recognize. Give people a quick way to verify it.
Trust grows when the room, the referral, and the online profile all tell the same story.
Join me: Digital Authority in the Age of AI Search
When someone searches for help with a problem you know how to solve, can they discover your expertise? And what information do AI tools use when answering questions about your field?
We'll explore how AI search, traditional search, and YouTube help people discover professionals and businesses. You'll learn how your video topics, titles, descriptions, and answers to client questions can make your expertise easier to find and understand.
This is a working session, not a lecture. You'll choose one client question, see what an AI tool answers, check a source for accuracy, and draft one improvement to your online presence.
You'll leave with a clarity checklist, a specific next action, and a date to review your progress.
Attend in Plano
Thursday, November 12, 2026 · 6:30 to 8:30 PM CT · Girl Cave, Plano, Texas
Bring your laptop. We'll put these ideas into practice together.
Not in Dallas? A virtual session is coming.
I'm planning to offer the same core AI Search workshop live online within the next couple of weeks. The date isn't confirmed yet. You'll be able to work through the exercises from wherever you are and leave with your own checklist and next action.
Interested in the online session? Reply to this email with "VIRTUAL" so I know you want the details when the date is confirmed.
To your abundant success,
Tanya Smith, CEO | tanyasmith.ceo
