How is "authority" measured.

Selected answers from the Dumb SEO Questions Facebook & G+ community.

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  Anrich Brummer: So how much of an authority is that particular domain or page on that particular subject. So if I need medical advice I go to a doctor as he is the most authoritative in my community. So when I am searching online I want results from a source that is authoritative in the fact that it is a reliable source on the particular topic I am searching about. The idea is that the more authoritative the source is, then it should be able to better answer my search query. Im pretty new at seo so if my answer is rubbish let me know lol
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  Victoria Auburn: You answer is right, but it is theory. I'm looking for practical. If you look at two doctor's websites, what is it about one that you can objectively (not subjectively) measure that makes one more of an authority than the other?
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  Edward Harris: Oddly, I was just discussing this specific topic earlier. Re family physicians, a simple "word of mouth" referral is worth its weight in gold. When it comes to healthcare, first-hand experience, especially when the doctor-patient relationship has lasted more than a decade,  ;is equal to a few positive YELP ratings. Specialists, surgeons etc... require more than a few personal referrals.
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  Ashish Ahuja: Google is checking about authority from various factors like
  bounce rate
  no of page visited
  time on site
  mentions
  no of social media followers
  social media shares etc
  authorship
  no of keywords used to search for the site
  High Quality backlinks
  %age of High Quality links
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  Ashish Ahuja: +Adam Cirlincione Her question was more about how google evaluates authority of a site and not about the result i.e. how authoritative a site is
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  Victoria Auburn: Ashish Ahuja has given me a lot of great actionable details to evaluate. Thank you!
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  Ashish Ahuja: +Victoria Auburn glad could be of help. Another tip linking from your google+ profile and authorship is the best way to increase authority of any website fast.
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  W.E. Jonk: From the expert panel in this weeks SEO Questions hangout on air on 00:38:20 into the YouTube video: https://dumbseoquestions.com/q/how_is_quotauthorityquot_measured
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  Anrich Brummer: +Ashish Ahuja you are my new +Avinash Kaushik lol great answer