How the Market Authority Index is calculated, scored, and cited.
The Market Authority Index (MAI) measures how credible and verifiable a business appears to a buyer before any direct contact takes place.
It is not a measure of brand recognition, revenue, or market share. It measures the independently verifiable signals a buyer encounters when they evaluate a business: the depth and quality of its public proof, and the stability and longevity of the underlying entity.
The index produces a single composite score on a scale of 0 to 100.
The MAI score is not a measure of revenue, brand recognition, or marketing investment. It is a measure of what a buyer can independently verify before any direct contact with the business. The score represents the depth and quality of that verifiable evidence — not the size or visibility of the business behind it.
The score is not a ranking of business size, revenue, or market share. A large company with weak independent evidence scores lower than a small company with strong independent evidence. The number represents how verifiable a business appears to a buyer who has not yet spoken to anyone inside it.
The Market Authority of a business is derived from two independently calculated dimensions.
Human Authority measures the externally verifiable signals of market credibility. The evidence a buyer can find and assess without speaking to the business. Its market visibility.
Structural Confidence measures the verifiable stability and longevity of the legal entity behind the brand. The business viability.
Human Authority is scored on a scale of 0 to 100, calculated across four equal-weight components.
Human Authority score: sum of four components (0–100).
| Component | What it measures | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic Positioning | Clarity and consistency of market position across all public-facing channels | 25 |
| Proof & Validation | Volume and quality of independently verifiable proof: reviews, case studies, awards, certifications, press coverage | 25 |
| Trust Infrastructure | Completeness and correctness of structured trust signals: schema markup, privacy policy, legal entity disclosure, GDPR compliance | 25 |
| Market Presence | Breadth and depth of verifiable digital footprint: indexed content, backlink profile, social presence, press citations | 25 |
Structural Confidence is scored on a scale of 0 to 100, calculated across four equal-weight components.
Structural Confidence score: sum of four components (0–100).
| Component | What it measures | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Filing Compliance | Completeness and timeliness of statutory filings on national company registries | 25 |
| Financial Risk Signals | Assessment of solvency, debt levels, and financial health based on filed accounts | 25 |
| Governance Stability | Continuity and stability of directors, officers, and ownership structure | 25 |
| Operational Longevity | Age and trading history of the registered entity | 25 |
The MAI score is a weighted composite of the two dimensions:
MAI = (Human Authority × 0.70) + (Structural Confidence × 0.30)
Human Authority is weighted at 70% because it reflects what a buyer can directly observe and act on. Structural Confidence is weighted at 30% as a qualifying layer, it confirms that the entity behind the brand is stable and verifiable, but it does not substitute for market-facing credibility.
The result is a single score on a scale of 0 to 100.
Standard version: 1.1
Published: November 2025
Maintained by: Digital Scorecard, Dublin, Ireland
To cite this standard:
Nugent, E. Dr (2025). The Market Authority Standard, Version 1.1. Digital Scorecard. digitalscorecard.com/market-authority-standard/
The Market Authority Index is applied at three assessment levels: MAI Assessed, MAI Estimated, MAI Expected — which differ in the depth and source of data used to calculate each component. The composite formula and component structure are consistent across all three levels.