Bing now directs users to reliable web writers by including links to content and social media profiles of authors within its social sidebar.

Bing recently announced that it has integrated relevant web writers into its social sidebar tool. Under the “People Who Know” category, users will now see links to articles and social media accounts of prominent authors in fields related to their search queries.

According to Bing, directing its searchers to relevant content from specific authors will help highlight information and articles that enrich a search experience. For companies developing content marketing strategies, effectively creating content and establishing authority can increase traffic and visibility on search.Bing now includes links to prominent writers' content with social sidebar.

When users hover over the name of an authority on the sidebar, a window appears that contains links to other articles and a Twitter profile. Nathan Penner, senior program manager for Bing News, reported that the company selects each author for inclusion in the tab, and the number of featured writers will continue to grow. Search Engine Land reported that there are currently about 45,000 people in the database.

“We’re just beginning to surface the countless number of authors out there to build this feature, so while we won’t have author pages for everyone, we’re hard at work to grow our coverage so stayed tuned,” Penner wrote in Bing’s Search blog.

Tools that distinguish certain writers as authorities are increasingly useful for searchers given the amount of information available on the web. According to About.com, more than 80 percent of consumers list trust as a criterion for buying products and services from a company. Content marketing strategies that actively seek to foster authority with consumers can help companies appear more trustworthy. Achieving listing under “People Who Know” will take some time for content writers, but contributing consistent, high-quality articles about an industry helps build steady readership over time.

According to Penner, Bing’s efforts to bring users to relevant web writers is part of its primary goal of helping people find answers. Ensuring they locate writers, authorities and others who have organically built a strong reputation simply makes it more likely they see reliable content.

The idea of authority as a ranking signal is not exclusive to Bing either. Brafton recently highlighted the rollout of Authorship from Google, which, like Bing’s tool, directs users to writers and authors likely to deliver relevant information to prospects and other website visitors.

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.