Implementation overview
Enhance UX with Author Photos Reading Time and Freshness Indicators
Author photos, reading time estimates, and freshness indicators build user trust and help visitors quickly assess content relevance and credibility before investing their time.
UX trust signals won't directly improve your rankings. However, they will increase user engagement and time on page, which are important user experience signals for search engines.
How to do it on Webflow?
1. Add author fields to CMS
Include fields for: Author photo, Bio, Credentials, Social links in your blog or content collections
2. Create reading time calculator
Add custom code to estimate reading time based on word count (average 200 words per minute)
3. Build freshness indicators
Use conditional visibility to show "Updated recently" badges for content modified within 30 days
4. Automate with Webflow MCP server
Use Webflow MCP server to automatically update reading times and freshness indicators when content is modified
Do's
✅ Use professional author photos: Real headshots build more trust than avatars or illustrations
✅ Show credentials prominently: Brief author bios with relevant expertise
✅ Update reading times accurately: Include time for images and interactive elements
✅ Mark content freshness clearly: Show last updated dates, not just publication dates
Do's
❌ Don't use stock photos for authors: Fake author photos hurt credibility when discovered
❌ Don't overestimate reading times: Users prefer accurate estimates to plan their time
❌ Don't hide update information: Transparency about content freshness builds trust
❌ Don't forget mobile optimization: Author info should display well on all devices