Marginal Revolution
(https://marginalrevolution.com) 📸 Data Snapshot: May 25, 2026Count trust words (review, testimonial, rating, verified) against real outbound proof links (Google, Trustpilot, Clutch, G2, Yelp). Lots of trust language with zero verification links is trust theatre. Unlinked logo galleries count against it.
Trust theatre is non-existent. While the homepage shows a review_count of 8, it is backed by a proof_links_count of 16, which are actual outbound links to sources like the WSJ, FDA, and academic papers. The only minor BS element is the About page claim of being ‘ranked as the best or one of the best economic blogs’ without a direct hyperlink to the specific rankings, though the overall proof density makes this a negligible infraction.
The proof density is among the highest measured in this category. For every assertion, such as ‘child care is so expensive in the U.S.,’ there is a corresponding link to source data or news reports. The presence of 16 proof links on a single homepage crawl is a significant outlier compared to the industry average.
Trust & Proof is read by weighing trust language against real verification. Below is the page-by-page tally of review mentions and external proof links, then the schema markup that may (or may not) declare verifiable ratings and identity proof.
🛡️ Trust Signals — reviews, proof links, trust-theatre check
| Page | Reviews | Proof links |
|---|---|---|
| / (home) | 8 | 16 |
| /about/ | 9 | 1 |
| /marginalrevolution/category/books/ | 6 | 16 |
| /cdn-cgi/l/email-protection/ | 0 | 0 |
🔗 Identity & Technical Layer — schema JSON-LD: declared ratings, reviews & identity proof
Homepage schema
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@type": "CollectionPage",
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/",
"url": "https://marginalrevolution.com/",
"name": "Marginal REVOLUTION - Small Steps Toward A Much Better World",
"isPartOf": {
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/#website"
},
"description": "Small Steps Toward A Much Better World",
"breadcrumb": {
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/#breadcrumb"
},
"inLanguage": "en-US"
},
{
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/#breadcrumb",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"name": "Home"
}
]
},
{
"@type": "WebSite",
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/#website",
"url": "https://marginalrevolution.com/",
"name": "Marginal REVOLUTION",
"description": "Small Steps Toward A Much Better World",
"potentialAction": [
{
"@type": "SearchAction",
"target": {
"@type": "EntryPoint",
"urlTemplate": "https://marginalrevolution.com/?s={search_term_string}"
},
"query-input": {
"@type": "PropertyValueSpecification",
"valueRequired": true,
"valueName": "search_term_string"
}
}
],
"inLanguage": "en-US"
}
]
}
/about/
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@type": "WebPage",
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/about",
"url": "https://marginalrevolution.com/about",
"name": "About Marginal Revolution - Marginal REVOLUTION",
"isPartOf": {
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/#website"
},
"datePublished": "2018-04-07T03:23:37+00:00",
"breadcrumb": {
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/about#breadcrumb"
},
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"potentialAction": [
{
"@type": "ReadAction",
"target": [
"https://marginalrevolution.com/about"
]
}
]
},
{
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/about#breadcrumb",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"name": "Home",
"item": "https://marginalrevolution.com/"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 2,
"name": "About Marginal Revolution"
}
]
},
{
"@type": "WebSite",
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/#website",
"url": "https://marginalrevolution.com/",
"name": "Marginal REVOLUTION",
"description": "Small Steps Toward A Much Better World",
"potentialAction": [
{
"@type": "SearchAction",
"target": {
"@type": "EntryPoint",
"urlTemplate": "https://marginalrevolution.com/?s={search_term_string}"
},
"query-input": {
"@type": "PropertyValueSpecification",
"valueRequired": true,
"valueName": "search_term_string"
}
}
],
"inLanguage": "en-US"
}
]
}
/marginalrevolution/category/books/
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@type": "CollectionPage",
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/category/books",
"url": "https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/category/books",
"name": "Books Archives - Marginal REVOLUTION",
"isPartOf": {
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/#website"
},
"breadcrumb": {
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/category/books#breadcrumb"
},
"inLanguage": "en-US"
},
{
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/category/books#breadcrumb",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"name": "Home",
"item": "https://marginalrevolution.com/"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 2,
"name": "Books"
}
]
},
{
"@type": "WebSite",
"@id": "https://marginalrevolution.com/#website",
"url": "https://marginalrevolution.com/",
"name": "Marginal REVOLUTION",
"description": "Small Steps Toward A Much Better World",
"potentialAction": [
{
"@type": "SearchAction",
"target": {
"@type": "EntryPoint",
"urlTemplate": "https://marginalrevolution.com/?s={search_term_string}"
},
"query-input": {
"@type": "PropertyValueSpecification",
"valueRequired": true,
"valueName": "search_term_string"
}
}
],
"inLanguage": "en-US"
}
]
}
This page presents a snapshot of public data from Marginal Revolution, captured on May 25, 2026, to show how machine logic reads Trust & Proof signals into an AI reputation evaluation.
Purpose: This data is presented under “Fair Use” for the purpose of independent signal analysis, allowing readers to see the raw signals behind the reputation score.
Notice to Marginal Revolution: This analysis is part of a non-adversarial audit conducted by 1 Euro SEO. The results are intended as professional feedback to help improve any website’s machine-readability and authority signals. The evaluation is free, and any company can request a fresh audit at any time.
Any company can use the insights for free and improve its voice. When a company has updated its content, it can always submit a new audit request, which will be reflected in a new current score.
To all users: You are encouraged to visit the live site at https://marginalrevolution.com to view the most current version of its content and see directly what this company is about and what it offers.