Robert Carter

Co-Founder & VP Product

Toronto, Canada Area ON CANADA

Focussed on delivering innovation that unlocks the hidden expertise within all organizations.

Biography

At ExpertFile, we understand the critical role that expertise marketing plays in driving both reputation and revenue for organizations. As Co-founder and VP of Product at ExpertFile, I am focussed on delivering innovation that unlocks the hidden expertise within all organizations, helping both large and small organizations better connect with key audiences.

With powerful management, distribution, and promotional capabilities, we help drive reputation by seamlessly connecting your experts with valuable media, event, and business opportunities. As the only purpose-built platform for expertise marketing, we effortlessly integrate with existing technologies, ensuring our clients can optimize how they profile their experts and showcase their expert insights.

Trusted by prestigious academic, healthcare, and corporate institutions, ExpertFile has consistently proven its value in driving market visibility and quality connections. Our innovative approach has not only been recognized by industry leaders but also validated by the tangible results our clients achieve and prestigious industry recognition.

Take a look at how we're helping organizations achieve their Expertise marketing goals: https://exprt.co/success

Areas of Expertise

Product Marketing

Product Development

Market Research

Expertise Marketing

Marketing Communications

Reputation Management

Brand Development

Spotlight

Jan 22, 2026

5 min

How to Make Your Experts “AI-Ready"

AI is changing how people discover expertise. Today, journalists, event organizers, researchers, and the public increasingly turn to tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google Search’s AI summaries powered by Gemini. Instead of clicking through pages of links, they expect clear, credible answers—often delivered instantly, with citations. That shift has major implications for organizations. It’s no longer enough for your experts to “rank well.” They need to be understood, trusted, and accurately represented by AI systems. So the real question becomes: When AI talks about your experts, does it get it right? This is where LLMs.txt plays an important role—especially when paired with an ExpertFile-powered Expert Center. What is LLMs.txt (In Plain English)? ...and why is it essential for expert content LLMs.txt is a small, machine-readable file placed on your organization’s website—in the case of your expert content alongside your main Expert Center. Its purpose is simple: to explain your expertise to AI systems clearly and unambiguously. “AI systems don’t just scan for keywords; they look for clear meaning, consistent context, and clean formatting — precise, structured language makes it easier for AI to classify your content as relevant.” Microsoft: Optimizing Your Content for Inclusion in AI Search Answers Rather than forcing AI to infer meaning from scattered pages, LLMs.txt explicitly tells systems: Who your experts are Which pages represent official, curated content How expert profiles differ from articles, Q&A, or research content How your organization’s expertise should be interpreted as a whole Think of it as a table of contents and usage guide for AI —helping large language models understand your site the way a communications professional would. Why This Matters for Visibility and Trust It Establishes Your Organization as the Source of Truth AI systems routinely synthesize information from multiple places. Without guidance, they may rely on outdated bios, scraped content, or secondary references. LLMs.txt provides a clear signal: This is our official expert content. This is what represents us. For ExpertFile clients, this matters because the platform already centralizes and curates expert content—from profiles and directories to Spotlights and Expert Q&A—ensuring that what AI sees is current, governed, and institutionally endorsed. The result: Greater accuracy, stronger attribution, and reduced risk of misrepresentation when your experts appear in the ever growing AI-generated overviews and answer. ahrefs: AI Overviews Have Doubled How It Improves Discovery Across AI Platforms It Makes Structured Expertise Easier for AI to Use ExpertFile is purpose-built to publish structured expert content at scale—content that goes well beyond static bios. LLMs.txt simply helps AI recognize and use that structure correctly. It clarifies the role of key ExpertFile content types, including: Expert Profiles → Canonical identity, credentials, and areas of expertise Spotlight Posts → Timely commentary, thought leadership, and research insights Expert Q&A → Authoritative answers to real-world questions Directories, Research Bureaus, and Speakers Bureaus → Curated collections of expertise by topic or audience This makes it easier for AI systems to: Match your experts to breaking news and trending topics Pull accurate summaries for AI-generated responses Identify the right expert for journalists, event organizers, and researchers Combined with ExpertFile’s extended distribution through expertfile.com and the ExpertFile Mobile App, your expertise is not only published—but actively discoverable across channels used by key audiences . How It Builds Organizational Authority It Connects Individual Experts to Institutional Credibility Without context, AI may treat expert pages as isolated profiles. LLMs.txt helps connect the dots. It tells AI that: Your experts are curated and endorsed by the organization Their insights are part of a broader expertise ecosystem Your institution has depth across priority subject areas This aligns closely with how ExpertFile structures content to support E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust)—not just at the individual level, but across the organization . The outcome: Your organization is recognized not just as a collection of experts, but as an authoritative source of knowledge. How It Works with Google, Gemini, and AI Search Supports AI Summaries, Citations, and Knowledge Panels LLMs.txt helps ensure that when Google’s AI: Summarizes your organization Cites expert commentary Builds “about this topic” panels …it draws from your official, structured ExpertFile content, rather than fragmented third-party sources. This complements ExpertFile’s existing SEO and AI-discoverability foundation, which includes clean code, proper meta data, schema markup, and frequent crawling by both search engines and AI bots. How LLMS.txt Fits with SEO, Meta Tags, and Schema LLMS.txt doesn’t replace SEO—it builds on it. Traditional SEO elements such as page titles, meta descriptions, schema.org markup, and internal linking remain essential for helping search engines index and rank your content. ExpertFile already delivers these fundamentals out of the box, continually testing and evolving SEO and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) standards as search changes . “Semantic SEO helps search engines understand context... it now helps bridge a critical gap between traditional SEO and newer generative engine optimization (GEO) and AI optimization (AIO) efforts.” Search Engine Land: Semantic SEO: How to optimize for meaning over keywords LLMS.txt adds a layer designed specifically for AI systems: Schema explains individual pages LLMs.txt explains your entire expertise ecosystem In simple terms: SEO helps your content get found LLMs.txt helps AI understand, summarize, and cite it correctly Together, they ensure your experts are not only visible—but accurately represented wherever AI is shaping discovery. Why This Is Especially Powerful on ExpertFile ExpertFile was designed to future-proof expert visibility—offering structured publishing, governance, distribution, inquiry management, analytics, and professional services as part of a continuously evolving SaaS platform . LLMS.txt acts as a multiplier on that foundation: Turning your Expert Center into a machine-readable expertise hub Strengthening AI discovery without adding operational burden Supporting emerging use cases like automated expert matching and AI-assisted research It’s not about chasing new technology. It’s about ensuring your expertise is clearly defined, properly attributed, and trusted—now and in the future. The Takeaway An LLMs.txt file on your ExpertFile organization page helps ensure that: Your experts are found by AI tools, not overlooked Your content is interpreted correctly, not flattened or misrepresented Your organization earns authority and trust in AI summaries, citations, and search results “AI search isn’t eliminating organic traffic. But it is reducing visits to source websites… Measure presence (citations, mentions) alongside traffic to see real impact.” Semrush: AI Search Trends for 2026 & How You Can Adapt As AI becomes the front door to information, LLMs.txt helps make sure that when people ask for expertise, your organization is the answer they get.

Jun 6, 2025

3 min

Why Your Experts Might Not Show Up in Google AI Overviews — And How to Fix It

The way we find expert information online is changing fast. With the rise of Google’s AI-generated overviews (formerly called Search Generative Experience), the top spot on the search page no longer goes to the highest-ranking blue link. Instead, AI now summarizes answers using a blend of machine learning, structured data, and trust signals—pulling directly from a variety of select sources across the web. If institutions—whether academic, healthcare, corporate or others—aren't aligning its expert content with these new rules of discovery, your experts may be left out of the conversation altogether. Don't miss being featured in media stories, invited to speak at events, or approached for business and collaboration opportunities. This is the moment to double down on structured data and transparent authorship—because AI-first search is rewarding expert clarity, not just content volume. The following provides a quick breakdown as to how AI Search, Google’s EEAT principles, and Schema.org structured data work together—and what you can do to ensure your expert content...and your experts, gets surfaced, cited, and trusted. What Is EEAT and Why It Matters in AI Search EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—the core framework Google uses to evaluate whether content is reliable and deserves to rank, especially in high-stakes areas like health, education, and finance. In AI-powered summaries, Google doesn’t just look at keywords—it looks for: Real people with demonstrable credentials Clear affiliations with reputable institutions Consistent authorship and transparency Trust signals like citations, bios, and professional history EEAT in Action: Why Schema Markup Is Your AI SEO Power Tool EEAT signals work best when they’re machine-readable—that’s where Schema.org structured data comes in. It acts as a translator between your content and Google’s AI. Schema tags are pieces of structured data that help search engines understand the content and context of your web pages. They translate human-readable information—like author names, job titles, and article types—into machine-readable signals that boost visibility AI overviews and search results. Implementing Schema helps ensure your expert content is eligible for inclusion in AI overviews. Key schema types include: {Person} – for expert bios {ScholarlyArticle}, {Article}, {FAQ} – for authored content {Organization}, {MedicalOrganization}, {EducationalOrganization} – to establish credibility {sameAs} – to reinforce expertise by connecting external profiles (LinkedIn, ORCID, Google Scholar) Schema in Action: AI Overviews Favor Structured, Credible Expert Content Google’s AI overviews are designed to synthesize trustworthy sources—not just surface-level blog posts or SEO-churned pages. That means expert content that is: Authored by named individuals with clear credentials Structured for readability and machine parsing Linked to institutional authority and trust domains If your experts don’t meet these criteria—or if Google’s crawlers can’t understand the relationships between person, organization, and content—your insights may never reach the surface of the AI summary box. How ExpertFile Optimizes for AI-Driven Search AI search is no longer just about keywords—it’s about credibility, structure, and clarity. Institutions that invest in properly structured expert content will not only rank better—they’ll become the source quoted in the next generation of search. ExpertFile is purpose-built to maximize visibility and trust in this new era of AI search. Here’s how: Structured Expert Profiles: Every expert has a dedicated page with rich Person schema, bios, credentials, affiliations, and publication history. Schema-Tagged Content: Articles, media spotlights, and FAQs are marked up using Schema.org types like ScholarlyArticle, FAQPage, and Article. Institutional Credibility: Profiles are embedded within .edu, .org, or corporate domains—reinforcing trust with Google’s algorithms. Cross-Linked Authority: Integration with Google Scholar, LinkedIn, and ORCID ensures a 360° trust profile across the web. Mobile-Ready & Indexed: ExpertFile content is fully indexable and distributed across web and mobile platforms—supporting discoverability everywhere AI pulls from. With ExpertFile, your experts are not just listed—they’re positioned, structured, and ready for the AI spotlight. Learn more about how ExpertFile helps organization's benefit in the new era of AI.

May 13, 2025

3 min

The Hidden Power of Invisible Experts

In a fast-moving landscape shaped by AI, hybrid work, and constant information shifts, organizations can’t afford to overlook their own expertise. Yet many still do — because the most valuable voices are often hiding in plain sight. We call them "invisible experts". These aren’t just the well-known thought leaders or executives quoted in media. They’re the researchers, engineers, clinicians, analysts, and project leads quietly shaping strategy, driving innovation, and influencing outcomes every day. They have deep knowledge, practical insight, and the credibility to build trust — but they’re often left out of the spotlight. And that’s a problem. -- The Expertise Gap Many organizations, both corporate and institutional struggle to define what makes someone an “expert”. Without a clear framework, expertise is often equated with job title, seniority, or public visibility. But in reality, expertise is multidimensional. It includes formal education, yes — but also lived experience, community influence, original research, and the ability to explain complex ideas clearly. If your organization wants to stay competitive, earn media attention, attract speaking engagements, partnerships, or influence your industry, you need a deeper bench of visible expertise. And it starts by identifying who your real experts are — not just the obvious ones. -- 7 Dimensions of Expertise Here are seven ways to think about expertise beyond the traditional credentials: Authority – Known as a go-to source in their domain. Advocate – Actively supports and elevates their professional community. Educator – Shares knowledge through teaching, speaking, or mentoring. Author – Publishes original insights or thought leadership content. Researcher – Contributes new data, analysis, or findings in their field. Practitioner – Applies knowledge in real-world contexts daily. Graduate – Has academic or technical training in a focus area. Not every expert is made for the stage or the media spotlight — and that’s okay. Some are best behind the scenes, helping create compelling content, briefing spokespeople, or surfacing insights from the field. Your job is to recognize the different ways people can contribute and make that part of your strategy. -- Visibility ≠ Seniority In the era of LinkedIn, personal branding, and AI-powered content, professional visibility is no longer tied to hierarchy. A mid-career professional, with a sharp take on current events might be more discoverable — and more in demand — than a long-tenured exec with little digital presence. That’s why organizations need to shift from thinking about expertise as a ladder, to thinking of it as an ecosystem. Not every expert wants to build a personal brand, but many are ready to contribute — if they’re supported and recognized. Here’s the truth: If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. And if you don’t help your experts show up in the right places — search engines, newsrooms, speaker directories, donor meetings — opportunities will go elsewhere. -- Give Your Experts a Digital Home Even after you've identified your internal experts, the next question is: Where do they live online? Too many organizations treat expert content like an afterthought — scattered across bio pages, outdated PDFs, or buried in press releases. To unlock the real value of your expertise, you need to give it a proper home. That means: Expert Profiles that showcase credentials, insights, and media-friendly info Expert Posts that surface their latest research, commentary, and thought leadership Searchable Directories that help media, partners, and the public find the right voice fast Inquiry Management tools that streamline incoming requests and drive results A centralized platform makes it easier for both internal teams and external audiences to discover, engage, and activate your expertise — whether it’s for media interviews, event invitations, donor conversations, or strategic partnerships. Without it, you're leaving visibility and value on the table. -- Is Your Organization Ready? Expertise is one of your most valuable and underutilized assets — but turning it into impact requires more than a list of names. You need to take stock of your internal bench strength, identify the experts who are ready to lead, and invest in the systems that make their voices heard. Start by asking: Who in our organization has untapped insight? Who’s already engaging audiences but flying under the radar? What tools, platforms, and support can we provide to amplify them? Recognizing your invisible experts is just the first step. Giving them a digital home and helping them engage with the right audiences — that’s how you turn knowledge into opportunity. Learn more about how ExpertFile helps organization's shine the light in these Invisible Experts.

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Sample Talks

Brand Strategy & Market Positioning

A brand isn't just a logo or tagline. It isn't just advertising. It’s a promise of value you deliver to customers. In an over-communicated world, great brands are the mental file folder that customers access when making the most complex of buying decisions.

Market Driven Product Management

It starts with understanding what organizations really have in terms of market potential and ability to serve customers. Learn how to identify the most urgent pain-points and requirements in a disciplined process of bringing a product to market.

Marketing Research: A Practical Approach

Understanding the core elements of quantitative and qualitative tools and methods that create relevant insights to drive real-world business decisions.

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Education

University of Guelph

MSc.

Marketing Management / Research

1996

Laurentian University/Université Laurentienne

HBComm

Marketing

1994

Answers

What results can I achieve with ExpertFile?: Organizations that implement ExpertFile experience results that go far beyond visibility. Marketing and communications teams in particular are able to do more with less—streamlining workflows, amplifying expert content, and reaching wider audiences without adding headcount or heavy technical resources. At a foundational level, clients see increased organic search rankings, more media mentions, and more speaking opportunities for their experts. Analytics consistently show growth in traffic to expert directories, higher engagement with spotlight posts, and more inbound inquiries from journalists, event organizers, and potential collaborators.Instead of investing heavily in building and maintaining a fully functioning Expert Center, Speakers Bureau, or Research Bureau on their own websites, clients leverage ExpertFile’s turnkey platform that delivers these capabilities at scale—along with built-in distribution across newsrooms, search engines, and AI-driven discovery. This saves substantial cost and ensures best-in-class functionality and reach.Examples by IndustryCorporate – Companies use ExpertFile to showcase executive expertise, technical specialists, and thought leaders to boost credibility in competitive sales cycles and drive analyst/media attention.Higher Education – Universities build Research Bureaus that spotlight faculty across disciplines, leading to stronger research funding cases, improved rankings, and more media coverage of groundbreaking studies.Healthcare – Hospitals and health systems highlight clinicians and medical researchers, improving patient/media access while positioning the institution as a trusted source on critical health issues.Associations – Member organizations use ExpertFile to amplify the voices of industry experts, creating speaking and media opportunities that elevate the association’s influence and advocacy efforts.Startups – Emerging companies can appear bigger than their size by presenting a polished Expert Center that builds investor confidence, establishes thought leadership, and attracts strategic partnerships.In every case, ExpertFile strengthens institutional reputation by positioning experts in front of the right audiences. The visibility and credibility generated through this exposure translate into new partnerships, research funding, student recruitment, speaking invitations, and other future opportunities.The result is measurable ROI in the form of visibility, credibility, reputation, and long-term opportunity creation.
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What is the ExpertFile Mobile app?: The ExpertFile Mobile App, is a companion app to expertfile.com that makes your experts discoverable anywhere, anytime. helps journalists, media bookers, and event organizers instantly discover and connect with leading subject matter experts on over 50,000 topics from leading academic and industry organizations worldwide. CaptionResizeWrap TextRemoveDesigned for professionals on deadline who rely on authoritative experts, ExpertFile eliminates the hassle of sifting through outdated databases or chasing down expert recommendations. ExpertFile is used by journalists and producers from top news organizations in the world, including Associated Press, Reuters, New York Times, CNN, ABC, BBC, NPR, The Guardian, Axios, The Economist, FoxNews, Al Jazeera, Univision and more for their stories. ExpertFile is also used by podcasters and conference organizers as well as law firms and industry looking for specialized expertise related to expert witness testimony and consulting. The best way to search and find credible experts. The detailed profiles, complete with education, publications and past media coverage really help when vetting sources. Every journalist should be using this to find sources for their stories! - Wilf Dinnick Former On-Air Broadcast Journalist (ABC News & CNN)The ExpertFile app is free and available for immediate download on both the App Store and Google Play.Who Uses this App? The new ExpertFile mobile app is specifically designed to support the fast-paced needs of: Journalists & Media Bookers – Quickly find credible experts for interviews and breaking news coverage.Event Organizers – Identify and book engaging speakers for conferences and webinars.Legal Professionals – Connect with expert witnesses and consultants for legal cases.Corporate & Government Professionals – Access expertise for research, policy insights, and industry collaborationsKey Features Instant Expert Search – Browse detailed expert profiles, credentials, and media appearances from top organizations.Fast & Easy Inquiries – Contact experts directly through the app to streamline interviews and speaking requests.Bookmark & Save Experts – Keep track of potential sources and save expert searches for future reference.Daily Insights & Trends – Stay ahead with fresh content from industry leaders and thought leaders.This app is a wonderful new addition to all journalism and content creation playbooks!" - Mary Wojcik, - 6x Emmy Award-Winner, Executive Storyteller & Former News Producer (CNN, CBS, ABC News)
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LinkedIn vs. ExpertFile: Networking Profiles vs. Expertise Marketing: LinkedIn is a strong platform for individual networking, but it was never built to showcase subject-matter expertise at scale or to support organizations looking to systematically promote their experts. That distinction becomes clear across several key areas where ExpertFile takes a very different approach.1. Open discovery vs. the LinkedIn login wallLinkedIn profiles and content are largely gated behind a login, limiting what external audiences can access.With ExpertFile, expert profiles, insights, and directories are designed to be openly discoverable by journalists, event organizers, and researchers — no account required. This openness allows experts to be easily compared, referenced, and surfaced in search, helping organizations capture demand at the moment it matters most.2. Expertise-first profiles vs. résumé-style pagesLinkedIn profiles are fundamentally résumé-driven — optimized for career history and job seeking.ExpertFile profiles are structured specifically around expertise: research areas, media relevance, topical summaries, and timely insights. This structure makes it easier for external audiences to understand why an expert is relevant and how they can contribute, while reinforcing the organization’s areas of strength.3. Branded expert destinations vs. scattered individual profilesOn LinkedIn, experts exist as isolated profiles with no cohesive organizational narrative.ExpertFile enables organizations to create fully branded Expert Centers, Research Bureaus, Speakers Bureaus, and multi-page expert microsites. These hubs present experts as a collective asset, telling a unified brand story while still highlighting individual voices.4. Managed inquiry workflows vs. ad-hoc outreachLinkedIn leaves it up to outsiders to guess who to contact and how.ExpertFile centralizes and manages expert inquiries, allowing organizations to route requests, track responses, and ensure time-sensitive media deadlines are met. This creates confidence for external audiences and accountability internally.5. Thought leadership infrastructure vs. engagement-driven algorithmsLinkedIn’s algorithms prioritize job changes, frequent posting, and engagement signals.ExpertFile is built around credible, structured thought leadership — including expert answers, spotlight posts, and topic-driven content designed to align with how journalists, researchers, and event organizers actually search for expertise.In short: LinkedIn connects people.ExpertFile makes expertise discoverable, organized, and actionable — for both individuals and the organizations they represent.
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