Content Quality & Authority
Content checks evaluate the quality, authority, and AI-readiness of your written content. This dimension has the highest weight (25%) because AI systems prioritize high-quality, authoritative content for citations.
E-E-A-T is critical: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness signals are the primary factors AI systems use to determine citation priority.
Quality & Authority Checks
Signals that establish content credibility
Content Quality
High
What It Checks
Uses OpenAI GPT-4 to analyze clarity (1-10 scale), readability, professional tone, grammar quality, and content depth.
Why It's Important
High-quality content is more likely to be cited by AI as a credible source. Poor quality content reduces trust and citation likelihood significantly.
Scoring Method
Based on AI clarity score (1-10) multiplied by 10, plus quality assessment adjustments.
Excellent: >85
Good: 70-85
Pass: 60-70
Fail: <60
How To Fix
Improve clarity with simple language, fix grammar issues, add depth with supporting details, maintain professional tone.
E-E-A-T Signals
Critical
What It Checks
Evaluates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness signals: author attribution, credentials, citations, original research, expert language, trust indicators.
Why It's Important
E-E-A-T is Google's primary quality framework and AI systems heavily weight these signals when determining which sources to cite. Strong E-E-A-T dramatically increases citation priority.
Scoring Method
10-point E-E-A-T score multiplied by 10. AI analyzes multiple trust signals.
Excellent: >80
Good: 60-80
Pass: 40-60
Fail: <40
How To Fix
Add author bio with credentials, include citations to authoritative sources, display trust badges, add case studies or original research.
E-E-A-T Components
- Experience: First-hand experience with the topic (case studies, personal use, real examples)
- Expertise: Credentials, qualifications, depth of knowledge demonstrated
- Authoritativeness: Industry recognition, citations from others, brand reputation
- Trustworthiness: Transparency, accuracy, security, contact information
Author Credentials
High
What It Checks
Detects author bio presence, expertise signals, LinkedIn links, credentials display, and professional affiliations.
Why It's Important
Clear author credentials are essential for E-E-A-T. Anonymous content is significantly less likely to be cited by AI systems.
Scoring Method
100 for full bio + credentials + links, 70 for bio only, 50 for name only, 0 for anonymous.
Excellent: Full credentials
Good: Bio present
Pass: Name only
Fail: Anonymous
How To Fix
Add author bio section with credentials, expertise description, and profile links (LinkedIn, Twitter). Use Person schema.
Citation Quality Analysis
High
What It Checks
Analyzes external link credibility, source authority, and percentage of links to trusted domains (.gov, .edu, major publications).
Why It's Important
High-quality citations from authoritative sources increase content credibility. AI systems check source quality when evaluating content trustworthiness.
Scoring Method
Based on trusted domain percentage: 100 for >50% tier-1/2, 70 for 30-50%, 50 for <30%.
Excellent: >50% authoritative
Good: 30-50%
Pass: Some citations
Fail: None
How To Fix
Link to authoritative sources (.gov, .edu, established publications, research papers) when citing facts and statistics.
AI Readiness Checks
How well content can be extracted and used by AI
AI Readiness
High
What It Checks
Evaluates AI extraction potential: clear structure, information density, fact clarity, entity recognition, extractable facts, and chunk quality.
Why It's Important
Directly measures how easily AI can extract and use your content for responses. High AI readiness = higher citation likelihood.
Scoring Method
Average of citation potential (1-10) and chunk quality scores, multiplied by 10.
Excellent: >80
Good: 70-80
Pass: 60-70
Fail: <60
How To Fix
Structure content clearly with headings, highlight key facts prominently, define entities explicitly, use lists for key points.
Semantic Richness
Medium
What It Checks
Analyzes vocabulary diversity, technical terms, synonyms, related concepts, key entities, and topic coherence.
Why It's Important
Rich semantic content helps AI understand context and relationships, improving relevance matching for diverse queries.
Scoring Method
Semantic score (1-10) multiplied by 10, based on AI analysis.
Excellent: >80
Good: 70-80
Pass: 60-70
Fail: <60
How To Fix
Use varied vocabulary, include technical terms with explanations, add related concepts, maintain topic coherence throughout.
Direct Answer Provision
High
What It Checks
Detects presence of direct, concise answers to potential questions. Ideal answer length is 40-60 words for featured snippet potential.
Why It's Important
Direct answers increase the likelihood of being featured in AI responses as they match user query patterns perfectly.
Scoring Method
Based on snippet potential and answer presence. Clarity score affects final result.
Excellent: >80
Good: 70-80
Pass: 50-70
Fail: <50
How To Fix
Add 40-60 word direct answers immediately after question headings. Start with the answer, then elaborate.
Example Format
<h2>What is AI Engine Optimization (AEO)?</h2> <p><strong>AI Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of optimizing web content to be better understood, indexed, and cited by AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.</strong> Unlike traditional SEO that focuses on search rankings, AEO focuses on how AI interprets and presents your content in generated answers.</p>
Topical Coverage
Medium
What It Checks
Evaluates comprehensiveness and depth of topic treatment: main topic identified, subtopics covered, coverage depth, identified gaps.
Why It's Important
Comprehensive coverage makes your content a complete resource, increasing its value as an AI citation source for various related queries.
Scoring Method
Completeness score (1-10) multiplied by 10, based on AI analysis.
Excellent: >80
Good: 70-80
Pass: 60-70
Fail: <60
How To Fix
Cover all aspects of the topic, add FAQ sections, include edge cases and related subtopics. Research what questions users ask.
Structure & Format Checks
Content organization and readability
Content Structure
Medium
What It Checks
Evaluates paragraph length (50-200 chars optimal), presence of lists, clear section breaks.
Why It's Important
Well-structured content is easier for AI to parse and segment for specific information extraction.
Scoring Method
Base 50 + bonuses for optimal paragraphs, lists, and clear sections.
Excellent: >85
Good: 75-85
Pass: 65-75
Fail: <65
How To Fix
Keep paragraphs to 2-3 sentences, use lists for steps or items, create clear section breaks with headings.
Reading Level Analysis
Medium
What It Checks
Calculates Flesch-Kincaid grade level, analyzes sentence complexity, and vocabulary accessibility.
Why It's Important
Content at grade 8-10 reading level is most accessible and preferred by AI for general audiences. Extreme complexity or simplicity reduces effectiveness.
Scoring Method
100 for grade 8-10, 80 for grade 6-12, 60 for grade 4-14, lower for extremes.
Excellent: Grade 8-10
Good: Grade 6-12
Pass: Grade 4-14
Fail: Extreme
How To Fix
Use clear language, keep sentences to 15-20 words, explain technical terms when first used.
Word Count & Depth
High
What It Checks
Evaluates content length, comprehensiveness, and topic coverage depth. Checks word count against optimal ranges.
Why It's Important
Comprehensive content (1000-3000 words) is more likely to be cited as authoritative. Thin content lacks depth, excessive content may lack focus.
Scoring Method
100 for 1500-2500 words, 80 for 1000-3000, 60 for 500-1000, 40 for <500 or >5000.
Excellent: 1500-2500
Good: 1000-3000
Pass: 500-1000
Fail: <500
How To Fix
Aim for 1500-2500 words for comprehensive coverage. Focus on quality over quantity. Split very long content into multiple focused pages.
Duplicate Content Detection
High
What It Checks
Scans for near-duplicate paragraphs, boilerplate content, and overall content uniqueness percentage.
Why It's Important
Duplicate content reduces AI's confidence in your content as an authoritative source. AI systems prefer unique, original content.
Scoring Method
100 for unique content, 70 for <10% duplicate, 50 for 10-30%, 0 for >30%.
Excellent: 100% unique
Good: <10% duplicate
Pass: <30%
Fail: >30%
How To Fix
Use canonical tags for syndicated content. Rewrite duplicate sections uniquely. Avoid boilerplate copy/paste.
Trust Signal Checks
Signals that establish credibility and trustworthiness
Publication Date Detection
High
What It Checks
Detects datePublished, dateModified in schema, visible date stamps on page, and content freshness signals.
Why It's Important
Publication dates help AI assess content freshness and relevance for time-sensitive queries. Undated content may be considered stale.
Scoring Method
100 for visible date + schema, 70 for schema only, 50 for visible only, 0 if missing.
Excellent: Both visible + schema
Good: Either present
Fail: No dates
How To Fix
Add visible publication date on page and datePublished/dateModified in Article schema.
Fact Verification Signals
Medium
What It Checks
Detects ClaimReview schema, source attribution for claims, and verifiable statements with references.
Why It's Important
Fact verification signals help AI identify trustworthy content for citation. Claims with sources are more likely to be used.
Scoring Method
100 for ClaimReview schema, 70 for cited claims, 50 for basic attribution.
Excellent: ClaimReview
Good: Cited claims
Pass: Some attribution
How To Fix
Add ClaimReview schema for fact-checks, cite sources inline for factual claims, link to primary sources.
Contact Information
High
What It Checks
Detects trust signals: contact page link, email address, phone number, and physical address presence.
Why It's Important
Contact information is a strong trust signal for E-E-A-T assessment. Sites without contact info appear less trustworthy.
Scoring Method
100 for full contact info, 70 for email + form, 50 for form only.
Excellent: Full contact
Good: Email + form
Pass: Contact form
Fail: None
How To Fix
Add a dedicated contact page with email, phone, and physical address. Use ContactPoint schema for structured data.
Sentiment & Tone
Low
What It Checks
Analyzes overall sentiment (positive/neutral/negative) and writing tone (professional, casual, academic, promotional).
Why It's Important
Professional, neutral tone is preferred by AI for factual information. Promotional content is less likely to be cited.
Scoring Method
100 for professional/neutral, 75 for professional/academic, 50 for casual/promotional.
Optimal: Professional/Neutral
Acceptable: Professional
Poor: Promotional
How To Fix
Remove marketing language, focus on facts, maintain objective tone. Avoid superlatives and sales pitches.
Links & Definitions Checks
Internal linking and terminology clarity
Internal Link Quality
Medium
What It Checks
Evaluates related content linking, topical clusters, and anchor text quality (descriptive vs generic).
Why It's Important
Strong internal linking helps AI understand content relationships and topic authority. Creates topical clusters that establish expertise.
Scoring Method
100 for 5+ contextual internal links, 70 for 3-4, 50 for 1-2, 0 for none.
Excellent: 5+ links
Good: 3-4 links
Pass: 1-2 links
Fail: None
How To Fix
Link to related content using descriptive anchor text (avoid "click here"). Create topic clusters by interlinking related pages.
Glossary/Definition Detection
Low
What It Checks
Detects term explanations, <dfn> elements, glossary sections, and inline definitions for technical terms.
Why It's Important
Clear definitions help AI extract accurate information and improve comprehension, especially for technical or industry-specific terms.
Scoring Method
100 for <dfn> + glossary, 70 for inline definitions, 50 for context clues.
Excellent: Formal glossary
Good: Inline definitions
Pass: Context clues
How To Fix
Use <dfn> for technical terms, add a glossary section for specialized content, or define terms inline on first use.