Methodology

How GEO Score is calculated

GEO Score measures how well your website is structured for AI-generated search results. Each of the 10 factors below evaluates a specific signal that AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews use when deciding whether to surface your content.

Score tiers

Excellent

Fully optimized for AI search

Good

Strong foundation, minor gaps

Needs Work

Several improvements needed

Poor

Major optimization gaps

Factor weights

Schema Markup

20 pts

Content Structure

15 pts

Meta Tags

10 pts

FAQ / Q&A Content

10 pts

Author / E-E-A-T

10 pts

Content Freshness

5 pts

Internal Linking

5 pts

Image Alt Text

5 pts

AI Crawlability

10 pts

Answer-Forward Writing

10 pts

Factor details

Schema Markup

20 pts

AI models rely heavily on structured data to understand what a page is about. JSON-LD schemas like FAQPage, Article, and HowTo directly inform how AI systems surface your content.

Scoring

20ptsHigh-value schema present: Article, NewsArticle, FAQPage, HowTo, or Product

15ptsMid-value schema present: WebPage, Organization, or WebSite

10ptsAny valid JSON-LD found

5ptsMicrodata attributes (itemtype / itemscope) found, no JSON-LD

0ptsNo structured data detected

Add a FAQPage schema to any page with a Q&A section — it's one of the highest-signal formats for AI search.

Content Structure

15 pts

Semantic HTML helps AI crawlers parse the hierarchy and meaning of your content. A well-structured page with clear headings makes it easier to extract direct answers.

Scoring

6ptsSemantic HTML tags present (article, main, section, nav, aside, header, footer) — scored proportionally

5ptsProper heading hierarchy: H1 and H2+ both present

3ptsH1 present but no H2s

4ptsMore than 3 paragraphs of content

Always use a single <h1> and structure subsections with <h2>. Wrap your main content in <article> or <main>.

Meta Tags

10 pts

Meta tags are the first thing AI systems read when indexing a page. A clear title, description, and OG tags ensure your content is accurately represented in AI-generated summaries.

Scoring

2pts<title> tag present and non-empty

2ptsmeta name="description" present

2ptsog:title Open Graph tag present

2ptsog:description Open Graph tag present

2ptsCanonical URL defined (link[rel=canonical])

All 5 tags are table stakes — missing any one of them costs 2 points. Ensure every page has a unique, descriptive title and meta description.

FAQ / Q&A Content

10 pts

AI search results love direct question-and-answer formats. Pages with FAQ sections are far more likely to be quoted verbatim in AI-generated responses as "featured answers".

Scoring

10ptsFAQPage JSON-LD schema found

5ptsDefinition lists (dl/dt/dd), Q&A class patterns, or question-style headings (ending in ?) detected

5ptsFAQ section text found ("Frequently Asked Questions")

Add a FAQ section with a proper FAQPage schema. Even 3–5 Q&As can push AI assistants to cite your page for "how" and "what" queries.

Author / E-E-A-T

10 pts

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) signals help AI systems determine if your content is credible. Author information is a key trust signal.

Scoring

10ptsMultiple E-E-A-T signals: author meta tags + JSON-LD Person schema, or author + organization info

5ptsBasic author information: byline element, rel=author link, or meta[name=author]

0ptsNo author information found

Add a JSON-LD author property with a Person schema. Link to an author bio page. Use meta[name="author"] on all blog posts and articles.

Content Freshness

5 pts

AI search engines prefer up-to-date content. Explicit publication and modification dates signal that your content is current and trustworthy.

Scoring

5ptsdateModified found in JSON-LD or meta tags

3ptsdatePublished found in JSON-LD or meta tags

1ptsAny <time datetime> element found

0ptsNo date information detected

Always include both datePublished and dateModified in your Article JSON-LD. Update the dateModified whenever you make meaningful content changes.

Internal Linking

5 pts

A strong internal link structure helps AI crawlers discover and understand the relationship between your pages. Breadcrumbs in particular are a strong structural signal.

Scoring

5ptsMore than 10 internal links AND breadcrumb navigation present

3ptsMore than 5 internal links OR breadcrumb navigation present

1ptsAt least one internal link found

0ptsNo internal links detected

Add BreadcrumbList schema and a visible breadcrumb nav on all content pages. Link generously to related articles and topic hubs.

Image Alt Text

5 pts

Alt text gives AI systems additional context about visual content. It also signals accessibility best practices, which correlate with content quality.

Scoring

5ptsAll images have descriptive alt text, or no images on page

proportionalScore = (images with alt / total images) × 5, rounded

Write descriptive alt text that explains what's in the image and why it's relevant — not just a filename. Pages with no images receive full marks.

AI Crawlability

10 pts

If you're blocking AI crawlers, you can't appear in AI search results — it's that simple. This factor checks for active blocking signals and whether your page has enough content to be useful.

Scoring

10ptsNo blocking signals detected and page has 200+ words of content

5ptsMinor issues only (e.g., low word count)

0ptsnoindex, noai, noimageai meta robots directive, or AI bot blocking meta tags found

Check your meta[name="robots"] tag. Do NOT add "noai" or "noimageai" if you want AI visibility. Ensure pages have substantial written content.

Answer-Forward Writing

10 pts

AI search engines favor content that gets to the point immediately. "Answer-forward" writing — where the first paragraph directly answers the likely question — is far more likely to be surfaced in AI responses.

Scoring

3ptsFirst paragraph is substantive (80+ characters)

2ptsDefinition lists, asides, or blockquotes present

2pts3 or more list items (ordered or unordered)

2pts5 or more definitional phrases (is, are, means, refers to, defined as)

1ptsDense content ratio (100+ words per heading)

Start every page with a direct 1–2 sentence answer to the question the page addresses. Use bullet lists and definition-style sentences like "X is Y that does Z."

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