Citable 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.
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."