SearchScore Methodology

How the AI Visibility Score Works

This document explains how SearchScore evaluates websites for AI search visibility. We believe in transparency about our scoring methodology so you understand what we measure and why.

Overview

SearchScore analyses websites across six key categories to calculate an overall AI visibility score from 0-100. Each category represents factors that AI search engines consider when discovering, evaluating, and citing web content.

Category Weight Description
AI Citability 25% How easily AI engines can extract and cite your content
Brand Authority 20% Your brand's digital footprint across the web
E-E-A-T Content 20% Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
Technical Foundation 15% Site performance, crawlability, and code quality
Structured Data 10% Schema markup and semantic data implementation
Platform Optimisation 10% Presence on LinkedIn, GitHub, YouTube, and other platforms

How the Scoring Works

We collect data from multiple sources to build a comprehensive picture of your website's AI visibility:

Website Analysis

  • Crawl your website to analyse content structure and quality
  • Evaluate technical performance and mobile-friendliness
  • Check for structured data and schema markup
  • Assess page speed and accessibility

External Signals

  • Analyse your brand's presence across the web
  • Evaluate mentions and citations from authoritative sources
  • Check your presence on key platforms (LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.)
  • Assess social signals and engagement

AI Engine Compatibility

  • Verify your site is accessible to AI crawlers
  • Check for robots.txt and meta robot directives
  • Evaluate content structure for AI extraction
  • Assess authorship and attribution signals

Scoring Categories Explained

AI Citability (25%)

This category measures how well your content is structured for AI extraction and citation. We look at content quality, readability, authorship signals, and how easily AI systems can extract meaningful information from your pages.

Brand Authority (20%)

Your brand's digital footprint matters. This category evaluates your brand's recognition, mention frequency, citation patterns, and presence across authoritative platforms and directories.

E-E-A-T Content (20%)

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness are fundamental to AI search. We evaluate whether your content demonstrates genuine expertise and provides trustworthy information.

Technical Foundation (15%)

Your website must be technically sound for AI engines to access and understand it. We evaluate site speed, mobile optimisation, crawlability, and code quality.

Structured Data (10%)

Schema markup helps AI engines understand your content context. We check for proper implementation of Organisation, Article, Person, and other relevant schema types.

Platform Optimisation (10%)

Your presence on platforms like LinkedIn, GitHub, YouTube, and industry-specific sites helps AI systems understand your brand entity and authority.

Score Tiers

Your SearchScore falls into one of five tiers:

  • AI-Ready (80-100) — Excellent AI visibility, well-positioned for AI search
  • Strong (65-79) — Good AI visibility with solid fundamentals
  • Developing (45-64) — Some AI visibility, room for improvement
  • Weak (25-44) — Limited AI visibility, significant work needed
  • Invisible (0-24) — Very low AI visibility, requires immediate attention

Our Commitment

We continuously refine our methodology as AI search evolves. Our scoring is based on:

  • Research into how major AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI) work
  • Analysis of citation patterns in AI responses
  • Testing and validation of scoring accuracy
  • Feedback from users on score accuracy and recommendations

Related Resources

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